Tanya Wilson spent 28 years teaching reading to Franklin Elementary School students until her untimely death in 2023. On Sunday, Nov. 9, the school honored her with a dedication ceremony establishing the Tanya Wilson Reading Garden.
After Wilson’s passing, Lori Laramore, reading interventionist at Franklin Elementary, explained that Wilson’s family approached the school wanting to make a donation in her memory. Instead of choosing a tree or traditional garden, which would need consistent care, Laramore and her colleagues decided to honor Wilson’s love for teaching children to read by creating a dedicated space.
The space, naturally lit and next to a window with a brightly colored mural of Wilson reading to children, features a small bookshelf and four saucer chairs for students to read. At the ceremony, Laramore said approximately 50 to 60 people paid tribute to Wilson, and about 50 books were donated in her memory.
“At the dedication, we asked each person to bring a book with them, and we put a special little sticker in it that says, ‘Donated in honor of Tanya Wilson,’” Laramore said. “They signed their name inside the book, too, so we know who it came from.”
Laramore described Wilson as a “kind and gentle” person and said she exemplified the Fruits of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control — described in Galatians 5:22-23 in the Bible.
“She was a pleaser,” Laramore said. “She loved to learn about anything and was very attentive to the needs of the students. She was also incredibly faith-filled and shared that with her co-workers. If we were having a rough day, she would just stop and say, ‘Can I pray for you?’ which was a special part of who she was.
“She had a way of making everybody feel special. She was a great listener, and you would get her undivided attention when you were talking to her.”
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