Jane Coomer did not shy away from a challenge. In 1989, as she was preparing to open Chattahoochee Elementary, she was informed by the superintendent of Gwinnett schools that a child infected with AIDS would be among her students.
“When the TV cameras showed up at the school, she said, ‘No, this isn’t how we are going to do this,’ ” recalled James Coomer, her husband of 47 years. “She just had a sense of what was proper and what was important. And what was important to her was the education of all of the children.”
Friends and peers say Jane Coomer was the consummate professional, and even as a principal she remembered what it was like to be a teacher.
“She never forgot the role of a teacher,” said Jeff Lee, Chattahoochee’s current principal. “She was a wonderful, helpful person with a caring soul.”
Coomer retired from Chattahoochee in 2004, but she regularly returned to the school to tutor students, Lee said.
Jane Young Coomer died Thursday of complications from cancer. She was 73.
A memorial service is planned for 1:30 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. Crowell Brothers Funeral Home Peachtree Chapel is in charge of cremation arrangements.
A native of Carrollton, the former Jane Young earned degrees from West Georgia University, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the University of Houston. She spent 41 years in education and taught for 16 years before becoming a principal.
“I don’t think that was a path she initially sought,” James Coomer said of his wife moving to administration. “But it was a role she filled very well.”
Coomer said his wife used the word ‘principal’ as a modifier, not a noun.
“She thought of herself as the principal teacher,” he said. “And she was one who led by example.”
She was also always on the lookout for teachable moments, he said. In 1989, Coomer invited doctors and nurses to talk to the teachers and parents at Chattahoochee. She thought it made more sense to teach people about AIDS than to let them live in fear, her husband said.
When Coomer wasn’t at school, her teacher-like traits still shined bright in all she did, said longtime friend Donna Philips.
“She was very helpful and always prepared,” Philips said. “She was humble, disciplined and very professional in all she did.”
Lee, who succeeded Coomer at Chattahoochee, said the knowledge and advice she shared with him has been invaluable.
“One of the things she told me was, ‘Just always keep in mind what is best for the kids,’ ” he said. “She wasn’t just a good principal, but she was also a good friend.”
In addition to her husband of 47 years, Coomer is survived by her daughter, Alice Moon of Hoschton; a sister and brother; and two grandchildren.
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