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Nurse Vonda put Band-Aids on boo-boos and iced sprained ankles at Homer Davis Elementary School for 12 years, but she treated more than her students' playground mishaps.

Vonda Dennett hugged them when they were sad, listened to them when they were troubled, cleaned them up when they came to school dirty, gave them stuffed animals when they were scared and — on occasion — called the authorities when she suspected their home lives weren't safe.

"At Homer-Davis, we have really, really special kids — kind of from poor families, not real clean, that kind of thing," former Homer Davis teacher Kim Nutbrown said. "They would come to teachers with dirty noses and dirty clothes and I'd see so many teachers kind of back off, and Vonda would pull them in to her. It didn't occur to her not to hug them."

Homer Davis is in the Flowing Wells Unified School District, which encompasses many low-income neighborhoods. Often, said Dennett's husband, Steve, his wife of nearly 28 years came home stressed by what she encountered at school — students who hadn't eaten in a day or more, kids wearing the same filthy clothes again and again, children who were being abused or neglected.

"She just really wrapped her heart around kids," said Flowing Wells Assistant Superintendent Linda Jehle, principal at Homer Davis during most of Dennett's tenure there. "We had numerous situations where kids would be dealing with law enforcement or perhaps being removed from the home by Child Protective Services or, if they were going to the hospital with a broken leg, she always had a way of consoling them."

"You'll find abuse in the best of areas" of town, Steve Dennett said. "As any school nurse in town can tell you, they're on the front lines. They run into children that are being abused or aren't being fed or are being molested.

"Every year she'd tell me, 'I'm not coming back,' but the kids kept bringing her back," he said.

This year, the kids will have to find a way to go on without her. After a year of treatment for esophageal cancer, the mother of two died July 20 at age 47.

Homer Davis Principal Brett Bonner sent a letter to parents telling them of the beloved nurse's death.

"I know how much they cared about her, and I know how much they were looking forward to her return," Bonner said. "To help ease that feeling of shock and disbelief, I wanted to inform the families right away so they can start that grieving process."

When students return to class next week, Bonner will make counselors available for those who want to talk about Nurse Vonda. A number of students also attended her July 28 memorial service.

"She was skilled at mending the heart," Bonner said. "She genuinely cared about kids. She would help them with their physical needs and their emotional needs. Her greatest trait was listening. She was really great at listening to children."

Dennett, whose family moved here from Michigan when she was a child, made time for every student who came to her, said Amy Brenton, school service coordinator.

"There are a lot of kids who just don't have parents who have time to listen to them," Brenton said. "There were always kids coming in after school to get a hug before they went home."

Even students who moved on to junior high and high school returned on a regular basis to see their favorite nurse.

"She was like a mother figure, just loving and caring, and she was always there for them, whatever their needs were," Homer Davis staffer Debbie Sholes said.

Once the new school year gets under way, Bonner plans to consult with the staff and students on the best way to honor Dennett, perhaps paying tribute by planting a tree or engraving a memorial to be displayed.

Nutbrown, who knew Dennett for 13 years, is planning her own homage. She wants to create a good-citizenship award in Dennett's name that will be given to a Homer Davis student at the end of each school year.

"I hope that 20 years from now kids are saying, 'I hope I get the Nurse Vonda award,' " Nutbrown said.

Kara Lopez and Caitlin Wright, both 18, attended Homer Davis while Dennett worked at the school.

"She was a really funny person. She had her serious moments, but most of the time she had the right words to make us feel better," said Lopez, a second cousin of Dennett's. "She was more than a nurse — she was a good friend to all of us kids."

Wright agreed: "She was such a good nurse. She cared a lot about what was wrong with you."

Dennett kept a supply of stuffed animals in her office that she bought to console sick and scared students.

"She saw a girl at her (high school) graduation who told Vonda she still had the stuffed pig Vonda gave her in second grade," Nutbrown said.

Parent Sherry Koch met Dennett nine years ago, when one of her daughters, Chey-enne, was diagnosed with diabetes.

"We were clueless in the beginning," Koch said. "She showed Cheyenne how to check her blood sugar. She taught Cheyenne nutrition. I don't know what we would have done without her.

"She was a doctor, she was a nurse, she was a friend, she was a mom when we weren't there," Koch said.

Tamara Butler met the nurse when her daughter attended Homer Davis.

"She was the type of person who, it didn't matter if the kid had a splinter in the finger or really had broken their arm. She gave them lots of TLC, lots of love, and she showed them they mattered when they walked through that door," Butler said. "She made a difference in the world. She made a difference every day."

Teacher Darlene Robinson said Dennett had great compassion for students and the staff.

"When she looked after you, she looked after your whole being, not just your injury. She wanted to take care of all of you, not just one little part of you. She definitely lived her life through her heart, and it showed," Robinson said. "Her life was a gift for all of us."

This feature chronicles the lives of recently deceased Tucsonans. Some were well-known across the community. Others had an impact on a smaller sphere of friends, family and acquaintances. Many of these people led interesting — and sometimes extraordinary — lives with little or no fanfare. Now you'll hear their stories. Past "Life Stories" are online at go.azstarnet.com/lifestories

Find a photo gallery of this Life Story at azstarnet.com/slideshows