LACONIA ---- Pauline (Moffette) Millette Doane, 84, of Laconia, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 7, 2025, after a period of failing health. She was a resident of Belknap County Nursing Home and spent her final hours at Concord Hospice House, surrounded by the compassionate care of staff who were truly angels to her and her family.
Born on August 30, 1941, in Manchester, New Hampshire, Pauline was the beloved only child of Charlie and Carmen Moffette. As a teenager, she worked as a Candy Striper at Notre Dame Hospital, an experience that foreshadowed her lifelong dedication to caring for others.
In 1961, Pauline married Leo Millette, and together they raised three children, first in Manchester and later in Laconia, where the family settled in 1969, and then to Gilford in 1979. Pauline was a devoted full-time homemaker while her children were young. She later worked as a stitcher in local manufacturing facilities before spending several years supporting adults with disabilities through Lakes Region Community Services, work she found deeply fulfilling.
After 40 years of marriage, Pauline and Leo divorced amicably. In 2005, she married Gaylen Doane and the couple retired to Fort Myers, Florida, where Pauline discovered a passion for golf. She also volunteered as an usher at the Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall, Florida Repertory Theatre, and Edison and Ford Winter Estates. She loved this part of her retired life and made lifelong friends there. She spent sunny days on the course and cheering for her football teams, first the Patriots, and later, after "Tommy" moved south, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 2023, Pauline returned to the Lakes Region to be closer to the family she cherished. She lived with her daughter Michelle and her husband for several months before moving to Meredith Bay Colony Club, where she received wonderful care and support during her time in assisted living. She then moved to Belknap County Nursing Home. During her time at Michelle's home, Charlie and Bella, her "great-grandpuppies," provided cuddly company that was deeply comforting during this transition.
Her home was always the heart of gatherings, from the backyard pool that became the neighborhood's favorite spot to Sunday meals with extended family that filled her table with love and laughter. Her homemade pâté chinois, pork pies, peanut butter fudge, and signature chocolate mayonnaise cake became treasured family recipes, lovingly carried on by her children and grandchildren.
Pauline's spirit was as vibrant as the rainbow of colors she loved. Music and dancing had been part of her since she was three years old, when she famously escaped her mother's grasp at a movie theater showing a Carmen Miranda film and danced on stage to applause from the crowd. That same joy continued throughout her life, in neighborhood dances at Tardif Park, singalongs with her grandchildren through every Disney movie (she owned them all on VHS), and the simple pleasure of warming hot chocolate to just the right temperature for little hands.
She loved movies, television, and especially Shark Week. But most of all, she loved her family, making cream of wheat, waffles with syrup and melted butter for her grandchildren, marching around the house singing Disney songs, and creating memories filled with warmth and joy.
At Belknap County Nursing Home, Pauline found a caring community and grew to love all of her caregivers. Her favorite activity was Bingo. She made it abundantly clear that even if she was asleep, she was to be awakened so she wouldn't miss it. (Flippo, on the other hand, she could do without.)
Pauline is survived by her children: Diane Cox and her husband Mike, Michelle Andrews and her husband Tim, and Brian Millette and his wife Linda; her grandchildren: Maggie Roberts and her husband Ryan, Michael Nickerson, Evan Andrews and his wife Mandi, Kathryn Andrews, Melissa Andrews, and Erin Millette and her fiancé Benjamin Rico; her great-grandchildren: Piper and Deacon Roberts; and many beloved cousins. She was predeceased by her husband Gaylen Doane and by Leo Millette, father of her children.
Pauline brought kindness, humor, and unwavering love to everyone who knew her. Her legacy lives on in the recipes still made, the songs still sung, the humor shared, and the memories that will be cherished for generations.
A Calling Hour will be held on Monday, December 15, 2025, from 9:00am-10:00am, at St. Andre Bessette Parish at Sacred Heart Church, 291 Union Avenue, Laconia, NH 03246.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00am, also at the church.
Interment will follow in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Granite VNA, 30 Pillsbury Street, Concord, NH 03302, in memory of the compassionate hospice care provided to Pauline and her family.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services/603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit wilkinsonbeane.com.