By Cynthia Herrmann
Nadine Verrilli, who taught in the Martinez school district for over 30 years, passed away on 8 July 2025 at the age of 86. She left behind her husband, Richar; her children Sara and Nathan; her grandchildren Ash and Erin; and her sister, Linda. She impacted preschoolers and their parents through the Head Start program for 10 years and taught fourth and fifth graders at John Muir Elementary School.
I had the privilege of knowing Nadine on a personal level as a mentor, encourager, and friend. The biggest impact Nadine had on my life was in modeling how to be a good mother. She trusted me with her children, so I practiced on them with her oversite well before I had my own family. Nadine taught me that children should be listened to and treated with respect; that it was okay to help a child with their chores, but it was not okay to do their chores for them; and that reading to them every day and playing with them at the park often were among life’s most pleasurable moments. She also taught me that television viewing (the only screens we had at that time) must be limited in content and in duration. My children benefited from Nadine’s mentoring, but they did not appreciate me enforcing this last bit.
Nadine taught me how to clean house, plan menus, and use a cookbook. I learned how to make pies in her kitchen, and I left smudges of butter and sugar on my favorite pages of her copy of The Joy of Cooking. Allowing me to do so was a sacrifice for her, as I sometimes wore and scattered more flour than I folded into the crust.
Nadine encouraged me to set goals, to invest in my education, and to set aside money so I could travel in my retirement years. In turn, I taught my children and my grandchildren to set goals, to prioritize those goals, and to enjoy life as much as possible. I’m hoping to follow her example of traveling soon.
We shared a love of reading, and Nadine encouraged me to always carry a book wherever I went so I would never be bored. I always regret it when I do a thorough cleaning of my car because inevitably, I’ll get stuck somewhere without a “real” book. I’m too old to enjoy reading on my phone, although I will do so if I’m desperate. She was a close friend who always answered the phone when I called, even though she knew I would talk too fast and too long. She was the one I turned to when my son struggled with spelling, when I thought I had ruined dinner and didn’t know how to salvage it, when my daughter couldn’t retain what she read, when I feared I would lose my husband to heart problems. There hasn’t been a time in the past 57 years when we haven’t been in close touch.
When I received news of her passing, the theme song from To Sir with Love came to mind: “How do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to perfume?” I was 12 when I met her. She helped me grow up. We were opposites in so many ways, but she knew I loved her children, and she grafted me into her family. I miss her smile. I miss her laughter. I miss her book suggestions. Mostly, I miss the love and acceptance reflected in her eyes.
