Mary Christine (Crowley) Papineau, age 94, lifelong resident of Brockton, died peacefully on February 10, 2023 at Southeast Rehabilitation. Christine was the loving wife for 69 years of the late Marshall A. Papineau and daughter of the late P. Joseph and Nora V. (Hamrock) Crowley. She was a graduate of St. Patrick’s High School and Chandler School for Women in Boston.
Suiting her gregarious and charismatic personality, Chris was a natural performer. She began her lifelong career in music performing with her father and siblings in the Crowley Family Band. She was a highly regarded pianist for a variety of shows and choruses, including recitals for the Plouffe Sisters School of Dance, where she was lovingly known by students as “Miss Chris.” She also performed for a number of nursing homes.
A devout Catholic, Christine was involved in various ministries at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Brockton, serving as a eucharistic minister and a member of the choir. Chris was involved in the 20th Century Club, Catholic Mothers Club, Ireland’s Own, The Red Hat Society, and was a volunteer for My Brother’s Keeper.
Christine was once a waitress at the original Toll House Inn Restaurant in Whitman. She modeled in several fashion shows locally and at the Chatham Bars Inn. Chris enjoyed gardening, reading, knitting, and spending time with her family. She loved to travel and accompanied her husband and children on many memorable adventures. Second to her family, she was most proud of her little piece of heaven in Chatham, where she spent her summers, as she had a deep love for the beach and all of Cape Cod.
Chris is survived by her children Susan Schaeffer of Burgaw, NC; Mark Papineau of Lancaster, PA; Mary Cormier of Brockton; Ellen McCabe and her husband Michael of Brockton and Stephen Papineau and his wife Josephine of Brockton. She was the mother-in-law of the late Glen Schaeffer and William Cormier. Christine is also survived by her beloved 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. She was the sister of Donald Crowley, Noreen Waters, Bernadette Pare and the late Edward Crowley, Margaret Dame and Thomas Crowley.
The family would like to thank the staff of The Arbors of Stoughton for the kindness, love, and care they gave Christine over the past year and a half. She truly enjoyed the music and activities she participated in there and loved the attention shown to her.
Visitation will be held in the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street on Thursday, February 16 from 4:00-7:00pm. The funeral procession will gather at the funeral home Friday at 9:30am for a Funeral Mass in Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 10:30am. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery
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Donations in her name may be made to Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST), at https://cureangelman.org/donate or the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, www.autisticadvocacy.org.