February 11, 1956 – December 14, 2012

“Mary felt like she was doing God’s work, working with the children.” [1]

Mary at her younger sister’s wedding, Jane Dougherty in 1981

Mary Sherlach, daughter of Jack Ellis Greene and Annetta Corgiat, counseled “generations of children.” Ms. Bittman, the mother of three children who graduated from Sandy Hook Elementary, said, “When somebody had a personal tragedy in their lives that affected their children, then Mary would be a part of trying to help them come up with a solution for that child.” Mary and her husband, William, a financial adviser with Morgan Stanley, lived in Trumbull, Connecticut. They are the parents of two grown daughters, “a high school choral teacher who lives in New Jersey and a chemistry doctoral student at Georgetown University.” [2]

William’s friend, John Button talked about Mary retiring, he said, “It was going to be her last year. She loved her job. She’s done this for her whole career.” Mary and Bill had a house in the Finger Lakes area of New York and they planned to retire there. Button said that he and Bill were scheduled to play golf on Saturday morning. Button said, “It’s ironic, at a time when kids need help, it was the school psychologist that was sacrificed.” [3]

Janet Robinson, the superintendent of Newtown Public Schools said that when the shots rang out, Mary Sherlach “threw herself into the danger,” along with the principal, Dawn Hochsprung. Mary loved her job at Sandy Hook Elementary School but she was preparing to retire. She was “a wonderful neighbor, a beautiful person, a dedicated educator.” Her son-in-law, Eric Schwartz, told the South Jersey Times that Sherlach “had planned to leave work early on Friday. In a news conference…he told reporters the loss was devastating, but that Sherlach was doing what she loved.” [4]

🖥 On the Road: Moving on after tragedy

A hearse carrying the remains of Mary Joy Sherlach arrives at St. Stephen Church, in Trumbull, Connecticut, prior to a funeral mass December 21, 2012.

Bill, the couple’s two grown daughters, Maura Schwartz and Katy S. Sherlach and various family members filled the front rows of St. Stephen’s. White carnations marked their spots. [5] There were 800 people at the viewing. [6]

Mourners leave the church following a funeral mass for Mary Joy Sherlach

The Rev. Stephen J. Gleeson said that Sherlach was “a faithful adherent to the Catholic teachings, as evidenced in how she cared for the children of Sandy Hook.” Sherlach, a psychologist had worked at Sandy Hook for eighteen years.

As with other church officials who had conducted funerals for those killed on December 14, 2012, Gleeson remarked that the past week had been very difficult. Gov. Daniel P. Malloy attended the service as he had for other victims. The small, wooden sanctuary was “was filled to capacity” and many mourners had to stand. Sherlach valued her family and friends. One friend said, “They say you only have a couple really good friends in life that you can count on for anything at any time, Mary was that friend to several people.” That same friend said, Mary and her husband of thirty-one years, Bill, had the opportunity to spend time together Friday morning before she left for school, and reminded everyone in attendance to spend time with his or her loved ones and not take a single day for granted. She was all about her family.” [7]

Maura Schwartz and her husband Eric created Mary’s Fund in Connecticut, a nonprofit to honor the memory of Sandy Hook Elementary school psychologist Mary Joy Sherlach. This fund is raising money for “Being There.” The fund also includes a therapy dog program from MHASWNJ). Maura Schwartz said, “My mom dedicated her life to the mental health of children. She was always the rock of that school and helped out in every crisis. She was the person to go to for help. So when the shooting happened, we wanted to do something good.” [8]

Flowers and a box containing Mary Sherlach’s ashes are brought from St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church in Trumbull after funeral services Friday. Melanie Stengel/New Haven Register

Sandy Rodrigues, who interned with Sherlach at Sandy Hook for six months in 2011, said, “She didn’t draw the line anywhere in terms of where her work started and finished,” says Rodrigues, now a school psychologist in Danbury, Conn. “Where she was needed — that’s where she was.” [9]

Sherlach spent her summers on Lake Owasco in New York in a home that her family had owned. She worked in the garden or rocked lazily in the hammock. Bill Sherlach said that “she was looking forward to spending more time there.” [10]

Mary Sherlach’s playground in Breezy Point in Queens, N.Y. (Photo courtesy of Sandy Ground

The resilient family of a beloved school psychologist unveiled a colorful playground in Breezy Point celebrating the life of Mary Sherlach.

[1] The Newtown Shooting Victims: Who They Were, https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/The-Newtown-Shooting-Victims-Who-They-Were-183658461.html; retrieved 12/13/2017

[2] Sam Dolnick and Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 12/14/2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/nyregion/sandy-hook-principal-and-school-psychologist-went-the-extra-mile.html; retrieved 12/14/2017

[3] Sam Dolnick and Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 12/14/2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/nyregion/sandy-hook-principal-and-school-psychologist-went-the-extra-mile.html; retrieved 12/14/2017

[4] The Newtown Shooting Victims: Who They Were, https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/The-Newtown-Shooting-Victims-Who-They-Were-183658461.html; retrieved 12/13/2017

[5] John Hilton, Newtown victim Mary Sherlach’s friend reminds mourners not to take a single day for granted, New Haven Register, 12/21/2012; http://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Newtown-victim-Mary-Sherlach-s-friend-reminds-11505295.php#photo-13435347; retrieved 1/6/2018

[6] Jason Laday, Daughter of Newtown victim helps honor Victims’ Rights Week in Woodbury, 5/2/2013, http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2013/05/daughter_of_newtown_victim_hel.html; retrieved 1/20/2018

[7] John Hilton, Newtown victim Mary Sherlach’s friend reminds mourners not to take a single day for granted, New Haven Register, 12/21/2012; http://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Newtown-victim-Mary-Sherlach-s-friend-reminds-11505295.php#photo-13435347; retrieved 1/6/2018

[8] Kari Thierer, Family of Woman Shot at Sandy Hook Creates Fund for Teen Mental Health, NPO, 8/20/2015, https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2015/08/20/family-of-woman-shot-at-sandy-hook-creates-fund-for-teen-mental-health/; retrieved 1/10/2018

[9] Sadie Dingfelder, Remembering Mary Sherlach, http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/02/mary-sherlach.aspx; retrieved 1/10/2018

[10] Sadie Dingfelder, Remembering Mary Sherlach, http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/02/mary-sherlach.aspx; retrieved 1/10/2018