DIXFIELD – Friday was a trying day for students, staff and teachers at SAD 21’s four schools, as they continued to mourn the loss of the district’s beloved middle school teacher, Pamela L. Fleury, 39, who died Wednesday after a 10-month fight against cancer.

Dealing with that is difficult in itself, but SAD 21 has been operating in crisis mode for the entire first quarter of the year.

Over Labor Day weekend, the district lost revered, longtime English teacher Charles Nielsen, who took an indefinite leave of absence after his son, Christian Nielsen, was charged with murdering four people in Newry and Upton.

On Oct. 2, 11-year-old Lucas Dolloff, a fifth-grader at Dirigo Middle School, died tragically in a sand cave-in in his backyard in Dixfield.

Eight days later, Dirigo High School suffered a gun scare and went through a frightening lockdown after two teens brought a realistic-looking toy gun to school after classes ended. And now, Fleury’s death.

“The ironic part, is, that educationally, things are going very smoothly, but, it’s just that externally, these things happen, and they hit home internally,” emotionally drained SAD 21 Superintendent Thomas Ward said early Friday evening before attending the second of two visiting hours for Fleury at the Wiles Remembrance Center just south of his Weld Street office in Dixfield.

At 1 p.m. today, Ward, Dirigo Middle School Principal Celena Ranger, Peru Elementary School Principal Brenda Gammon and Peru fifth-grade teacher Jeff Mayo, will be guest speakers at Fleury’s memorial service at Dirigo High School on Weld Street in Dixfield.

“We’ve lost two very important members of our SAD 21 family – Pam and Lucas – in a very short time, and, that’s difficult. The mood today was very solemn and very quiet. We all are ready for a break, and we’re hoping we’re over the hump. We haven’t had any smooth sailing yet. It’s been a bumpy first quarter,” Ward said.

Sad faces – strained from crying, sharing memories of Fleury and group hugs – were visible on staff at Peru Elementary School on Friday, but children appeared to be handling it well.

“I’m so impressed with our kids. Fifth-grade students have been so supportive of each other through losing Lucas and now Pam, whose stepson (Jesse Brooks-Fleury) is their classmate. It really moves you to see what great kids we have. Kids are very resilient, and they are what motivates us,” Ward said.

Gammon concurred.

“It’s amazing what our students can do for us, in helping us face these bad times. It’s not easy some days to have to go through these things. We’re all suffering from heartache. It’s OK for kids to see you cry,” she said.

A longtime family friend of Pam Fleury’s parents, David and Linda Cox, Gammon first met 8-year-old Pam almost 30 years ago, and watched her grow up. She was there five years ago for Pam Cox’s wedding to Raymond Fleury II, as well as the birth of Pam’s daughter, Kimberly, now 2.

“When we saw her obituary in the paper today, that hit us really hard. There were many tears. We cried together, there were a lot of hugs, then we shared stories about Pam and how she touched our lives,” Gammon said of Thursday’s gathering downstairs for staff members.

Peru fifth-grade teacher Jeff Mayo fought back tears Friday as he reminisced about Pam Fleury, whom he first met in 1979 in his first teaching job at Peru School. She was his pupil, one of three quiet girls in a room full of boys.

Then, in 1998, Mayo met her again when Fleury started teaching Peru middle school children.

He remembered his last serious conversation with her when she became stricken with cancer but before she entered the hospital.

“I said to her, ‘As a teacher, you like to see kids go on and become successful, and do well for themselves, so, I am really proud of you.’ It’s almost like having a daughter. I was so proud of what she accomplished in her short life, and for being a kind and gentle person, and having infinite patience.

“I felt I had to tell her that, that she was kind of special. To me, she was a special gal,” said Mayo, who, in addition to speaking at Saturday’s memorial service, will also be a pallbearer at her funeral, which follows.

Mayo said her death brought memories flooding back of Pam’s father, David Cox, who also died of cancer in October 2000, shortly after becoming principal of Dirigo High School.

Like Mayo and Ward, Gammon remembered Pam Fleury’s smile and never-give-up attitude. But, on Friday, Gammon said she was struggling to find the words to speak at Fleury’s memorial service.

“How do you write something from the heart when your heart is broken?” she asked, eyes tearing.