Woodland High School

Anita Doglio Kern

The following article appeared in the Streator Times Press on March 7, 2008...

He will be missed by all who knew him! We will remember him always...

TRIBUTE: Community Remembers Woodland Teacher for his Humor and Integrity

STREATOR -- Roy Lathrop was the type of person who would crash his boat against the shore in an effort to retrieve someone else's bobber.
He was a good fisherman and an even better friend, said Rick Knuffman, who knew Lathrop for 35 years as a fishing buddy and as a fellow teacher.

"We tend to use the word 'friend' in a cavalier manner," said Knuffman. "If you claimed Roy Lathrop as a friend that was significant because he was so trusted, so loyal. I don't think people realize how much we lost -- his loyalty to his school, his church, his community and most of all his friends and family."

Lathrop, 70, died Tuesday following an illness. An active member of the Streator community, he was well known as a social studies teacher at Woodland High School from 1965 to 1996, where he also coached football and basketball.

Several staff members who worked at Woodland during Lathrop's tenure remember him as a friend to the school district. Even after his retirement, he sometimes taught as a substitute there, said Superintendent Doug Foster.

"Lots of qualities jump out. He was intelligent, articulate, well-read," said Knuffman, who has taught math at Woodland High since 1975. "He had a sharp mind. He could tell 1,000 jokes and never repeat one."

Armin "Buzz" Groom also recalled Lathrop's sense of humor. Groom, who taught physical education and health at Woodland from 1968 to 1990, coached with Lathrop.

"He was a guy who was really interested in the youth and the kids and getting them to do what they were capable of doing," Groom said. "He was always joking and smiling. He was a good guy to work with."

All six of Marilyn Lechner's children had Lathrop as a teacher when they attended Woodland High.

"He was an excellent teacher and a good person," she said. "He was kind, considerate, very helpful."

Lechner and her family also knew Lathrop on a personal level through attending St. Anthony Church in Streator.

"He was just like a family member," she said. "He was quiet sometimes, but was a great jokester with puns. He had a great sense of humor. He will be missed."

Mass of Christian burial will be 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Anthony Church, 407 S. Park St. Visitation will be 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the church prior to the service.

Memorials may be directed to St. Anthony Church, Woodland Education Foundation, Knights of Columbus or Streator Elks Lodge. A complete obituary appeared in Thursday's edition of The Times.

Knuffman agreed Lathrop will be missed.

"He was a mentor to me," he said. "He was so full of integrity. You never had to ask about his honesty. He was so much so that you would improve your own stature just by being around him."