‘She was a bright light’: Swampscott teacher who died from complications of flu mourned by community

Swampscott’s elementary schools are closed Friday as the community mourns the death of a beloved music teacher who passed away from complications of the flu.

Phyllis Gotlib, who had taught at the town’s elementary schools since 1999, died Wednesday, according to a statement from Swampscott Public School Superintendent Pamela Angelakis.

“She has touched the lives of hundreds of staff and thousands of students during that time,” the superintendent said in a letter to the school community. “Phyllis was both a kind and generous colleague, always greeting you with a smile and a kind word. She was a bright light, with a great sense of humor, a passion for music and her students. She will be sorely missed.”

Phyllis Gotlib.

The school superintendent said the 68-year teacher became “unexpectedly ill over the weekend” and was out sick Monday and Tuesday from the Hadley and Clarke Elementary Schools.

School psychologists and adjustment counselors helped share the news of the teacher’s death with students Thursday, she said.

In a robocall to families, Angelakis said cleaning crews were sent to the two elementary schools before students arrived Thursday to “thoroughly clean all door knobs, railings, her classrooms, and common areas including teacher prep spaces and hallways.”

The superintendent also announced that all three elementary schools would be closed Friday to allow students and staff to attend services for Gotlib, which are being held at Temple Sinai in Marblehead.

Gotlib’s family said in a statement to NECN they were “shocked and saddened” by her death.

“Phyllis was a wonderful person loved by everyone,” they told the station. “She brought music into the lives of so many children in Swampscott and Marblehead.”

“She was a loving mother, sister, aunt, grandmother to Jacob and devoted friend to many, especially her dog Pepper,” her obituary reads. “Her life was filled with music, as an accomplished pianist and adored elementary school teacher.”

Gotlib grew up in Bangor, Maine, and Brookline, Massachusetts, according to her obituary. She graduated from Brandeis University and received a master’s degree from SUNY at Stony Brook in applied piano.

Former students were among those mourning Gotlib and remembering the teacher’s influence in comments online.

“I would like to say thank you for being the great music teacher you were,” Sophie Potter wrote. “You always made sure everyone knew all the lyrics to the song before we performed. You always had this amazing smile on your face that could brighten anyone’s day. Knowing that I couldn’t say goodbye to you broke my heart. You by far were one of my favorite teachers.”

Emily Howard, who said she was a student at Hadley 17 years ago, said her introduction to music through Gotlib “started something that will be with me forever.”

“She beautifully portrayed classical music to elementary aged kids,” she wrote. “I remember when we did an all school concert and she saw all her former students who were in high school still involved in the music program, you could see the joy radiating in her eyes. The passion she had for teaching young children was incredible. It is something that I will remember forever.”

Earlier this month, a 51-year-old Needham woman died days after being diagnosed with the flu.

State officials say the illness is widespread in Massachusetts.