Hale County Middle’s Christi Barger Passes Away

Hale County Middle School's Christi Barger died this weekend.

Superintendent Mike Ryans told CBS 42 that Barger had been facing an illness for a while. She posted to her personal Facebook account a few weeks ago saying that she was hospitalized for endocarditis. According to the National Institutes of Health, endocarditis is an infection of the heart that often results in heart failure. The disease involves many surgeries and hospital stays.

While there is no confirmation that endocarditis was the cause of Barger's death, Ryans affirmed that the coronavirus was not a factor at all.

Barger taught seventh-grade English at Hale County Middle and had been employed at the school for five years. She worked at Greensboro Middle School before that. According to CBS 42, Hale County Principal Eric Perry said Barger would come to work as much as she could, fighting the ailment for the sake of her students.

A beloved member of the Hale County community, Perry said the school is going to make a plan to honor her memory.

"She will always be remembered for her passion for teaching and love for her students and co-workers," read a Hale County Middle School Facebook post yesterday morning. "Please keep her family and our students and staff in your thoughts and prayers."

The school said in its Facebook post that arrangements will be shared once they are available.