Diane Pope

July 13, 1970 ~ October 15, 2022
Diane Pope, 52, of Jefferson City passed away on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at her home surrounded by family.
She was born July 13, 1970, in Jefferson City, the youngest of eight children, to the late George M. and Bernice C. (Strope) Pope. Diane, her brother and sisters were raised in Rich Fountain. They knew the value of hard work helping their parents operate the family farm.
At a very young age, Diane realized she wanted to be a teacher. She graduated from Fatima High School and went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and her Master’s Degree in Education from Truman State University.
She began her career of 28 years as a student teacher at Fulton High School. Her organizational skills and a mind for analytics made her a very special teacher of Math. Diane made sure her students were always clear in what her expectations were. She didn’t just teach Math but strove to have her students learn, understand and improve their life skills. Diane was named Teacher of the Year in 2001.
During her career she served as Head of the Math Department, was a member of the PLC team, was a sponsor of the Hi-Step Program and served on multiple other committees. She taught Mathematics as an adjunct at Westminster College, developed and taught an advanced high school Math course for Mizzou Online and tutored Math at Sylvan Learning Center in Jefferson City. Diane was an Instructional Coach for teachers for the Fulton Public School District for the last three years.
Diane will be remembered for her wry sense of humor, the passion for family history, creation of “cousin of the day” and her famous peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. She loved spending time with her family, organizing family functions, solving puzzles, and spoiling her dog, Max.
She is survived by her much loved dog, Max, six sisters, Janet (Keith) Carel of Jefferson City, Linda (Dave) Herigon of Iberia, Nancy (Stephen) Schulte of California, Carol (Dale) Rackers of Wardsville, Alice (Michael) Pope-Fritz of Atlanta, GA , Sandy (Patrick) Hale of Jefferson City, nieces and nephews, Misty (Scottie) Bastion, Tim (Christy) Carel, Josh (Erin) Carel, Jenna (Jason) Volmert, Ben (Ally) Rackers, Jacob Rackers (Cara Kirchhoff), and Lydia Pope-Fritz, nine great nephews, three great nieces, aunts and uncles, Emma Scheulen, Doris Lewis, Leonard (Kathy) Strope, Bernadine Pope, Walter Schwartz, and large extended family.
Diane was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Robert and great niece, Sydney Carel.
Visitation will be 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at Trimble Funeral Homes-Jefferson City with a prayer service beginning at 4:00 p.m.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m., Wednesday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Jefferson City. Reverend I.C. Medina will officiate. Burial will be in St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery, Koeltztown.
Memorial checks may be made to Fulton Public Schools, 2 Hornet Drive, Fulton MO, 65251 for the Diane Pope Math Education Scholarship Fund.
Services entrusted to Trimble Funeral Homes – Jefferson City. trimblefunerals.com
Always remember you miss help you were in the most funniest outgoing person I am ever met as a teacher have fun have a blast rest in peace
Diane was such a sweet and Honest lady …. She will be missed by many… Josh , Erin, Mason, Gage and Ellie talked so highly of their Aunt and Great Aunt… they will all miss her. RIP Diane …. Also my condolences to all of her Family that was always there by her side.
Diane’s presence on faculty helped make FHS a joy rather than just a job. She added fun along the way and that reminded me daily how much I loved teaching. She was one of a kind.
Diane was a special person, besides a gifted educator. She has been there for so many students. They will always remember her. What a gifted woman she was. Diane has fought this battle for years, with dignity, bravery and grace. God be with you Diane and prayers for her family. You will be.missed.❤🙏🙏
Miss Pope was the first teacher that took the time to learn how to teach me in a way that I could understand how it made sense. Her laugh was contagious. FHS will be less without her.
That very day I met Diane, on our first day of first grade…she was so confident and I thought I “knew” everybody. I asked her why she didn’t go to kindergarten and Diane responded, “I already knew my ABC’s so mom said I didn’t have to go to school until 1st grade”. Diane was my rock all through school, a stable, calm and very caring friend. I admired her ability to learn and understand and how she loved her family. She tutored me in math on the bus to high school most days. She was born to be one who invested her whole heart into the lives of all those around her. What a gift she had to live life in the present. I will always remember a poem she recited in 8th grade, it was about Hugs. That poem always reminded me of Diane. And I have a copy of it that I found in college and have it to this day. Thank you LORD for the gift of Diane. You welcomed her with open arms and praised her with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come & share your master’s happiness.” Matthew 25:21, 23
Ms. Pope was one of the only math teachers I had that made me feel like I actually knew what I was doing with the subject. She was an amazing teacher and always so funny. I’ll never forget when she fully stopped class to teach us who Buddy Holly was because she was so shocked no one knew! She will be greatly missed.
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