(Memphis) Frayser Elementary has a new place to remember Heather Palumbo-Jones.
She’s the kindergarten teacher police say was murdered by her husband last month.
She leaves behind two children and a classroom of students she loved.
Heather called her kindergarten class her ‘little tigers’ and Wednesday her little tigers got a front row seat to her dedication.
“We dedicate this garden,” chanted the kids.
They say she was dedicated to her students, so the garden is dedicated to her.
“She loved the color purple. So, we put a few purple flowers in,” said James Dennis, principal of Frayser.
Heather’s two children were the first to sit on the bench that’s engraved with her name: Heather Leigh.
“Mrs. Jones was just always full of life,” said Dennis.
She’s a woman whose memory will not be defined by the day she died but by the people and lives that she touched.
“Students loved her and our students still love her,” said Dennis.
Her kindergarten students released doves in celebration of her life.
The last dove was let go by Heather’s mother.
“It’s kind of a Buddhist tradition,” said Pansy Swinson. “When you release the doves, it’s kind of a rebirth.”
The principal of Frayser Elementary says the garden will stay here, even though the beloved teacher had to move on.
“I am so grateful. So grateful,” said Swinson.
“We love you Miss Jones,” said her students, as they released purple balloons that floated up to the sky.
