Jeanne R. (Chartier) Carrier

Jeanne R. (Chartier) Carrier, 82, the wife of the late Cleo Carrier for 56 years, died July 7, 2016. That same week, on the Fourth of July, they would have marked their 59th wedding anniversary. They joked that they entered into marriage with a bang (of fireworks), but Jeanne died peacefully at Alpine Nursing Home in Coventry.

Jeanne was a devoted wife, loving mother and doting memere among other cherished roles. Most prominent among them was God’s servant.

A devout Roman Catholic, Jeanne’s prayer list was extensive. She accepted the requests of so many who commented that she was close to God. But Jeanne knew that life was lived by God’s intentions, and her life was not without trials.

First diagnosed with breast cancer in 1979, she underwent surgery and lived cancer free until 1999 when a new tumor was discovered. Its growth was kept under control for a number of years, but in 2011, chemotherapy became necessary. During treatment she developed the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. She never found out if the cancer was eliminated, as she stopped treatment after an unrelated illness in 2015 and moved to the nursing home.

Still, she put all of her faith in God.

A parishioner of Christ the King Church in West Warwick, Jeanne was one of its trustees for 35 years, the first woman at the church to hold the post. She was a longtime CCD teacher and co-coordinator of the program for a few years. She was a lector, a song leader and a member of the parish council. She may also be remembered for selling tickets at the door of the annual May Breakfast and, for many years, running the wine wheel booth with her husband at the annual Christmas Bazaar, where her “party cake” was always a hit.

Jeanne was involved with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts through the years. She had been a Girl Scout leader, and for many years instructed Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts who were pursuing religious awards. She served on the Catholic Committee on Scouting for the Diocese of Providence. The Bronze Pelican Award was among the recognitions she received for her efforts.

Given her anniversary date, it is no surprise that patriotism was important to Jeanne. She proudly displayed her red, white and blue yearlong and was a great fan of patriotic songs. She flew our country’s flag with reverence at her home on Field Avenue in West Warwick. Family and friends remember the flag-raising ceremony she held when her full-size flagpole was erected in the 1980s.

Jeanne celebrated her French-Canadian roots, too. French was her first language, as it was the main language spoken in her childhood home. Among the organizations to which she belonged were Parlons Francais and the Franco American Heritage Festival Committee of the Pawtuxet Valley.

Born in Coventry, Jeanne spent only a few years there before becoming a permanent West Warwick resident for most of her life. Her childhood home was on Brookside Avenue and she lived at her Field Avenue home for 55 years, raising four children there with her husband, Cleo.

For 14 years, she was employed in the West Warwick town clerk’s office, where she was affectionately called “The Church Lady,” before retiring in 1999. Prior to that, she was a secretary at Leesona Corp. in Warwick for many years before a layoff in 1984.

The second oldest child of the late Alfred and Alpheda (Chapdelaine) Chartier, she is predeceased by her older sister, Marthe Paul, and survived by her younger siblings: a sister, Irene Lavoie; a brother, Robert Chartier; and sisters, Annette Doucette and Gisele Short.

She leaves four children and their families: a daughter, Michelle Carrier-Migliozzi, her husband, Anthony, and their son and daughter, Johnathon and Jessi; a daughter, Monique Rice, her husband, Paul, and their son, Patrick; a son, Joseph Carrier, his wife, Lisa (Pare), and their sons, Damon and Logan; and a daughter, Aimée Carrier.

A member of a very large, loving and tight-knit family, she is also mourned by in-laws, cousins, nephews, nieces, great nephews and great nieces.

Among the many friends she held dear was Jean Crowther, of South Harrow, England. They became pen-pals through Girl Scouts in the 1940s, and maintained their friendship almost entirely by mail for more than 50 years. In 1998, they finally met face-to-face, when for the first of a few times her friend visited the U.S. They also had two joyous reunions in England.

Her funeral will be Tuesday, July 12, at 9 a.m. from the Henault-Gallogly Funeral Home, 5 Eddy Street, West Warwick, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 in Christ the King Church, 120 Legris Ave. (Route 117), West Warwick. Interment will be in St. Mary Cemetery, West Warwick. Visiting hours are Monday 4-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to Alpine Nursing Home Activities Fund, 557 Weaver Hill Road, Coventry, RI 02816, or Christ the King Church, 120 Legris Ave., West Warwick, RI 02893, would be appreciated. For information and condolences, please visit www.henault-gallogly.com.

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