By Joe Hadsall

jhadsall@joplinglobe.com

Richard Rountree was remembered as a helpful, hard worker.

His wife, Kathy, was upbeat even when she was stressed out.

Their son, Clayton, had a flair for drawing comics and a great sense of humor.

Co-workers, students and friends in the Joplin R-8 School District on Monday mourned the loss of a student, a teacher and the family in Saturday’s deadly tornado.

The three family members were driving toward Seneca with Kathy Rountree’s mother, Ruby Bilke. The four were killed when their passenger van was hit by the tornado in Newton County.

They were on their way to a wedding in Seneca, said Larry Bilke, Ruby

Bilke’s son. Bilke told The Associated Press that they were trying to arrive early at the ceremony, at which Richard Rountree was to sing.

Kathy Rountree, 47, was a graphic-design teacher at Franklin Technology Center, and 13-year-old Clayton was a student at Memorial Middle School. Counselors were available Monday at both schools, Superintendent Jim Simpson said.

Dave Rockers, director of the technology center, said Kathy Rountree was an upbeat, positive person who was a joy to work with and who seemed to have a camera in hand all the time.

“Every picture we found of her today was a good picture, because she always had a smile on her face,” Rockers said Monday. “We never saw her mad, even when she was stressed.”

Kathy Rountree started at the center in 1995 as an adult instructor and teacher aide. In 1998, she became a full-time graphic-arts instructor, working with high-school and adult students.

Simpson said she assisted often with the school district’s printed materials.