It’s been nearly five years since Roger Teeling’s sudden death, but his impact is still prevalent through family, friends and the Lisbon community.

Consistent. Tough. Loving.

Those were a few of the words Brynn Teeling used to describe her late father, former Lisbon Elementary and Middle School principal Roger Teeling.

It’s been five years since Teeling unexpectedly passed away from malignant glioblastoma on April 21, 2020. His passing has left a hole in the lives of his family, community, and the Lisbon school system.

“When I talked to him, he listened. When I was excited about something, he celebrated. When I grieved, he ached. He asked the questions; he remembered my responses.” His widow, Soraya Teeling said. “He was always present for me.”

Born in small-town Sumner, Roger Teeling was a standout from the beginning. Teeling had a knack for sports, excelling in basketball, baseball, and golf. Those talents took him to Loras College in Dubuque, where he was on the roster for both the golf and basketball teams.

Teeling broke the all-time free-throw record for the Duhawks. Teeling graduated from Loras with a degree in education.

Education was Teeling’s calling. After getting his master’s in school administration from the University of Northern Iowa, he became the principal of Lisbon elementary and middle schools in 2005.

It was the place he was meant to be.

“As a principal, he was amazing,” Brynn Teeling said. “Instead of blaming parents or kids for behavior problems, he tried to find the root cause and provide a solution.”

Lisbon school counselor Nick Brown remembers the compassionate and emotional leader Roger Teeling was.

“He treated our staff like family,” Brown said. “I saw him in tears several times over the years in genuine emotion when tragedy hit the lives of our Lisbon families.”

He also described Teeling’s popular, funny side. The year Brown started at Lisbon, Roger Teeling showed up unannounced at his door dressed as Michael Meyers, the ominous main antagonist from the “Halloween” horror movie franchise. Roger Teeling stood in Brown’s yard for 30 minutes, staring at him without speaking.

“He would go a long way for a good ribbing,” Brown said.

As a principal, he was larger-than-life. Soraya Teeling remembers the mission he kept in mind.

“His goal was not to make an impact, or to leave a legacy,” Soraya Teeling said. “His desire was to learn from the kids. It was always about them, and their future, not about his footprint.”

Roger Teeling took a more compassionate approach to disciplinary behavior. He instilled a culture where students were more concerned about exhibiting behaviors that would be positively reinforced.

A story Soraya Teeling heard in the days after Roger Teeling’s passing sums up the kind of principal he was.

After an elementary-aged student was having behavioral issues in the afternoon, Roger Teeling discovered the student came from an environment where he was used to taking a midday nap. So, Roger Teeling grabbed a cot from the preschool center. After recess, he pulled the student into his office, turned off the lights, and allowed the child to take a short nap. His afternoon behavioral problems disappeared almost instantly.

Roger Teeling’s time as a principal was cut short after started to complain of vision issues and headaches. His family assumed it was the stress that came with being a principal of an elementary school at the start of the pandemic. But after a trip to the doctor, he was diagnosed with malignant glioblastoma, an inoperable brain tumor.

One week later, Brynn Teeling drove her father to the hospital after his tumor started to bleed. Two days later, he was declared brain-dead. His family took him off of life support shortly afterward.

Through the difficult coming months, Soraya and Brynn Teeling remember how the Lisbon community rallied their family.

“The support from the Lisbon and Cedar Rapids community was unbelievable,” Brynn Teeling said. “The Lisbon community held a prayer service in my front yard, as well as made meals for my family. Even though we could not be together, people that cared about me still found a way to be there for me, which was so humbling.”

Soraya Teeling often finds it hard to describe how generous the Lisbon community was.“I never cooked in my Lisbon house after he passed,”

Soraya Teeling said. “There were always fresh flowers on my kitchen island, and the cards never stopped coming. It has been five years, and people remember.”

A basketball court with Roger Teeling’s name on it can be found in the Lisbon Elementary School playground, a constant memorial and tribute to their late principal, who knew how to hoop in his own right. The court also pays tribute to all the Lisbon staff and community who have passed away over the years.

“I’m sure he would love the court,” Brown said. “He would be happy to know that he is still bringing joy to the kids of Lisbon in this way.”

Additionally, an annual memorial walk takes place every May to honor Roger Teeling’s legacy. All of the funds raised from the walk-a-thon go to updates to the court, playground and elementary school. Stories about Roger Teeling are shared throughout the walk, whether it’s as a principal, father or friend.

Likewise, Roger Teeling was inducted into the Lisbon Alumni Hall of Fame by the Lisbon Alumni Association.

“It can be hard to honor someone you have lost without casting a shadow of sadness,” Brown said. “I think the school has done a great job keeping the memory alive without diminishing the joy of those that enter our halls each day.”

Still, Brown misses his friend.

“Five years doesn’t seem possible,” Brown said. “I still have one of the yard signs the community made to support his fight. I keep it in my shop and every once in a while, Roger and I still have a chat.”

Since Teeling’s death, Soraya Teeling and Elena Teeling have relocated to Knoxville, Tenn. Soraya Teeling says Knoxville feels like home, with great friends and family close by.

“All in all, we feel blessed to have had him, if only for a little while,” Soraya Teeling said.

Brynn Teeling shares a special bond with her stepmother and stepsister, who she tries to visit as often as possible.

She has thrived at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since her freshman year. She earned a spot as a manager on the women’s volleyball team, winning a national championship with the team in 2021. She’s planning on continuing to grad school on the sports psychology track.

But for Brynn Teeling, the hole of her father’s absence is still there.

“Knowing it’s been five years is surreal to me because it feels like it happened yesterday,” Brynn Teeling said.

“I think about how much I have changed since I last saw my father. I don’t have braces; I have tattoos, and I’m about to graduate college. I like to think that he would be so proud of me.”