STEEP FALLS – Maj. Cheryl “Cher” Esty, 38, nurse practitioner and an officer in the U.S. Air Force, most recently stationed at Incirlik Air Force Base, Adana, Turkey, died Tuesday, July 5, 2011, at Landstruhl Medical Center, Landstruhl, Germany, after a swimming accident June 26, 2011, in Turkey. Cheryl was born March 19, 1973, in Fort Kent, to John Marquis and Kathy (Cyr) Marquis.
Cheryl attended Fort Kent Elementary School. In 1981 the family moved to Gorham, where Cheryl completed her elementary and high school education. She completed her undergraduate degree in nursing at the University of Maine, Orono, in 1995. In 2005 Cheryl earned her master’s degree in the Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Cheryl and Nathan Esty were married July 4, 1996, and began their life in the Air Force. During their 15 years in the Air Force, Maj. Esty and her family lived in Montgomery, Ala., serving at Maxwell Air Force Base, then in Maryland, serving at Andrews Air Force Base, then in Peyton, Colo., serving at Peterson Air Force Base, and most recently in Adana, Turkey, serving at Incirlik Air Force Base. With a focus in women’s health, Cheryl’s passion was to improve the lives of women, assisting them in childbirth, wellness programs and a wide range of women’s health issues. Her passion for the quality of health care for women and children started at home as a loving mother, living life with her family to the fullest. Cheryl had also spent a brief time in the jungles of Panama, as a member of a humanitarian team, administering health care to people in dire need, an experience she spoke about frequently. Throughout the years Cheryl touched countless lives with her contagious smile and warm heart, resulting in a circle of friends all around the globe. During their 15 years in the Air Force, Cheryl and her family made the most of their various locations, traveling and absorbing the local culture wherever they were. They enjoyed numerous outdoor family activities, such as skiing, hiking, exploring, camping and traveling.
Cheryl is survived by her husband, Nate Esty; her son, Jacob, 10; her daughter, Lauren, 8; her parents, John Marquis of Standish and Kathy Marquis of Westbrook; her brothers, Glen Marquis, and his wife, Gina, of Saco, Adam Marquis of Bridgewater, Mass.; nieces, Madison Marquis, Elise Marquis, Natalie Marquis and Mabel Esty; numerous cousins, aunts and uncles; and one remaining grandparent, Muriel “Sis” Cyr of Fort Kent. Cheryl was predeceased by her paternal grandparents, Romeo and Gert Marquis, and Maurice Cyr, all of Fort Kent.
Visiting hours will be held 5-8 p.m. Thursday, July 14, at Dolby and Dorr Funeral Chapel, 76 State St., Gorham. A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, July 15, at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, 299 Main St., Gorham, with full military honors at Hillside Cemetery, Gorham, afterward. A reception will be after the burial at St. Anne’s Church reception hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, attention: Donor Services, P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265-0309 or American Neurological Association, 5841 Cedar Lake Drive, Suite 204, Minneapolis, MN 55416. Online condolences may be made to
www.dolbyfuneralchapels.com.