Fairport, N.Y. - When Science teacher Heather Boyum died in an accident this past summer, the school lost more than a teacher. Boyum's two young children lost a mother. Her husband lost a wife.
Eric Boyum sat down with 13 WHAM News to talk about Heather's legacy for our Newsmakers special.
"You kind of know how big an impact someone is having, but when they're gone, you really, really find out," Eric said. "I knew she was a great teacher. I didn't know how great. The letters just kept coming."
Boyum was killed while riding her bike along route 250 in Penfield on a quiet Sunday morning in July. She was a fitness enthusiast who chose that road because she thought it was safe. But police say two drunk drivers killed Boyum when one of them, on a motorcycle, ran into Boyum on the road's wide shoulder, knocking her into the path of the car.
In our Newsmakers special, Boyum will describe the correspondence that started to arrive almost immediately after his wife died. And he will talk about the remarkable strength of his two children, a boy and a girl, ages 7 and 4.
"They don't break down," Boyum explained. "They kind of know that I'm Mr. Mom now, and I have to do everything, and they just keep going. There are times when it's hard. We'll put an ornament on the tree, and they'll say it was Mom's. And sometimes they say something that just gets you, without them even knowing it."
He added, "They make it easier on everyone. It would be much more difficult if they were constantly breaking down."
Join us Sunday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. for the story of Heather Boyum's legacy and the effort to make sure her kids have a quality education.
