Samantha Despathy

Monday, May 29, 2023, our family suffered a significant loss with the death of our beloved Samantha Reagan. She was born December 9, 1975, in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, and literally from the day she was born, Samantha filled our hearts with a never-ending supply of joy. In kindergarten, the Sisters at Villa Conservatory noted, "Every day, Samantha enters the classroom with a sense of others and a song in her heart. She sings during class (to herself and out loud) even when it may not be time for singing." As a child in Danville, PA, and Boxford, MA, Samantha loved playing alone with her baby dolls, and till about age 12, she and her friend Jen Bowen hid in our attic to play Barbie, Ken, and family. At Spofford Pond Elementary and Masconomet HS, she excelled as a student. Samantha was honored with acceptance into the Junior and Senior National Honor Society based on her scholarship, service, and character. She performed as an exceptional vocalist in honors chorale and school musicals throughout high school. She was a top member of the Math team, an adoring sister to Elysa despite the sibling rivalry in their younger years, and a steadfast lifelong friend to her birdie Kara. In her senior year, 1994, Samantha was admitted early with advanced placement to the honors program at Boston University. There she was a proud member of Alpha Delta Pi, BU's Honor Society, and Chorale, while at the same time working part-time at the BU Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Samantha earned her bachelor's degree with the highest honors in just three years. She accepted a scholarship to Boston University's School of Education, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with an M Ed in Counseling and Education.
Additionally, she attended Harvard University Extension while working full-time as an inner-city guidance counselor for the city of Everett, MA. As she matured into a young woman, Samantha exhibited the selfless model of altruism. She loved nothing more than making a positive difference in the lives of others, particularly of the children she counseled. Everyone she met, teachers, students, and co-workers, would say they could instantly feel the joy that was an integral part of her DNA.
As an adult, Samantha, once committed to her promises and dreams, tried not to stray from those goals. Samantha was passionate, strong-minded, focused, organized, and generous to a fault. Simultaneously she was an idealist, a liberal, who was at the same time proud and humble, empathic, and sympathetic. Samantha loved to have fun and laugh out loud. She was a dedicated, loving role model to her nieces, Emily and Allison, and always acted as if they were her babies. Samantha was dynamic in their raising and was always there when needed. Always a giver and never a taker, she dedicated herself to her home, family and friends, and her inner-city work, but at the same time, she longed to fall in love, have a large family, and relished the thought of creating a happy home, for as many children as she could. She remet and married her college sweetheart, Mark Despathy, and together they set out to create a family and fill their dreams. With family at Boston University Chapel, they hosted a spectacular wedding celebration. Together, they moved to Florida to meet Marks's employment situation and where they set out to make a new home and extend the family. Samantha immediately found employment in the local public school system; however, it was not long before the politics of the Florida system proved to be out of line with Samantha's core values. She then seamlessly moved into the Business Manager and HR director position for HPMS, Inc and worked her organizational genius there. After many years of trying, Samantha and Mark were blessed with a beautiful son, Sterling Hudson, who became the family's little prince - the firstborn boy. Samantha dedicated herself to her marriage and motherhood as she cared for Sterling to the utmost of her ability and contributed to the family in all possible ways. Anyone could see her love for him emanate from her soul. Samantha and Sterling were like two peas in a pod and had a brilliantly special connection. She loved him more than life itself.
Soon Samantha made new family connections and fast friends. She loved the lady connections which sustained her – best of friends Chelsea, Jamie, and Shawney - like sisters-also, an uncle figure for Sterling in her longtime friend and confidant, Joel.
This time has been the saddest and most shocking of our family history. No mother should have to bury her child. No mother could have dreamed of having a more impressive, striking, full-of-life daughter who was beautiful inside and out and who never forgot to remind the world how lucky she was to be born and what a special relationship we had. Samantha is just irreplaceable. My ears long to hear her voice, and my heart aches for her hugs and presence; my soul is near barren, and this is all one big understatement because there are no words on this earth to express this kind of painful devastation.
What is written here is but a short tribute that is insufficient to pay her full respect or convey how profound her loss is not only to me but to everyone,
Your Loving Mother Darlene
Visiting hours and burial will occur on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at 10:30 am at the Carrier Funeral Home, Windham, NH 03087. Burial is to be at Brookside Cemetery Boxford, MA to follow. A Celebration of Life will follow the interment TBA.
Special Words From Samantha's Beloved Husband Mark
Samantha gave us kindness and warmth, friendship in addition to many other wonderful and selfless qualities that pervaded her actions. She lived her life dedicated to helping and caring for everyone around her. Samantha provided me with a partner, a son, and a family that adopted me as their own, all of which I will cherish forever. All I can do from here is to continue her legacy by adopting her qualities to my greatest ability, which is my promise in her memory.
We see her light in Sterling who she raised to have the sweetest nature. I will see to it that he continues unhampered along the same path on which Samantha has set him. I am thankful that, because of Samantha, Sterling is and will be surrounded by the caring family, community and friends that are in our lives today.
It is my hope that someday we will all be able to smile again as we remember my wife and what she stood for. Please help me to fulfill these two promises I make in Samantha's memory, and to remember her always,
Your Loving Husband Mark