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Providence Journal, Rhode Island, Sunday, April 15, 2001
Kerri L. Bessette
A Mass of Christian Burial for KERRI L. BESSETTE, 19, of Bedford Drive, Green Hill, a freshman at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, Pa., who died Thursday at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia after a sudden illness, will be celebrated Wednesday at 10 a.m. in St. Francis Church, High Street, Wakefield.
Born in South Kingstown, Jan. 10, 1982, a daughter of William R. and Kathleen M. (Sprague) Bessette, she was a lifelong resident of South County. Kerri was an honor roll graduate of South Kingstown High School, Class of 2000.
While at South Kingstown High, she was captain of the girls cross country team, which held the state championship from 1996 until 1999. She was captain of the girls track and field team, which also held the state championship from 1997 until 2000. This earned her a scholarship to LaSalle University in track and field.
In high school she began a Habitat for Humanities program and was involved in Students Against Drunk Driving. She played local softball and basketball, and played on a travel team in soccer. In college, she was a Big Sister and ran both indoor and outdoor track and field. She held several jobs locally, including at the Village Bakery and the Sea Horse Grill at Theater by the Sea.
Besides her parents, she leaves a brother, Scott D. Bessette of South Orange, N.J.; a paternal grandmother, Mae W. Bessette of Pawtucket; and maternal grandparents, Norman A. and Ruth Sprague, both of Peace Dale. She was the granddaughter of the late Bertrand M. Bessette.
Burial will be in St. Francis Cemetery, Peace Dale.
Providence Journal, Rhode Island, Saturday, April 14, 2001
Kerri Bessette
College student from Wakefield dies of bacterial meningitis
Kerri Bessette, a star athlete at South Kingstown High School, was stricken with the illness in Philadelphia.
Kerri Bessette, 19, a former all-state cross-country star at South Kingstown High School whom friends described as upbeat and outgoing, died in Philadelphia Thursday from complications of bacterial meningitis.
A freshman elementary- and special-education major at La Salle University, Bessette grew up in the South Kingstown village of Wakefield.
From the Video Junction youth soccer squad in South County to La Salle's cross-country and track teams, Bessette was a dedicated athlete, friends said yesterday. In 1999, she was the top finisher among girls in the Celebrate Summer 5K in Snug Harbor; a year later she improved her time by 3 minutes, to 21 minutes and 57 seconds, and was among the 10 fastest women.
Bessette did not neglect her studies, however. As a senior at South Kingstown, she made the honor roll every quarter, and her major at La Salle was a demanding one, requiring an early declaration of intent and a year of student teaching.
Bessette intended to teach kindergarten or first grade, said Ashley Matteson, a South Kingstown classmate. Bessette would have followed the career path of her mother, Kathy, who teaches special-education at Matunuck Elementary, Matteson said.
"She was so committed to everything that she started," said Jill Apicerno, another classmate. "Even in elementary school she was so dedicated to everything she did."
In junior high school, Apicerno said, Bessette belonged to South Kingstown Kids Against Temptation. She continued similar work in high school with Students Against Drunk Driving and a group called Youth to Youth.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meningitis is an infection of the fluid of the spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. Viruses and bacteria can carry the disease, but the bacterial variety is usually more severe.
The disease is spread through close contact.
When La Salle officials learned of Bessette's illness earlier this week, the school's health center offered free antibiotics to students and staff who had been in recent contact with Bessette.
University officials notified the community of her death with a note posted on its Web site, and the Division of Student Affairs provided counseling for her schoolmates.
The Catholic university will celebrate a liturgy in Bessette's memory at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Funeral arrangements were not complete yesterday afternoon.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1982 - 2001 (19 years)