Central Visual and Performing Arts High School teacher Jean Kuczka, who was shot and killed last Monday, is given a funeral Mass at The Cathedral Basilica of ºüÀêÊÓƵ on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022.
ST. LOUIS — The five adult children of Jean Kuczka stood at the front of the Cathedral Basilica on Monday to mourn their mom, gunned down a week ago in a school shooting.
“She was the most selfless person we’ve ever known, and I know many of you would agree,†Kuczka’s oldest child, Steve Kuczka Jr., said at the funeral Mass.
“Mom was always there for us,†he said. “She was always there for anyone who needed her. That was the common thread of Jean’s life. Let’s celebrate that life.â€
Jean Kuczka, 61, was a health and physical education teacher who was shot to death Oct. 24 at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Her family was told that Kuczka was shot as she stood between the gunman and her students to protect them.
The gunman, former student Orlando Harris, 19, burst into the school and fatally shot Kuczka and student Alexzandria Bell, 15. Seven others were injured. Police stormed the school building within minutes, confronting and killing Harris in a third-floor classroom.
The Rev. Leo Spezia, associate pastor at Most Sacred Heart Parish in Eureka, spoke of “Mrs. K.†He referenced the “tragedy†and prayed for the other students and teachers and for the first responders who helped end the rampage.
“We have seen a tragedy unfold over the last week,†Spezia said. “It’s been in the news every day. But we gather in this beautiful, magnificent cathedral today to see mercy, to see grace, to see the love of God for all of us.â€
Hundreds attended the funeral Mass, which was livestreamed by the archdiocese on its website. The mourners included Alexzandria’s mother, Keisha Acres, who hugged CVPA Principal Kacy Seals-Shahid on their way inside.
Kuczka’s five children are Steve Jr., Joe, Megan, Isabelle and Abbey. In high school, Kuczka taught swimming lessons at the YMCA and from that moment on knew she wanted to be a teacher. Her family said she believed every child was a unique human being who deserved a chance to learn.
Kuczka, of Dittmer, was looking forward to retiring in a few years. She and her husband, Steve, would have celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in January. She was preparing for her 15th annual bike ride to raise money for juvenile diabetes research in December.
Jean Kuczka also had six grandchildren and enjoyed traveling with family to destinations like Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and Pompano Beach, Florida.
“Though her life is over far too soon,†her son said, “it was full of friends, family, love, laughter and stories that will keep her memory alive. Along with those stories we remember her for loving Tom Petty, Diet Coke, hummingbirds, Jimmy Buffett, margaritas, Snoopy, and going on adventures and spending time with her loved ones.â€
Kuczka’s burial was at Resurrection Cemetery.
Photos: Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Hundreds attend funeral for Jean Kuczka, teacher killed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooting
Funeral procession for Jean Kuczka passes CVPA
Alexzandria Bell
The funeral for 15-year-old Alexzandria Bell, who was fatally shot Oct. 24 at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, will take place on Nov. 5 at 10 a.m. at Faith Church in Earth City. She will be buried at Friedens Cemetery & Mausoleum in Bellefontaine Neighbors.
But Republicans have shown no appetite to strengthen Missouri’s gun laws.
Family members of Jean Kuczka, including her husband, Steve, center, watch as pallbearers place her casket into the hearse after her funeral Mass on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, at the Cathedral Basilica of ºüÀêÊÓƵ. Kuczka, 61, a health teacher, was killed while confronting a gunman and protecting her students in a school shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School.