Frances J. Gautreau, 83, of Broadway, Woonsocket, died Tuesday morning at The Woonsocket Health and Rehabilitation Centre. She was the loving wife of George E. Gautreau. They were married on September 13, 1953.
Born in Woonsocket, she was a daughter of the late Aram J. and Rose Alma (Hebert) Berard. She remained a lifelong resident of the city.
Mrs. Gautreau was a graduate of St. Clare High School, Class of 1946. After raising her family, she continued her education and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Rhode Island under the Continuing Education for Women program.
Mrs. Gautreau was employed as a substitute teacher for many school departments in the Northern Rhode Island area for over 20 years before retiring.
Frances was widely traveled and enjoyed accompanying her students to many destinations nationally and internationally. True to her degree she was a voracious reader.
She had a passion for flower gardening and often shared flowers with family, friends, and the church.
Mrs. Gautreau was among the founding parishioners of St. Agatha’s Parish and served as a Eucharist Minister. She also gave of her time as a volunteer at the Fogarty Hospital in the years after it first opened.
In addition to her husband of 59 years, she is survived by two daughters, Monique Gautreau, and her husband Paul Ouellette, of Bangor, Maine, Suzanne Blakely, and her husband Richard, of East Providence, two sons, George Gautreau, and his wife Annemarie, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine and Philip Gautreau, and his partner Mario Bonsignore, of New York City. She was the sister of Claire Meunier of Cumberland, and the late Rev. Aram J. Berard, SJ. She is also survived by six grandchildren, Matthew, Philip, and Nathan Welsh, Corey and Brandi Blakely and Emily Packard, and a nephew Marc Meunier and his family.
Her Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday at 11:00 am in St. Agatha’s Church, Joffre Ave., Woonsocket. Burial will be private. Visiting hours are Saturday morning from 9:00-10:30 am, prior to Mass, in the Menard-Lacouture Funeral Home, 127 Carrington Ave., Woonsocket. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Cenacle Convent, 513 West Fullerton Pkwy., Chicago, IL. 60614-5999 c/o Sr. Marguerite Gautreau
www.menardfuneralhome.com