Mark David LaPointe

PORTLAND – Mark David LaPointe, 84, died peacefully on Dec. 20, 2025, surrounded by family and friends. He was born on June 1, 1941, in Brunswick. He was the second child of the late Robert and Ruth (Spillane) LaPointe’s five children.

Mark was raised in Portland and graduated from Cheverus High School in 1959. In 2014, Cheverus bestowed on Mark the Magis Award, the school’s highest honor which recognizes members of its community living the Jesuit call to be “people for others.” This is evidenced in Mark’s life in the public health service, by his volunteering as a case worker and then president of St Vincent De Paul Society of Stone Mountain, Ga., and by his tenure on the board of Catholic Charities of Maine. Caring for others was deeply ingrained in Mark’s ethos – his and his wife’s home was a refuge for family, friends, and even new acquaintances who needed a safe harbor. This included both their children’s friends (and friends’ children) who needed a home away from home as well as young people seeking asylum in the United States.

After Cheverus, Mark attended Assumption University in Worcester, Ma. and, after graduating in 1963, he was part of an early cohort of the United States Peace Corps. His assignment in Guinea, West Africa led directly to a career with the Centers for Disease Control, first with the Smallpox / Measles Eradication Program and later with CDC’s Center for Global Health. His work moved him and his family to West Africa, New Orleans, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Atlanta, and back to Maine. Later in his career, working for both CDC and the Carter Presidential Center, he returned to West and Central Africa often to coordinate public health projects.

Outside of his career, Mark was a voracious reader and later in life became an excellent home cook. Both interests provided comfort and entertainment to himself and his family. He made sure he was surrounded by a stack of books until his last moments.

Mark’s life was shaped by the love of his high school sweetheart and wife of nearly 60 years, Diane McAvoy LaPointe. He is survived by Diane; their two daughters, Mary (Jeffery) Farley of South Portland, and Michelle LaPointe, of Cambridge, Mass. He was a beloved “PopPop” to their grandchildren, Nicholas (Ellie), Teresa, and Margaret Farley. He is also survived by his four siblings, Christine (Donald) Bartlett, Thomas (Jan Abendroth) LaPointe, Connie (predeceased by Joseph) Brennan, and John LaPointe; and by numerous nieces and nephews; and family friends who considered Mark an uncle and mentor. We will all desperately miss Mark’s intellect, wit, and kindness.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Jan. 31 at St Pius X Church, 492 Ocean Ave., Portland. Arrangements are under the direction of the Conroy-Tully Walker Cremation, Funeral & Gathering Center, 300 Allen Ave., Portland. To view Mark’s memorial page or to leave an online condolence, please visit http://www.ConroyTullyWalker.com.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial donation to

Hospice of Southern Maine

390 U.S. Route One

Scarborough, ME 04074

or online at

http://www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/donate.

Or to the

Catholic Charities of Maine, C/O Development Office

P.O. Box 10660

Portland, ME 04104-6060