WOONSOCKET- Lillian M (Masson) Wante Gervais, 93, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, March1st, surrounded by her loving family.
Born in Woonsocket, she was the daughter of the late Albert and Marie (Legley) Masson. She was the wife of the late Lucien H Wante and the late Maurice A Gervais.
Lillian graduated from St Claire High School in 1942 and attended Hill College. She worked as a bookkeeper and office manager in several area businesses throughout her career before retiring from Girl Scouts of RI in 1990.
She was a communicant of All Saints Parish, where she was a Eucharistic minister and a member of the Linus Sewing Group; as a former communicant of St. Ann’s Parish, she was a lector, a member of the finance committee, served as a past president of the Parish Council, and was a member of the Ladies Guild.
She was also a past president of the former Jaycettes organization and a former member of the Woonsocket Harris Library Board. As a member of the former Trinity Club, she served as treasurer, auditor and member of the board of directors.
A lifetime member of the Girl Scout organization, she served as a Girl Scout leader and was the immediate past president of the Woonsocket Girl Scout Council until its merger into GSRI. In addition, she served as a volunteer for the Campership and Museum Committees, as well as being a member of the Catholic Committee on Scouting. She was a staff member for 15 years as a field advisor. She received her 65 year service pin in 2015, as well as being named a Hidden Heroine and receiving the Elizabeth Ann Seton Medal.
She was a devoted mother and grandmother, who loved spending time sewing, knitting, reading, making puzzles and, above all, attending her grandchildren’s sporting events, concerts and plays. She also truly enjoyed spending summers with her family at Matunuck Beach. She will be greatly missed. She is survived by her daughter, Lyse-Anne Lepine and her husband, Richard of Cumberland, and three grandchildren: Matthew, Jennifer and Christopher Lepine.
Her funeral will be held Tuesday, March 8th at 9:00 a.m. from the Fournier & Fournier Funeral Home, 463 South Main St. Woonsocket with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. in All Saints Church, 323 Rathbun Street, Woonsocket. Burial will be held in St. Jean the Baptist Cemetery in Bellingham, MA. Calling hours are Monday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lillian’s memory to the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England, 500 Greenwich Ave., Warwick, RI 02886 or online at www.GSSNE.org.