Kim Armstrong Erhart

She was the oldest of three daughters of a career US Air Force family. Her childhood was spent in Texas, Massachusetts, the Philippines, Florida and Virginia. Growing up, she attended eight schools, some public and some on-base. Kim found that living in all of these places was a positive experience — providing opportunities to experience geographic and cultural differences.

Kim discovered she had a passion for teaching, so after high school, she pursued a B. A. in Special Education/Learning Disabilities at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. The first in her family to attend college, Kim financed her education through part-time jobs at Hardee’s Hamburgers, the UWF campus bookstore and computer center, student loans and grants, as well as a scholarship from one of her employers. She graduated in June 1979.

Her first year of teaching was at a small K – 8 school in Brewton, Alabama. Kim started their first Learning Disabilities resource program and her “classroom” was housed in the wings to the school’s auditorium/gym. It was quite the challenge to teach while the basketball team was practicing!

But a year later, because her father was stationed in Saudi Arabia and her mother was experiencing severe health issues, Kim moved back to her hometown of Fort Walton Beach, Florida to help. Needing a job, she interviewed and was hired as a resource teacher at her alma mater, Choctawhatchee High School. Once again, Kim broke new ground by establishing the first learning-disabled resource room at the high school level in the entire county.

In 1982, Kim got engaged to the love of her life, Marty Erhart, and moved back to Texas to establish a new life with him in Austin. Married in 1983, they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this past June. During the next six years (1984–1989), Kim and Marty became proud parents to three beautiful daughters, Amanda, Marissa and Jenna. For the next 20 years, in addition to full-time teaching positions with various schools in AISD, Eanes ISD, and Lake Travis ISD, Kim always found time to be very involved with the kids’ various sports and extracurricular activities, especially the Girl Scouts. And ever the animal lover, Kim had an unusual knack for finding stray dogs and cats that almost always became permanent members of her family. One of her lifelong dreams was to one day travel to Australia. That dream came true when the entire family took a 10-day trip to the Land Down Under in the summer of 2001.

Kim’s teaching career was as big and varied as Texas itself. She taught students at every grade level and in three different school districts. Always advocating for better resources, especially for those who struggled to learn, Kim believed that being a great teacher meant going beyond simply imparting knowledge. “I have learned that sometimes the ‘academic’ part of school must wait if some outside factors are competing for the student’s attention. Sadly, our students live in a world that is sometimes unkind. I have worked with students through various difficult circumstances including: deaths of fellow students and family members, evictions, criminal justice involvement of the student or of family members, illnesses, and unplanned pregnancies. These would be challenging for well-balanced, successful adults, never mind children and adolescents who often have little control over these traumatic events. Helping students recognize that there are choices which are within their grasp validates their worth and, I believe, enables them to problem solve school and daily life situations.” She wrote this in 1996.

Much loved by staff and students alike, Kim was honored to be recognized as Bedichek Middle School Co-Teacher of the Year (1987-1988), Central Texas Association for Counseling and Development Teacher of the Year (1987-1988), Who’s Who in American Education (1989-1991), O. Henry Middle School Teacher of the Year (1996-1997), AISD Area 3 Middle School Teacher of the Year (1996-1997), and Who’s Who in American Women (1997-1998).

She was also a loyal member of Delta Kappa Gamma International.

Kim is survived by her husband, Marty Erhart; children, Amanda Erhart Ayala and her husband, Vic; Marissa Erhart and her wife, Kris Rago; Jenna Erhart; and foster son, David Mark Orr. She is also survived by three grandchildren; T.J. Williams, Emine Williams, and Stella Ayala.

A Celebration of Life for Kim will be held at Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Funeral Home, 6300 West William Cannon Drive, Austin, Texas, on Sunday, October 29, 2023, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Donations in her memory may be made to Reading Is Fundamental (rif.org) or the Austin Humane Society (austinhumanesociety.org)