REXBURG — The community is mourning the loss of a popular school crossing guard after she was killed in a Montana car accident early Monday morning.
Kathy Striffler, 53, was in a vehicle with her husband and son on Interstate 90 near Columbus when her husband fell asleep at the wheel around 2:45 a.m., the Montana Highway Patrol told Billings Gazette.
When he overcorrected, the vehicle reportedly rolled several times. Investigators say Striffler was thrown from the vehicle and she died on the scene.
Striffler was employed as a crossing guard for Madison School District 321 at Kennedy and Adams Elementary and in food services at Adams Elementary for more than 13 years, district spokeswoman Jessica Goudy told EastIdahoNews.com
“Kathy has been an iconic part of Main Street in Rexburg for the last decade,” Goudy said in a statement. “She took great pride in her job and worked above and beyond to keep our students safe while crossing that busy road day after day, year after year.”
Striffler “always had a friendly smile and wave to share with passerby’s” and loved her job, Goudy said.
“To her, it wasn’t just a job. To us, she wasn’t just an employee,” Goudy said. “The staff at Kennedy and Adams Elementary and others throughout the district loved her deeply. It is an overwhelming loss. She will be deeply missed.”
Madison School District has set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses and medical costs of Striffler’s surviving husband and son.
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