Mars Hill – Heather Rose Clubb of Mars Hill, age 36, died unexpectedly after a courageous battle with cancer on Thursday, December 10 in Asheville.
Heather was born November 24, 1984 at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville. She was the daughter of the late Norman Clubb. She is survived by her mother Wilma Clubb, brother Abarry Clubb, brother James Clubb and his wife Britney Clubb and their daughter, Heather’s niece, Brie Clubb; aunt, Judy Martin; cousin Micheal Martin and his wife Jessica Martin; cousin Michelle Sprinkles and her husband Eddie Sprinkles.
Heather Clubb graduated from Madison High School in 2003. Heather was an avid Carolina Tarheel fan. She had a degree from Chapel Hill to prove it! Heather received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008. After graduating from UNC, Heather added on her teaching credentials at Mars Hill College. From 2011 to 2020, Heather taught English and coached track at Madison Middle School. She was a gifted teacher who shared her love for her students, her school family, and her community in an unparalleled way. Heather was a vital member of the family at Madison Middle School and loved her school family as if they were her own family. Her colleagues wrote: “As we carry on we keep your daily example forever in our minds. To remind us that life may not be easy. Life may not be perfect. To motivate us when we are unmotivated. Your message. Your focus. We may be physically weak or hurting. We may feel things are hopeless and want to quit. We may just want to stay home. We thank you for showing us and for proving that, even though obstacles may stand in our way, we can still prepare each day for shining moments. For you, we will, “Keep Showing Up!”
Heather Clubb’s legacy in Madison County Schools is that of a gifted teacher, beloved student mentor and cherished co-worker and friend. To suddenly lose a talented young teacher, a family member, it hurts in a unique way. Because she faithfully shared her life, friends and colleagues knew how deeply she impacted the lives of those she touched. Heather was an inspiration to us all. She opened her heart to this world, and found a way to always see the positive. Heather was remembered saying, “I’m a teacher. This really is my passion. It’s what I love, when diagnosed with cancer I was more afraid of being told I couldn’t come back to school.”
Heather absolutely loved teaching. She adored her students, and they adored her. Heather created a classroom where every student felt a level of comfort that is hard to describe. Her room was filled with literary quotes and passages, anything to inspire engagement, discussion, and thinking. One quote by Albert Einstein on her doorway read, "Everyone is a Genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” Heather created a haven within her classroom walls where students knew she believed in them. She had the ability to connect with students in such a way that challenged them to grow academically as well as individually. Above all, she built relationships, and trust, with her students. Heather was recognized twice on the WLOS 13 Thanks To Teachers segment. During one of the segments, a student described Heather as loud, funny and relatable. “I’m a lot like that, too. I talk a lot. And, it’s easier for me to interact with her, because we’re kind of like the same.”
During morning announcements on Monday, December 14th Madison Middle School reminded students that Ms. Clubb lives on through her teaching: “One way we can honor Ms. Clubb is by thinking about the lessons we learned from her and applying those lessons to our own lives. Her enthusiasm for life, her “we’ve got this attitude” and her GRIT are all things we can carry with us. Ms. Clubb had GRIT - the ability to persist in something you feel passionate about and persevere when you face obstacles. Over the years, despite obstacles that were thrown her way, Ms. Clubb kept showing up and never backed down. While Ms. Clubb is no longer here with us on earth, she will forever live on in our hearts and in the lives of everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.”
Heather’s servant leadership and love for teaching was also put into practice through her spiritual life. She was an active member at Mars Hill Baptist Church. She was a youth leader, meeting with the group weekly, helping fundraise for mission trips and leading those trips to Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn, New York. Sister churches have already contacted Mars Hill Baptist expressing their sadness over her death, and expressed their appreciation for her leadership in their summer camps. She was a faithful preschool Sunday School teacher, she showed up every Sunday even if just one child was there. She helped lead in worship by praying and reading scripture, even when we were closed for the pandemic she showed up to help with virtual service leadership. Close friend and pastor, Tommy Justus said: “I believe her favorite role was as deacon, where she served proudly and many have told me that she was the first person to contact them when a crisis touched their family.”
Life is a gift. Heather shared her life as a gift with us all.
The visitation will be held at Mars Hill Baptist Church on Saturday, December 19 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. A memorial service will be live streamed to honor her life at 2:00 p.m. on Mars Hill Baptist Church’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The Reverend Tommy Justus officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Heather Clubb Book Fund that will be established in Heather’s honor. The book fund will be available for teachers and mission work. Please send donations to Mars Hill Baptist Church, P.O. Box 218, Mars Hill, N.C. 28754. Donations can also be made at the Mars Hill Baptist Church website at www.marshillbc.org
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blueridgefuneralservice.org