(CNN) She always referred to her students as "her kids." So even in death, Tammy Waddell is making sure they're taken care of. 
 
 Waddell, a teacher in Forsyth County, Georgia, lost a battle with colon cancer earlier this month. Two weeks before she died, she told her son that she didn't want flowers at her funeral. 
 
 Instead, she wanted people to bring backpacks full of school supplies for needy students. 
 
 About 100 teachers were named honorary pallbearers at Waddell's funeral. 
 
 "This was just the kind of teacher she was, and this is a reflection of her heart. She was a teacher first, all the way," her cousin Brad Johnson told CNN. 
 
 Johnson shared the photos taken at her funeral by McDonald and Son Funeral Home and Crematory. 
 
 Read More ||||| After decades of service to her students, one Georgia teacher had one final lesson to impart. 
 
 Tammy Waddell died June 9 at Northside Hospital-Forsyth after a prolonged illness. At her funeral June 12, dozens of backpacks filled with school supplies lined the pews. 
 
 The donated supplies were Waddell’s last request to honor her lifelong passion for helping children in need, according to her family. 
 
 Tammy Waddell (Credit: Family photo) 
 
 “My cousin, a teacher, wanted backpacks with supplies brought to her funeral instead of flowers for needy students,” Brad Johnson said on Twitter. “Serving others to the end.” 
 
 My cousin, a teacher, wanted back packs with supplies brought to her funeral instead of flowers for needy students. Serving others to the end. #satchat #edpiper #edchat pic.twitter.com/4MpCfI94Q4 — Dr. Brad Johnson (@DrBradJohnson) June 16, 2018 
 
 Johnson shared photos of the backpacks and of Waddell’s fellow teachers, who served as honorary pallbearers at the funeral. 
 
 Over her career, Waddell worked as a paraprofessional and a teacher at Sawnee Elementary, Cumming Elementary and Haw Creek Elementary in the Forsyth County school district. She was a national board-certified teacher and in 2003, she was recognized as the Forsyth County Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year. 
 
 Waddell had recently retired from the district, a spokeswoman for the district said. 
 
 Honorary pallbearers... Teachers who had taught with her through the years... pic.twitter.com/CyB2pBbBNy — Dr. Brad Johnson (@DrBradJohnson) June 19, 2018 
 
 Johnson’s initial tweet has been shared more than 2,500 times, garnering praise for Waddell and her legacy as an educator. 
 
 My cousin, a teacher, wanted back packs with supplies brought to her funeral instead of flowers for needy students. Serving others to the end. #satchat #edpiper #edchat pic.twitter.com/4MpCfI94Q4 — Dr. Brad Johnson (@DrBradJohnson) June 16, 2018 
 
 Former students who left condolences on an online guestbook described Waddell as a compassionate and inventive teacher who encouraged students to do their best. 
 
 “The best teacher I’ve ever had,” one student wrote. 
 
 The backpacks will be distributed through Project Connect, an initiative of the school district to provide donated school supplies to the students who need them most. 
 
 During Project Connect’s annual event, teachers visit the homes of their students to deliver the filled backpacks, Forsyth schools spokeswoman Jennifer Caracciolo said. 
 
 “Tammy was a servant leader that loved children,” Caracciolo said in a statement. “The generous backpack/supplies donations in her memory is a touching tribute.” 
 
 Donations can be made in Waddell’s memory to Project Connect through Forsyth County Schools at the main office, 1120 Dahlonega Hwy. in Cumming, or by calling the school district at 770-887-2461.
– A Georgia teacher who spent her career helping students continued to do so even in death. Tammy Waddell's final request as she suffered a long illness culminating in her June 9 death was for attendees at her funeral to bring backpacks stuffed with school supplies to help needy children. Per AJC, that's exactly what happened, making the June 12 event a bittersweet one as friends and loved ones marked the 58-year-old's passing. Photos from the funeral show dozens of mourners lined up outside a church, backpacks in hand. Another shot shows the inside of the church, where the bundles lined the pews. Waddell's cousin, Dr. Brad Johnson, told CNN that people pictured carrying the backpacks were teachers who acted as honorary pallbearers by carrying the backpacks out of the church and back to their schools. The backpacks will reportedly be distributed through a school district initiative called Project Connect that will direct them to those most in need. What's more, Johnson said the publicity has helped give his cousin's legacy even greater reach. Johnson said he's been contacted by a non-profit called Tes Resources that intends to donate thousands of school supplies in Waddell's name.