Ceiba Teacher Killed in Crash Beloved for Humor, Caring Nature

Patricia Garske had a creative, funny personality that helped her connect with 11- and 12-year-olds at

Garske, 51, of Soquel had taught sixth grade math at Ceiba for a year. She was killed in .

"Pat was a deeply committed and caring teacher, and this comes as a great shock to the Ceiba community," said J. Zac Stein, an administrator at Ceiba, a Watsonville charter school that will serve students grades 6-10 in the fall.

Christal Alderton, who taught sixth grade with Garske and is now assistant principal at Ceiba, remembered the more senior educator as dedicated—she would come in early, spend her lunches tutoring students and stay late.

“I just learned a lot of patience and a lot of perseverance from her," said Alderton, who had seven years teaching experience Garske's 30.

Garske, her 16-year-old daughter and two others were traveling in a motor home to an annual family camping trip in Yosemite when they were hit head-on by a pickup. Garske, who was driving, died at the scene. All of her passengers were injured.

Alderton said she and Garske weathered a difficult fall term together last year: coping with staff changes, helping Garske get in to the groove of teaching at a charter school and working with students new to Ceiba.

"Sixth grade was like a family," Alderton said. "...We pretty much worked together all day every day."

Students loved Garske's humor, and would rush from her math class to Alderton's English classroom armed with jokes to tell.

“I never heard a complaint about the way she treated them," Alderton said. "She would always told hilarious jokes and then they would come to my classroom and tell me the jokes. ... I think the kids always appreciated how she was creative in trying to teach."

Ceiba students return to class Aug. 6. The school is offering grief counseling to those who need it. Also, Ceiba staff set up fund for Garske's daughters—the 16-year-old who also was in the crash and her older daughter, a Cabrillo College student—to help pay for their education. Contact the school at 831-728-6208 to donate.