LACONIA- Rachel Irene (Morin) Gilbert, 104, passed away April 7, 2016 at Belknap County Nursing Home in Laconia, three weeks before her 105th birthday.
Born in Laconia on April 28, 1911, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Marie Anne (Brochu) Morin and remained a resident of the Lakes Region her entire life.
Rachel attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from high school in Nicolet, Canada. She was also a 1929 graduate of the Concord Business College.
She worked for the Belknap Mills Corporation and Diamond Match Lumber Company as a bookkeeper. Later she was the bookkeeper for her husband Gene’s construction business where she took pride in her precise record keeping.
At the age of 102, she was the recipient of the 2013 Centennial Cane presented by the Laconia Historical and Museum Society for being the oldest member of the Laconia Community.
Rachel was a communicant of St. Andre Bessette Parish and was a member of Les Dames of St. Anne. For 53 years, she was the leader of the Link of the Living Rosary.
She enjoyed hosting family gatherings, dancing, traveling, interior decorating, and was an avid NASCAR fan. To celebrate her 100th birthday, she drove the Magic Mile at the NH Motor Speedway and was the grand marshal for the F. W. Webb sponsored race.
She attributed her longevity to strong faith, exercise, health food, moderation, and a daily gin and tonic.
Rachel had extreme pride of her heritage. J.P. Morin, her great grandfather, was the owner of the Belknap Mills Corporation which was later owned by her father, Frank Morin, and then her brother, Lionel.
Rachel was predeceased by her late husband, Eugene to whom she was married 69 years. She was also predeceased by two infant sons; five brothers, Lionel, Bert, Eugene, Rene, and Robert; five sisters, Lauretta, Yvonne, Jeanette, Theresa, and Lorraine.
Rachel is survived by her son, Paul Gilbert, and his wife, Marilyn, of Ellington, CT; two daughters, Helen Nickel of Laconia and Marie Anne Mills and her husband, Frank, of Laconia; six grandchildren, Janel Welch of Brockport, NY, Shelley McNamee and her husband, Robert, of Tolland, CT, Lisa Alden and her husband, Louis, of Alamogordo, NM, Sherry Quinn and her husband, Michael, of Billerica, MA, Blaine Ballantyne and his wife, Jill, of Helena, MT, and Karen Taylor and her husband, Troy, of Rochester, NH; nine great-grandchildren, Bryanna, Killian, Isabelle, and Teagan McNamee, Cord and Isabella Ballantyne, Sydney and Madison Welch, and Cameron Taylor. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Calling hours will be held from 6PM to 8PM on Sunday, April 10, 2016 at the Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, using the Carriage House entrance.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10AM on Monday, April 11, 2016 at Sacred Heart Church, 291 Union Ave., Laconia, NH. Her longtime friend, Rev. Robert Connors, Pastor of St. Patrick Church, Watertown, MA, will celebrate the Mass. The Very Rev. Mark Drouin will con-celebrate. Burial will take place later this spring in the family plot at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Garfield St., Laconia.
Rachel’s family would like to extend a special thank you to all the staff and nurses at Belknap County Nursing Home where she received exceptional care and compassion for over three years.
For those who wish, donations in Rachel's memory may be made to Belknap County Nursing Home Activity Fund, 30 County Dr., Laconia, NH 03246, or to Lakes Region Scholarship Foundation, PO Box 7312, Gilford, NH 03247-7312.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, N.H. is assisting the family with the arrangements.