A tragic accident in Maine ended the life of 53 year old Southborough resident Stefanie Cappello yesterday.
This afternoon, authorities confirmed the identity of the victim of a snowmobile crash on Friday, February 28th.
According to the press release, Cappello’s snowmobile went off the trail she was following and crashed into a tree. (For the full details scroll down for the release.)
Cappello grew up in Southborough (as Stefanie Marie Raneiri), graduating from Algonquin in 1989. She and husband Chuck Cappello raised two children in town (Celia and Chuckie). Cappello worked as an administrator in the family business Cappello Heavy Transport.
In 2017, she helped to organize the “Hope for Houston” collection drive to support victims of the devastating hurricane. In addition to helping solicit and sort the donations, the Cappellos volunteered to use their business to transport the collected items to Houston.
Looking further back, Cappello was among the Algonquin classmates who helped to form a scholarship in the memory of an ARHS classmate who also died too young — Kristen George Porter, who died from cancer at the age of 40.
Below is the press release from Maine’s Dept of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW):
Massachusetts Woman Dies In Snowmobile Crash
T1R12, Maine- A 53-year-old Massachusetts woman was killed in a snowmobile crash in Piscataquis County yesterday afternoon.
At approximately 1:30 p.m. yesterday (2/28/25), Stefanie Cappello, age 53 of Southborough, MA, was traveling northbound on snowmobile trail ITS85/86 with a group of nine snowmobiles, heading towards Millinocket. In an area of the trail that turned to the left, Cappello was unable to navigate the turn and went off the right side of the trail, striking a tree after she was ejected from the snowmobile. Cappello was riding eighth in the line of nine snowmobiles.
Cappello was declared deceased at the scene by Northern Light CA Dean Ambulance of Greenville. The initial crash investigation by the Maine Warden Service indicates operator inexperience as a factor in the crash. The crash remains under investigation.
The Maine Warden Service was assisted by the Maine Forest Service and Greenville Fire and Rescue.
This release will be updated if any new information becomes available.
To look for any updates from MDIFW, click here.
Yesterday, the Greenville Firefighters Assoc. posted news about the crash without the victim’s identity:
[On a personal note, I’ll share that Stefanie was a classmate of mine who I’d occasionally run into in recent years. Her great, big infectious smile combined with her upbeat and friendly personality continued to show her deserving of the “Most Spirited” title that she earned by ARHS Class of ’89’s vote over 64 years ago. My heart goes out to her family and loved ones.]
