People praise Superintendent Mueller at memorial

A memorial was held Saturday morning at Havre High School for Havre Public Schools Superintendent Craig Mueller, who died unexpectedly Oct. 22.

A long line of people showed up to the event, where family, friends and colleagues spoke about their time with Mueller and the effect he had on them, their families, the school and the community.

Before anyone spoke, however, the Havre High School band played "Come Thou Font of Every Blessing" and Havre High School Assistant Principal Jeremiah Nitz led a prayer.

The first to speak was Mueller's sister Dr. Michelle Mueller, who talked about everything that made her brother who he was, a man with a desire to improve the world and a family he loved more than anything.

"Someone who lived 80 years in 50 years," she said.

She said he was a peacekeeper for the community and an empathetic leader who made sure everyone he talked to felt that they were being heard and taken seriously.

"Thank you for encouraging so many people to reach for the highest mountain peaks," she said. " ... know that you are already missed in so many ways."

"We'll carry you in our hearts forever," she added.

Havre High School history and art teacher Lindsey Ratliff also spoke at the memorial and read a poem inspired by his life and time at Havre Public Schools.

Ratliff said she met Mueller in 2013 when she started at Havre High and he immediately became a friend and mentor to her, someone who inspired her and the rest of the staff to be the best they can be.

Beyond that, she said, Mueller was willing to work with people hands-on, directly helping them instead of simply giving orders.

She said, whatever the differences he had with anyone, or the differences others had with each other, he was always able to bridge the gap.

Nitz also returned to speak about Mueller, calling him a larger-than-life personality, and one who exhibited a lot of Christlike qualities.

He talked about how Mueller would craft meticulously planned events and outings not just for students, but for friends, family and colleagues, working endlessly to make everyone as happy as possible.

"He was passionate, and he was bold enough to show it on a daily basis, not just to those he loved ... but to his staff and to his community," Nitz said. "His service, his generosity, his thoughtfulness and his tirelessness never seemed to stop."

He said Mueller was a man of "relentless hope" with a boundless love for children, believing in them especially when they didn't believe in themselves.

Nitz told a story of a student who met with Mueller as part of a quarter-long project that the student didn't complete, making graduation even more impossible than it already seemed for the student.

He said Mueller wasn't angry or disappointed, but instead sat down with the student and took the opportunity to listen to them, to talk to them.

He said the student told Mueller that he had no chance of graduating and the conversation, which the student later told Nitz about, changed his life.

"He looked into the young man's eye and said, 'I think you can graduate. I think you can do whatever you want,'" Nitz said.

And that was a demonstration of one of Mueller's Christlike qualities, the unwavering belief in people, no matter how bad their situation got, Nitz said.

He said the student went to summer school and is working tirelessly to turn things around, and he thinks they're going to be all right.

"How many stories like that exist in the halls of this building?" Nitz asked.

After this, the Havre High School A Cappella Choir sang "Good Night, Dear Heart," then Michelle Mueller returned to the stage to offer closing thoughts and an announcement.

She said her brother died just before finishing his doctoral degree, having just submitted the proposal for his dissertation on how to improve the school environment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said she's since been contacted by Montana State University Graduate School awarding her brother a posthumous doctorate, along with a letter from his doctoral advisor calling him one of Montana's most well-regarded school leaders and an outstanding student.

Mueller said her brother left the world better than he found it and she is proud to be his sister.