PROVO — Utah Valley students with autism don't call Vineyard Elementary School by its official name.
They simply know it as "Miss Stuver's school."
For 12 years, Laura Stuver worked as the classroom instructor in Alpine School District's kindergarten for children with autism until she died Aug. 4.
She battled cancer for more than a year before her death, but she never skipped a class if she could make it, said Stuver's younger sister, Becci Stuver Swinton.
"She wanted to be in school," Swinton said. "She wanted to be doing her job. She hated leaving the kids."
Over her career, Stuver, 37, taught hundreds of children with developmental disorders that sometimes severely affected their ability to communicate verbally and non-verbally, as well as their social skills. One of her students, Garrett Yearsley, could only speak a few words when she started teaching him 13 years ago at the children's behavior therapy unit in Salt Lake City. At her funeral Thursday, the 6-foot 5-inch teenager with curly brown hair stood before a crowd of hundreds and clearly enunciated a simple, heartfelt tribute to his teacher.
"Without her, I would be in a world of my own," he said. "She was a great mentor and a pinnacle of strength and hope."
Barbara Yearsley, Garrett's mother, said Stuver came into her family's lives at a challenging time when they were learning to cope with Garrett's disability.
"She was incredibly patient and knew how to handle him in public," she said. "She was our anchor through a lot of difficult times."
Stuver's mother, Marie, said Stuver was "accidentally" led into a career teaching children with autism. Stuver earned a bachelor's of science degree in psychology from Brigham Young University. Her mother said Stuver wanted to pursue a career as a child psychologist, but she went on to receive her master's degree in special education, with an emphasis on autism, at the University of Utah. In 1994, she became the autism specialist for Alpine School District.
"I believe she was led to it," Marie said.
Stuver's face lit up whenever she spoke of her work with friends and family. Even when a child would act out and bite or kick or scratch, Stuver would laugh about it later and call it "funny," Becci said.
"No matter what it was she was dealing with, she always loved (the student,)" she said.
But that didn't mean Stuver was a pushover in the classroom.
Jane King said her son Mike had a fit in the fifth grade, and they called Stuver to help. "Laura came in and just calmly had solutions and creative ways of dealing with the behavior problems," she said.
Stuver used a firm voice and precise commands when speaking to her students. If a student refused to pick up the toys after Stuver requested three times, she would take the student by the hands and guide them through the entire process of cleaning up.
"It can be very tedious," said Becci, who also works with autistic students.
Stuver was also quick to praise students' good behavior. King said Stuver wrote a note every day outlining all the good things Mike did while he was at school that day. Often the notes were an entire steno page filled on both sides.
"She went the extra 50 miles for every student," she said.
Susan Boren also received notes from Stuver, which were hidden inside her son's backpack. She said she still has all of the notes from 13 years ago.
"They're a treasure because they're the only record I have of him as a child," she said. "When the child doesn't communicate, the only thing you have is a record of his behavior."
A little more than a year ago, doctors diagnosed Stuver with cancer, and she underwent chemotherapy. Her blond, straight locks fell out and were replaced by dark curly hair. Doctors discovered more cancer in her intestine in April. It became hard for her to eat. She lost weight, Becci said — a lot of weight.
But through it all, she continued to work when she could. Many people didn't even know she was sick because she wouldn't tell them.
"She was a trouper," Becci said. "She was feisty."
Stuver came home with her family Aug. 2. Her sister had just given birth to her second child, and Stuver had a chance to hold him before she died. Becci said Friday, Aug. 3, was Stuver's good day.
"She knew she was going to heaven," she said. "She had made her peace."
After Stuver's death, the family received a flood of condolences from former students, family and school faculty. Linda Otte, director of special education for Alpine School District, said Stuver was a breath of fresh air.
"We'll never replace her," she said. "We'll get other teachers to do her job, but we'll never replace her."
Stuver had two things she wanted to do before she died, Marie said: one was to go to Disney World one more time with her niece and nephews; the other was to go to the first day of school with her class.
"She wasn't able to do either," Marie said as tears welled up in her eyes. "But I know her spirit will be there when the school year starts."
E-mail: jdana@desnews.com