Frangus Elementary mourns Gail Kiehm's death

Gail Kiehm has had two official titles at William Frangus Elementary School in her 24-year career there, but she has also been called “the heart and soul of Frangus,” said Ann Cherolini, a co-worker and friend.

“She knew every parent, every child, how they got home, where they lived,” she said.

The school received the heartbreaking news that Kiehm — the school’s registrar and former media clerk — died of liver cancer Friday, April 1, less than three months after getting the diagnosis. She thought initially she had diverticulitis.

Kiehm helped open the school, located at 380 Killington Way, Orlando, in 1992 and quickly became known for her willingness to offer assistance to anyone in need. Her principal, Dr. Ana M. Gonzalez, used a number of adjectives to describe the staff favorite: patient, gentle, caring, loving, steadfast, committed, professional, focused, personable, empathetic, strong, vigilant, wise, graceful, tender, capable, humorous, diligent and intuitive.

The principal shared these sentiments in a letter to staff at Frangus, as well as all the educators at Orange County Public Schools: “She was a pillar in our community, someone who interacted with various generations of students and families here at Frangus Elementary, one who arrived when the gates opened each morning and one who would stay to ensure that the last child went home safely, one that would recall all the changes the school had undergone since it first opened … one who would always find humor in any difficult situation, one who cared for people without passing any judgment, one who felt a deep responsibility to her family and one who was supremely aware of the legacy that we leave behind by our actions and our words.”

Shirley Cowans, a former Frangus principal and OCPS area superintendent, spoke highly of Kiehm, as well.

“I worked with Gail Kiehm from 1995-2003,” Cowans said. “I was the second principal of William Frangus Elementary, and I have many fond memories of Gail. Frangus was a fairly new school when I arrived, and I was responsible for initiating many academic programs while I served as the head of the school. One program … was the Accelerated Reading Program. We established various levels of reading incentives and my favorite was level 10. To get to level 10, students had to put in quite a bit of time reading at home and during free time at school. At level 10, students could order from a menu of their choice from restaurants near the school. This was a huge undertaking for me because I wanted to make the lunch time special for the students.


“Well, all I had to do was to set the dates for the lunches,” Cowans said. “Gail jumped right in and made sure that each student received individual time with her looking over the menus and ordering what he or she wanted to eat. Sometimes she would call parents to tell them when the students would be eating with me. … The parents would actually leave their jobs and come take pictures of the students eating lunch with me. … I think this was Gail's favorite time too. She loved seeing the students come to the office for the celebrations.


“Gail was such a dedicated employee,” she said. “She practically lived at the school. As a matter of fact, I do not remember if she ever went home. She knew all of the students and their families. I could always count on her to keep me up to date about any special needs of our students.
 She will truly be missed by the Frangus community.”

To keep Kiehm’s memory alive, the school is planning a special remembrance when the campus undergoes renovations in the next year.

In the meantime, the family is asking for support through the Gail Kiehm Memorial fund. For information, call Ann Cherolini, the secretary/bookkeeper, at (407) 296-6469.

Kiehm, 58, was born in Vincenza, Italy. Survivors include her husband of 40 years, David; children, Jennifer Kiehm, Stephan Kiehm, Christina Flatt and Jessica Kiehm; and three grandchildren.

Contact Amy Quesinberry Rhode at [email protected].