Bernadette Seick, a longtime employee of Denver Public Schools who started as a teacher and later served as the district’s interim superintendent, died Feb. 17 following a two-decade battle with pancreatic cancer, said her husband Roger Seick.

She was 77. 

Education “was very important to her and she was very good at it,” Roger Seick said. “She had a special understanding of the needs of all kids and was willing to go to any extreme to help them move ahead in life.”

Bernadette Seick started her teaching career at Manuel High School in 1967. There she met Roger Seick, a fellow teacher. Within a year, they would marry and spend 55 years together.

In 1970, Bernadette Seick moved to Place Middle School to teach English and Spanish. She also served as a student adviser, according to the school district. 

The Santa Fe native stayed at the middle school until 1985, when she became the assistant principal and athletic director at John F. Kennedy High School. 

“She was beloved by all of my classmates and everyone who came afterwards,” said John Andrews, who now serves as the district’s manager of athletics. “She always had your back and wanted what was best for everyone. She was truly one of a kind.”

He added that Bernadette Seick went to nearly every sporting event at the school and was known to get its baseball diamond in better shape in high heels than the grounds crew.

After working at JFK for four years, Bernadette Seick was named the school’s principal. Roger Seick told The Denver Gazette that being a principal was his wife’s favorite job.

“It was her passion and she loved it very much,” Roger Seick said. “She opened new doors and set new goals and was committed to seeing students progress with success.”

Bernadette Seick left JFK in 1994 to become the district’s assistant superintendent of secondary education. She remained in that role until she was named interim superintendent in May 2000 and served in this role until her retirement in 2001.

Bernadette Seick was born during the height of World War II on July 31, 1944, in Santa Fe. She went to school in Española, New Mexico, and later graduated from Loretto Heights College in Denver. 

The couple had two daughters, Leslie and Jennifer. Besides being an active grandmother, she was known to travel with her husband, cook, shop and loved spending time at the family’s cabin in Grand Lake, said Roger Seick. 

Bernadette Seick also volunteered on the board of the Denver Public Schools Retired Employees Association as well as the Denver Public Schools Retired Employees Scholarship Foundation. 

Denver Public Schools will display her picture and a brief biography at the district’s All-City Stadium, Andrews said.

“She’s in our coaches hall of fame as a contributor because she didn’t coach, but she made sure athletics and after-school activities were raised to a level of great importance,” Andrews said. “That’s the special sauce of any school district and (Bernadette Seick) definitely made it special.”

A funeral was scheduled for Friday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Golden. 

The family is asking for all donations to be made to the Denver Public Schools Retired Employees Association Foundation at 4152 W. Greenwood Place, Denver, CO 80236.