She died in her classroom after collapsing just weeks after her first child was due.
USA Today reported that 29-year-old Courtney Fannon was discovered unconscious in her classroom on Friday. She taught special education students at Kendal Central School, located in a small country village about thirty miles northwest of Rochester.
A news source claimed she sent her husband Kurtis a text shortly before passing out, but they did not specify the subject of the text.
There was no evidence as to the cause of death.
Her husband’s friend, Matt Smith, set up a GoFundMe page for the family. It read: “The world lost two beautiful souls, Courtney Fannon and Hadley Jaye Fannon, long before any of us were ready to live in a world without them.”
As of Thursday morning, there was about $53,000 in the account. “After a very tragic and unexpected turn of events, they were called to eternal rest on the night of March 8th,” he wrote on the account.
Fannon has been a special education teacher in the district since 2018.
The school’s principal, Nicholas Picardo, sent out a message that read, “Courtney was a special education teacher every day who loved her job and gave it her all,” according to USA Today.
She was an excellent teacher who loved her job. He added that she often smiled and said hello to everyone as she walked through our halls when she wasn’t in class.
She was an excellent teacher who loved her job. He added that she often smiled and said hello to everyone as she walked through our halls when she wasn’t in class.
Kurtis is experiencing “the worst nightmare of having to return to a home full of toys, bottles, furniture, and a ready-made nursery that will no longer be filled with the cooing and squirming of a newborn,” says Smith. who described Kurtis’ situation in a lengthy GoFundMe post.
They dated for ten years before getting married in August 2022. He claimed that Fannon would give birth “in just 4 weeks”.
Smith continued, “For those who haven’t had the amazing opportunity to meet or know Courtney, there are only positive and good things to say about her.”
“She was kind, sincere, and well-organized in a way that put her students first and changed their lives and the lives of their caregivers for the better,” he said.
Smith also addressed the unborn girl in his tribute.
I know you will live on in whatever your family does to make sure the few breaths you were able to take were not wasted and not forgotten, he wrote. Hadley, we never got to meet you, watch you grow up, or see you do amazing things.
“Someone who shouldn’t be watching over your father, but with your mother’s help I’m sure you’ll be ready to send messages and signals that you’re there, just like your mom would be ready for anything. Smith wrote in his letter.
“It gives me comfort to know that you were not alone and that your loving mother will always be there for you, Hadley, for the sweet little girl who could never live in this world,” he said.
On Saturday at 11 a.m. the church of St. Vincent DePaul will conduct a memorial service for Courtney and Hadley in Churchville.
The tragic death of Courtney Fannon, just weeks before the birth of her first child, has left a deep void in the lives of those who knew and loved her. At 29, Fannon was a dedicated special education teacher who brought warmth and enthusiasm to her role at Kendal Central School. Her untimely death, coupled with the loss of her unborn daughter Hadley, sparked an outpouring of grief and support in the community.
Her husband Kurtis faces the unimaginable grief of returning to a home now marked by absence and unfulfilled dreams. A GoFundMe page created by a friend highlights the depth of this tragedy and the significant impact Fannon had on those around her. Funds raised offer a measure of support during this incredibly difficult time.
As the community comes together to honor Courtney and Hadley, their memory will be honored and their legacy will continue through the lives they touched. The upcoming funeral service will provide a moment for reflection and shared mourning as friends, family, and colleagues come together to pay their respects and celebrate the lives of the remarkable teacher and her unborn daughter.