Judy Gass Lopus

“Both Judy & her mother Minnie Gass Mcleod attended Romeo Community Schools & graduated from RHS on Prospect St.  Minnie in 1925 & Judy in 1957.  Minnie attended Wayne State University to receive her teaching certificate.  She taught 1st grade in Romeo. Judy, actually had her mom for  her 1st grade teacher & had to call her Mrs. Gass. That was a challenging year for the both of them, to say the least.  Judy went on to graduate from CMU & followed in her mother’s footsteps teaching pre-school and later kindergarten for Romeo Community Schools.  At one point there were 3 generations at Amanda Moore. I was in kindergarten, Mrs. Lopus (mom) was teaching pre-school, and my grandma, Mrs. Gass, taught 1st grade. Mom and grandma thought that was pretty special! And I liked having them close by.  I went to Junior High on Prospect St. and later graduated from the RHS on 32 Mile Rd in 1985.  

If you had Mrs. Lopus as a teacher, you were a very lucky student.  Every day in her classroom, she played the piano and sang songs with “her kids.”  They would sing nursery rhymes, and she believed rhyming patterns helped them recognize words, while singing helped them follow the sentences.  The children started reading without even realizing it.  The children also acted out stories and put on puppet shows.  If you had Mrs. Lopus, I’m sure one of the highlights of the year was acting out Three Billy Goats Gruff, am I right?  She freely gave out hugs and the kids loved her.  One unique and memorable educational experience that her students also received was to learn & experience nature first hand.  She took her kids on nature hikes, teaching them about the trees, insects, wildflowers, & critters.  She taught the kids to respect nature & because she loved it, the children did too.  They would look for the changes of seasons, estimate how tall trees were, look for animal tracks and try to determine what animals they were from.  A lesson she taught that many students haven’t forgotten was to never kill spiders.  If you don’t like them in your house, then you capture & release it outside. Do you remember this lesson?

Throughout the year, Mrs. Lopus would show up at school in costume, Mother Goose, Priscilla Pilgrim, Mrs. Claus, an old schoolmarm.  The students loved these days! Little did they know, they were learning history as she taught them how the pilgrims heated their homes: the children that were the ages of her students were the ones responsible for gathering firewood after school.  She would ask the students if the pilgrims had electricity & Priscilla would explain how she would light her home at night, where she  found water, etc. 

When mom retired in 1999, she tried to get an empty lot near Crosswell Elementary set up as a nature center, but I don’t think that ever came to fruition.  Imagine how thrilled she would be to have a space designated to nature where students can come to experience its wonder, beauty, and to learn! Judy loved her job, and she was really good at it!  I was lucky to have her as my mom.  She never retired from educating, my children were lucky to have Mrs. Lopus as their Nature Nana.  They were her students into their twenties, what a gift she was to us all!  

Judy loved the old school buildings on Prospect St. and was very sad to see them torn down.  It would make her happy to know that the location of those old buildings is being preserved as a green space full of nature & wonder!  Please help make Mrs. Lopus’ passion & dream a reality. 

According to my mom, she and her mother taught 70 straight years for Romeo Schools. I challenge each of her students, parents of students, or those who appreciated her gift to pledge to donate $70 (or what you’re able), this is a dollar for every year my mom & her mother spent educating the children of Romeo.  If all of Mrs. Lopus’ students donated $70, we could raise over $100,000 in their honor. What a gift!” 

Photo credit: Laura Lopus Gourlay