Kristi Myers, 47, died June 4, 2023 at home with her family at her side. She was born May 8, 1976 to Glen and Nancy (Roedl) Mason of Altamont, Illinois.
Kristi is survived by her husband of 19 years, Dan; daughter, Audrey; parents Glen and Nancy; brother, Aaron Mason (Kami); several wonderful nieces and nephews; and hundreds of students whose lives she impacted deeply with her kindness, caring, and compassion. She loved you all.
Kristi was class valedictorian and graduated from Altamont High School with the highest honors in 1994. She graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1998 with a BA in English (with Secondary Education Certification). She completed her MA in English Literature from Iowa State in 2011. Her graduate thesis probed the role of motherhood in the dystopian novels of Margaret Atwood (i.e., The Handmaid’s Tale).
Kristi dedicated her life to teaching. She taught at GCMS Middle School in Gibson City, IL; Urbandale High School in Urbandale, IA; DMACC Urban Campus, Des Moines, IA; Iowa State University, Ames, IA; and finally Central Academy in Des Moines, IA, where she taught AP English and created a safe and nurturing space for all students to feel encouraged, supported and loved. The thousands of lives she impacted with her pedagogy and her kindness are her legacy. She rooted for every single last one of you. To fill the void left by her passing, she’d encourage you to read books (especially banned books).
When she was not teaching and reading literature, Kristi loved walking her neighborhood with her family and friends and her dog, Pedro. She was an avid trivia enthusiast, appearing on the television game show Jeopardy! which aired March 15, 2011. She loved camping, karaoke with friends, listening to music, backyard gardening, and cooking tasty food for those she loved. She loved baseball and listening to the Cubs on the radio.
Kristi battled cancers for most of her life. She received her first cancer diagnosis in 1993 while still in high school. During her lifetime she also fought breast cancer and brain cancer. Kristi knew all too well the life-changing impact of a cancer diagnosis. We are grateful to the many doctors and nurses in Iowa and Illinois. We’re especially grateful to Dr. Richard Deming, Kristi’s oncologist for 18 years and the founder of Above and Beyond Cancer. Dr. Deming’s approach to Kristi’s care made the most difficult aspect of her life manageable. This allowed her to continue to do the thing she loved the most (teaching) right up until the end of her life.
Above and Beyond Cancer Center Tax ID 45-3951308 1305 50th Street Des Moines, IA 50266
