COVID-19 Claims Life Of Longtime Montco Middle School Teacher

ABINGTON, PA — A longtime middle school teacher in this Montgomery County community passed away recently after a long battle with COVID-19.

Christopher Hamsher, 51, of Glenside, Pa., died on Oct. 4 after suffering from the coronavirus.

Hamsher worked for 24 years as an eighth grade English teacher in the Abington Township School District.

"A master of the written and spoken word, purveyor of punctuation, and grammatical guru, Chris impacted and inspired countless numbers of ornery 8th graders to at least tolerate reading and writing, and most importantly share in his disdain for seagulls," his obituary reads.

Hamsher, who also served as a sports coach in the neighborhood, was known for his love of the outdoors, where he enjoyed going on hikes and engaging in photography, his obituary states.

"He found joy in learning about people and having deep conversations," the obituary reads. "Most importantly, he valued, honored, and loved his family, his friendships, and his community."

Hamsher was married to Aileen, with whom he had children Kacey, Colin and Haley.

Hamsher was also an author, and he had recently finished writing his young adult novel, Alan's First Labor.

Organizers of a GoFundMe in Hamsher's honor are asking for financial support from the community to help with publishing the recently finished novel and also help with the creation of a planned memorial dedicated to Hamsher's near-quarter-century of teaching in Abington.

The GoFundMe had already raised more than $23,000 at the time of the publication of this story.

At this week's meeting of the Abington Township Board of School Directors, members reflected on Hamsher's career and dedication to the school community and the community at large.

During the Tuesday meeting, Board Member Daniel Kaye recalled meeting Hamsher when Hamsher taught Kaye's own child some years ago.

This was before Kaye became an elected school director.

"I realized that not only was he a great person and sweetheart of a guy, but he was a really good teacher," Kaye said. "Aidan loved his class, and he loved learning from him."

Kaye said when his son would be struggling with topics in class, Hamsher would always pull Kaye aside and ask if there was anything extra he could do to help.

"It really meant so much to a parent to hear that. A real genuine love for the kids and what he was trying to do," Kaye said. "I just want you to know that if you didn't know him, he really, really was a great, person. A really great teacher. A really good guy. Terrific father and husband. Just a really impressive human being and we were deeply lucky in Abington to have him for the short time we had him."

Not all board members knew Hamsher personally, but those who didn't say they learned a lot about the man after his untimely passing.

"My condolences go out, especially to his family but to all the students who had the pleasure of having him as a teacher and to honor his memory," board member Tamar Klaiman said during the meeting.

Any community member wishing to share thoughts and memories about Hamsher can feel free to email those to: HamsherMemorial@abington.k12.pa.us.