LCCC professor gave students hope

By Andrea Engle
Editor

    The LCCC instructor who was killed on July 21 after being struck by a motor vehicle was “just like a ray of sunshine.”

    Maureen Ciarrone was said to be on her way home when a '95 Ford Ranger driven by Tyler Mclean, 18, hit her on Betts Road in Camden Township, according to The Chronicle-Telegram.

    “She was very, very interested in people, getting to know staff and students,” said Katherine Worden, coordinator for LCCC’s Wellington center, “she had her students call her Maureen.”

    Ciarrone was the type that took every student aside to make sure that they did not fall behind in her classes. She taught Math 021, a basic algebra class meant for students who need an extra boost. Worden explained that she had students of all ages in her class from the fresh high school graduate to the person who has been out of school for 15 years.

    “It was a typical community college class,” said Worden.

    She was a very organized and timely person said Dr. Generosa Lopez-Molina, dean of the division of Academic Foundations. She always brought a positive energy into the classroom and the workplace. Her colleagues believed that she was a role model for not only her students but faculty members as well.

    “She was always well prepared and organized almost as if she was willing to have anyone else take on the remainder of the responsibilities of the semester,” said Lopez-Molina, “Everything was to the clip in place.”

    There were no services on campus for Ciarrone but the college worked with the family to integrate them into her memorial services. Lopez- Molina described her services as if there was a sense of peace.

    “There was a moment in the service in which everyone prayed for the young man who was driving the truck and his family, it was so like Maureen, she was always caring,” said Lopez-Molina.

    While at the college she taught two classes at the main LCCC branch and one summer class at the Wellington center that ended 13 days after she passed away. Ciarrone was also scheduled to teach for the upcoming fall semester.
 
    Ciarrone left behind her husband John and four children three sons and one daughter. The family is unavailable to speak at this time because they are all out of state in Montana.