In memoriam: Our Lady of the Lakes longtime veteran teacher Irma Tejeda

Irma Tejeda, a teacher at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School for 31 years and who touched the lives of her students throughout her career, died on December 27. She was 58.
Born in Cuba, Tejeda moved to Miami with her parents when she was one year old in 1961. She graduated from Hialeah Miami Lakes High School, where she met her future husband, Jorge Tejeda.
After earning her Bachelor’s Degree in music from the University of Miami, Irma Tejeda landed her first teaching job at Our Lady of the Lakes and taught there until her death.
Jorge Tejeda said his wife had an impact on her students who went on to reach their career goals and incessantly thanked her for her dedication and commitment in the classroom.
“Her former students would visit her and let her know the impact she had on their lives,” he said. “During the school’s annual carnival, her former students would run up to her and hug her. She gave 100 percent to her kids and that’s why she was loved by everybody.”
After more than four decades, Tejeda loved the worship, fellowship and the signing of songs like “Water and the Spirit.”
“It really feels like family,” she said. “It’s my home away from home.
Tejeda was very active in the church and the community for years. Her favorite hobby was playing the guitar and singing, her husband said. She taught the couple’s three daughters how to play the instrument and water ski. “She loved to play and sing,” he said.
The staff at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School and Church said Tejeda will be missed and she was angel on earth.
“The parish community of Our Lady of the Lakes is grateful to Almighty God for having bestowed upon us the gift of having had Mrs. Irma Tejeda as a teacher at our school from its founding to the present,” the school said on its website.
Tejeda is survived by her husband and three daughters.