Sherry Lapointe, a beloved occupational therapist for the Yarmouth School Department who inspired students to overcome adversity, died Friday after a long fight against ovarian cancer. She was 56.
She worked for Yarmouth schools for 23 years, most recently at Harrison Middle School and Yarmouth High School. She provided therapy of functional life skills that helped students access their education.
Jodi McGuire, director of instructional support for Yarmouth schools, said Lapointe was an experienced diagnostician, who could evaluate students and quickly develop goals to address issues.
“She was a phenomenal occupational therapist,” McGuire said. “She could get the most reluctant student to engage. She really could. She was an amazing person.”
Mrs. Lapointe was widely respected among her peers and within the occupational therapy community. She loved her work and it showed.
“Sherry had this infectious laugh … this amazing personality,” said Melanie Craig, a longtime friend, who serves as athletic director at Deering High School. “You could see the kids connect with her. She could push them to maximize their potential. She would never soften the standard. She was able to get the best out of her students.”
Though her work was an important part of her life, nothing topped her love for family. She and Gary Lapointe, her husband for 29 years, lived in Pownal and raised two children, Cody and Logan Lapointe.
Her husband laughed and choked up as he recalled the day they met in 1982 at a racquetball club in Yarmouth. He was stretching for a match and she was in the weight room, feeling slightly unsure of herself. They made eye contact.
“She said, ‘What are you looking at,’ he recalled. “I smiled. I don’t remember saying anything back to her. We used to joke around about that.”
Five years later, the couple were married. He said they had a great life together. He shared stories about taking walks at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park and Mackworth Island and said they enjoyed having friends over to their house for a cookout.
“We were best friends,” he said. “We had a very open relationship in the sense that we could speak our mind. Neither one of us held back.”
Mrs. Lapointe was the same way with her sons. She was involved in every aspect of their lives, and attended all of their school and athletic events, both home and away games.
“The kids came first,” her husband said. “She was proud of them … right till the end. Both boys will do good in this world.”
Mrs. Lapointe was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November of 2011. She started treatment in January and went into remission in June 2012. It didn’t last long, but she put up a valiant fight. She entered hospice in late August.
On Sept. 22, Mrs. Lapointe left home in a wheel chair to attend the annual Yarmouth Boys Soccer team’s Ovarian Cancer Awareness game. Players, fans and cancer survivors wore teal to support those affected by ovarian cancer.
“Sherry, as weak as she was, didn’t want to miss the game,” her husband said. “She wanted to be there. She cried. So many people were coming up to her.”
Her full obituary is expected to appear in the newspaper in the coming days. A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Yarmouth High School auditorium.
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