WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) – The Sherman Elementary School District is mourning the loss of a beloved lunch server and bus driver after the 37-year-old died in a fire Thursday.
Shaylyn Schoonmaker, or as the Sherman community calls her, ‘Shay’, passed away after flames broke out at her home on Chesterfield Avenue.
Family says Shay was a lunch server at the school for 15 years and a bus driver for 8 years. Her co-workers called her a positive force in the building and say her loss is felt throughout the community.
“It’s forever as far as I’m concerned. She’s just always been there, she’s a part of this family, and she’s always been a part of our family,” Sherman Elementary School Principal Charlee McElroy said. “I couldn’t tell you how many years, she’s just there. And that’s why we’re going to miss her so much.”
Principal McElroy says she was heartbroken when she heard about what happened, but she wasn’t surprised Shay went back into the flames to save her dog.
“When I heard she went back for the dog, not at all surprised,” Principal McElroy said. “Everyone came before her, she was just that person.”
The Principal says Shay dedicated her life to serving children. During COVID, she would hand-make every lunch and specialize it towards that students and then deliver it to their classroom.
“She knew everyone’s name, she knew what they liked, didn’t like,” Principal McElroy said. “She could tell if they were having a bad day and would call my attention to it. She was really, really in tuned to the children.”
Now, the Principal says it’s the school’s turn to do something for Shay. They’re dedicating an entire week in her honor and calling it ‘Shay’s Week’.
“We had been planning a kindness week, but now, of course, when we think of kindness we think of Shay,” Principal McElroy said. “The kids can write about memories of her, we can have t-shirts, something, we don’t know exactly, but donations for the family.”
Though the halls of Sherman Elementary will be empty in her absence, they say her presence will be felt each and every day.
“Before kids started coming down for lunches, there was a bench she would sit on, waiting for the kids; just a place,” Principal McElroy said. “So, we were talking about getting a bench and putting a plaque ‘shay’s bench’.”
The Warwick Public School District also released a statement about the loss:
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Shaylyn Schoonmaker. She was a dedicated and valued employee of the Warwick School Department. Over the years Shaylyn worked as a bus monitor, as well as a server for the school breakfast and lunch programs. The students and staff members who she worked with cherished her kindness and positive attitude. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Shaylyn’s family and friends.
Shaylyn’s family set up a GoFundMe to raise money after they lost their house and to help Shay’s son who lost his mother.
Fundraiser by Kayla Games : Help for Shaylyn’s family. (gofundme.com)
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February 19, 2021 at 11:33PM
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Beloved Warwick lunch server and bus driver dies in fire - WLNE-TV (ABC6)
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