Ron Belcher and Stacy Murphy were voracious readers, and they invited students and staff members to follow them along that path.

“That’s why we’ve chosen this statue for both principals — to remind us of them,” said Westhill Elementary second-/third-grade teacher Kathy Easton while pointing to a picture of a bronze statue featuring two children sitting on a bench and reading a book.

Belcher — who died from Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2010 at age 65 — and Murphy — who died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2011 at age 45 — both served as principals at the Bothell school and are both remembered as strong, caring people who lived their days to the fullest.

Each person rarely had a book far from their hands and stressed literacy wherever they went.

“I think it’s important for the kids to understand this — these people made a difference and inspired all of us,” said Easton, who is part of the Westhill Elementary Care Team that is raising funds to purchase the memorial statue in honor of the principals.

The team began raising money in September, and at press time had garnered $2,134.10 of its goal amount of $3,198.95 to purchase the 2 ½-foot-by-4 ½ foot statue. With the help of donations, a small grant from a state retirement organization, some PTA money and cash from a few raffles (for Easton’s sticky buns and a chocolate cake), the team is 67 percent of the way there and hopes to have the statue at the school by springtime.

They’d like to place the statue in an area near the library that needs to be spruced up with flowers like another spot on campus that Easton had a hand in beautifying, said Westhill officer manager Deanna Taylor, who has been at the school for 28 years. Belcher hired Easton at Westhill 23 years ago.

“The memorial is to honor these people and have another section of our school grounds be a showplace that we can be proud of,” Taylor said.

Taylor and Easton described Belcher and Murphy as people who cared about others and always wanted to include both students and teachers in all activities, whether it was dancing in a talent show, a contest to see how many books kids could read or gathering people for story time or at staff gatherings in their homes or at Starbucks.

Murphy was a Starbucks girl, Taylor said: “We always used to laugh at her and say, ‘Stacy, we’re going to start keeping track on the calendar, how many Starbucks can one principal drink in the day and still be able to sleep at night?’”

Laughter ensued when Taylor recalls the time Belcher — who was at Westhill from 1988-98 — roller skated around campus for a full day because students reached their goal of reading a wealth of books.

“He was very tall and athletic and played basketball and tennis, but roller skating was not one of his fortes,” said Taylor, who noted that Belcher soon belted a pillow around his behind because he took a fall. “He said, ‘I can’t take too many more falls on these skates.’” He lasted the whole day on skates, Taylor added, so the kids could see that he was following through on his commitment.

After being diagnosed with his disease, Taylor said that “he carried on admirably because his philosophy was, ‘If I can keep moving, maybe I can beat this thing.’”

Easton described Murphy — who worked at Westhill from 2003-07 — as a fun-loving person who once surprised the staff by baking cookies for Easter and asked them to join her in icing the treats.

“That was just her way of trying to make connections with her staff. She appreciated us,” said Easton, who added that Murphy enjoyed giving roses to people, as well, and was a fighter, working her job at East Ridge Elementary in Woodinville up until the last week before she died.

Elaine Belcher, Ron’s widow, said that she’s thrilled with the memorial project and plans to be at the dedication.

The statue is perfect, Elaine added, noting that when she and Ron vacationed in Colorado after he was diagnosed, they saw a similar statue in the town center of a ski resort and both had their pictures take with it.

“As educators, we both loved that statue. I remember him saying how much he loved it. Children were always top priority, even with all the administration duties he had,” Elaine said. “So, it is pretty amazing, even uncanny, that this same statue is what Westhill has selected. They did not know this was one of Ron’s favorites.”

Tim Murphy, who said that his wife was a “fantastic” principal who knew every child’s name and cared for them, is glad that Easton, Taylor and crew are keeping Stacy and Ron in their thoughts.

“Our youngest daughter is studying for finals in high school, and we’re wishing (Stacy) was here right now,” Tim said. “It’s a nice thing for them to keep her memory alive.”