Teacher remembered for commitment to students, community

An elementary school teacher killed in a crash that also took the lives of seven teenaged basketball players is being remembered as a loyal, selfless and passionate musician.

"She was a super, super person and so many people are going to miss her," said Cheryl Brewster, a long-time friend of Elizabeth Lord.

Lord, 51, died early Saturday morning while travelling in a van driven by her husband, Wayne Lord, the coach of Bathurst High School's Phantoms basketball team.

The team was returning from a match against Moncton High School when the van fishtailed on an icy stretch of highway and collided with an oncoming transport truck.

Eight of the van's 12 passengers died in the collision. Elizabeth Lord'shusband and daughter were also in the vehicle at the time of the accident but survived.

Wayne was treated and released from the hospital early Saturday. The couple's daughter is still in hospital in stable condition.

Friends of Elizabeth Lord say the Terry Fox Elementary School teacher was just along for the ride, using it as a chance to spend time with her family.

Lord had a keen sense of fun, loved to laugh and hosted many staff parties, said Beth Stymiest, principal at South Bathurst Elementary School, where Lord once taught.

"She believed everyone could learn to sing and tried to prove with it with her karaoke machine, but results were mixed," Stymiest remembered.

Lord has 28 years experience with the school district and her commitment to students was obvious in her work, she said.

"She spent countless hours poring through resources trying to find the best way to help students. You just needed to look through her books. They were highlighted, they were marked with Post-it notes," Stymiest said.

Lord and her husband often went above and beyond in contributing to their community, said Douglas Prescott, president of the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Their commitment has spanned years, Prescott said, and has helped many youth become better citizens.

As students at Bathurst High School returned to classes on Monday, many were also mourning the loss of their former elementary school teacher.

"They were enthralled with her," Stymiest said. "She was very kind with her students, very considerate and giving. I had many meetings with her, with students that were having problems and she went above and beyond."

A public funeral service will be held Wednesday for the seven teenagers killed in the accident. It starts at 2 p.m. AT (1 p.m. ET). CBCNews.ca will be carrying the event on a live video stream.

A separate funeral is planned Thursday for Lord.