Tribute to Vicki Kagan

For those of you who knew and loved Vicki Kagan over the years, you will be greatly saddened to learn that she unexpectedly passed away on Thursday, March 7, 2024 in the loving arms of her daughter, Sara Marner. Vicki would have been 79 years old on May 7 of this year.

Vicki and I met during the 1980's when she became a guidance counselor at W. T. Woodson High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, roughly twenty miles south of Washington DC. I was a business/co-op teacher there, and we quickly became best friends and remained that way until her death.

As you know, Vicki is a “friend magnet” and was loved and respected by students and faculty alike. We had so much fun working together and “teaming up” on students who needed a little extra motivation to successfully navigate their high school journey. She would say to me, “I got another one for you!” as she enrolled one of her “challenging” students in my Career Strategies course. These students had no choice but to “get it together” once they became targets of our unified attention. Her energy and enthusiasm for students knew no bounds, and she actively participated in school activities including co-sponsoring the senior class during 1985 and 1986.

After she left Woodson, Vicki served as guidance director at Robinson Secondary School for several years and was also interim guidance director at several local high schools upon her retirement from Fairfax County Public Schools

At the time of her death, Vicki lived with her only daughter Sara and her beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Olive, in Burke, Virginia, a suburb in Fairfax County, Virginia. Even in retirement, she was always cultivating new friends through book clubs, exercise classes at the local Jewish Community Center, her attendance at theater performances, and even online games such as Words with Friends. She led a life of love and giving back to others and will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her.

Nancy Johnston Vicki's Best Friend The memorial service for Vicki is June 2nd at 2pm at Rodef Shalom Temple in Falls Church followed by a reception there.