Myrna Powers, with her family. (Photo via thewayofthecross.wordpress.com)

As the new school year opens, students and teachers at Abilene Christian Schools’ elementary school are dealing with the death of their principal — a woman they never really got to know.

As minister Jim Gardner writes in a heartwrenching blog post, Myrna Powers had accepted her dream job as the West Texas school’s principal this summer:

How ironically sad to me that her heart, so big and full of the servant love of Jesus for others, gave out on her on the brink of a dream. For years, Myrna and Steve dreamed of relocating to Abilene where they’d met during their college years at ACU. It was primarily through the example and influence of Myrna and Steve that so many Woodward Park’ers found ACU an attractive option for their college years. Late this summer, Myrna’s dream job opened and was offered to her – Principal of Abilene Christian’s Elementary School. She jumped at the chance, leaving behind a legacy of influence at Maple Creek and Woodward Park. Sadly, just days into her entrance into Texas, she became ill with the illness that would still her giving heart.

Read Gardner’s full post and a followup post.