Nancy Lee DaPonte's Obituary
Huntersville- Nancy Lee DaPonte, 68, of Johnston, RI passed away on the afternoon of May 3, 2021. She was born on June 5, 1952 to the late Joseph and Lionelha (Martin Castro) DaPonte.
Nancy grew up in the quiet town of Bristol, Rhode Island surrounded by a large and lively family, who instilled in her the values of faith, family, and hard work, as well as a love for the ocean and an appetite for seafood. Nancy graduated from the former Bristol High School in 1970 and went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Rhode Island College in 1974. She described her career as an educator as her calling; her passion for teaching, commitment to educational excellence, and dedication to promoting student success shined through every step of the way. She attained her first teaching position in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. At the age of 22 years, she packed up her belongings and moved from Rhode Island to Maryland, beginning her journey on the career path that she had envisioned for herself. Nancy spent the first 11 years of her professional life as a special education teacher for children with severe emotional impairments. She believed that with the right support and appropriately high expectations, every child had the capacity to learn. For the next 11 years, Nancy taught elementary school students in the area of general education in Montgomery County, Maryland. She was particularly fond of her years teaching first grade students. Over time, she decided to pursue her interests in administration, earning a Master’s Degree in Education Policy, Planning, and Administration from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1995. Afterward, she was accepted into the highly competitive elementary principal training program in Montgomery County (MD), earning a position as an Assistant Principal at Ronald McNair Elementary School. While in Maryland, she also held positions as an Instructional Support Specialist, Special Services Administrator, and as a Writer for performance assessments within the State Department of Education.
Her dedication to her family eventually led her to seek administrative positions closer to her former home in Rhode Island, and she became a principal at Hope Highlands Elementary School in Cranston, RI. She worked for 7 years as an elementary school principal in Rhode Island; her schools earned several honors including the No Child Left Behind, Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence in 2003, as well as the distinction of “High Performing” from 2003-2007. Even after her retirement, she continued in her role as an educator, serving as an adjunct instructor within the English Department at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and as a substitute elementary school teacher within the Providence (RI) school system. Nancy enjoyed a long and accomplished career in education, and she was always available to provide guidance and support for family and friends in the process of navigating the educational system. Throughout her career, she remained committed to supporting the academic and social-emotional growth of all students, especially those facing socioeconomic disadvantage and those with physical or behavioral health challenges.
Nancy’s enthusiasm for her career as an educator was rivaled only by her devotion to family. The depth of Nancy’s love for her family, especially her children and grandchildren, was limitless. She poured herself into caring for them, cultivating a strong faith in the Lord, a love of reading and the pursuit of knowledge, and a commitment to enhancing the well-being of others. Nancy and Laura spent many weekends taking the red line on the Metro from their home in Maryland to Washington, DC to visit the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo and attend performances by the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. Nancy cherished her time living in Maryland, and she felt proud to be able to provide her daughter with tremendous opportunities for learning, growth, and engagement with diverse cultures, perspectives, and experiences. One of Nancy’s greatest joys was being able to spend time with her grandchildren. She savored the times when they could read stories in her big, comfy armchair, cuddle after bath time, construct art projects, trace letters, put together puzzles, play hide-and-seek, bake banana waffles and muffins, and take walks outside in the sunshine.
Nancy was a faithful communicant of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Johnston, Rhode Island. She enjoyed volunteering for church events, and she met many wonderful friends through her involvement with the parish. Her church friends had become like family for her. The strength of her spirit, her faith, and her convictions were the driving force behind her desire to do what was right, remain hopeful in trying circumstances, and care for others well, even when it meant sacrificing her own time and comfort.
Some of Nancy’s most treasured memories include her many cruises to the Caribbean and to Alaska. She travelled to several Caribbean Islands and took her daughter, Laura, on her first cruise when she was 8 years old. The music, food, and people that Nancy encountered during her travels filled her with so much joy. Handmade baskets, dolls, instruments, and other souvenirs from local vendors on the islands were displayed throughout Nancy’s home and were a constant reminder of her time in the Caribbean. Nancy also travelled to Alaska on a cruise with extended family and was awestruck by the vast wildlife and dynamic glaciers. She spent hours recording video footage of her Alaskan adventure.
When she was at home, you could always find Nancy gardening in her yard, pulling weeds, and planting an array of colorful flowers that grew abundantly within the flowerbeds in the front of her house. If she was not working in her own yard, she was gardening the common areas of her neighborhood and even the flowerbeds at her daughter’s home. She seemed most at peace when she could spend all day outside in the dirt, under the sun, only to head inside once it became too dark to see.
Nancy is survived by four children and a son-in-law, including Laura Marie Armstrong and husband Chris Snyder of Huntersville, North Carolina; Brocque Turner of California, Myles Turner, and Joselyn Turner of Massachusetts; three grandsons, Caleb Snyder, Myles Turner Jr., and Devontae Phillips Jr.; and siblings, Mary Ann DaPonte, Joyce Simard, Elizabeth Januskiewicz, Susan DaPonte, Mark Stephen DaPonte, Gregory DaPonte, Kenneth DaPonte, Michelle Saslow and Donna Marie Macomber; and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.
Nancy was the sister of the late Bernadette Durand, Joseph DaPonte Jr., and Melissa DaPonte Mazza.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Nancy’s name may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Diabetes Association.
The funeral mass will be held at St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville, NC on Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 3:00pm. Visitation will be in the narthex one hour prior to the mass. Burial will follow at Northlake Memorial Gardens. The livestream of the funeral mass can be found here: https://www.stmarknc.org/livestream
James Funeral Home of Huntersville is serving the family. www.jamesfuneralhomeLKN.com
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