Mary Jean Montag receives a homemade card during her last Kids Club at St. Luke Lutheran Church on March 14. Steven Dalton/Special to the Eagle

Mary Jean Montag made quite an impression at St. Luke Lutheran Church & School in Jefferson Township.

Her work — which includes teaching at the school from 1956 to 2001 and running a weekly after-school program until last week — has changed countless lives.

The difference she’s made was clear March 14, at Montag’s final Kids Club — an activity for kindergarten through eighth-grade students at the St. Luke School that runs each Thursday evening from November to mid-March.

Praise was shared for Montag throughout the evening.

“She's the best person in the world. She means the world to me. She's like a mentor to me,” said 17-year-old Kim Thiele, who was volunteering at the event.

Mary Senge, president of St. Luke’s Parent Teacher League, also highlighted the value Montag brought to the school.

“We owe her a lot of gratitude. She's brought a lot to the community, to our church and all the schoolchildren,” Senge said.

Montag is 88 years young. When she retired from teaching, she didn’t retire her passion for making a difference in children’s lives.

The Kids Club was born out of that desire to help children grow and learn.

“We decided that there was something needed for kids,” Montag said.

The Thursday Kids Club took children into groups to cover a number of stations throughout the evening, including a gym, Bible story and crafts.

Now, it’s time for someone else to step up.

And as this era comes to a conclusion, we know Montag’s efforts will inspire others to do just that for years to come.

— TL