CHICOPEE – Estelle L. “Essie” (Lajoie) Lee, 86, of the Willimansett section of Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on Tuesday, January 31, 2017. She passed into Eternal Life at Orchard Valley at Wilbraham surrounded by all the memories she loved and cherished. She was born at home on Chicopee Street in Willimansett on March 22, 1930, a beloved daughter of the late Ernest N. and Florence (Benway) Lajoie. She was raised in Willimansett, graduated in 1950 from Chicopee High School and was a lifelong resident of Chicopee. She was a longtime communicant of the former Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Chicopee where she served her parish as a Eucharistic Minister. Following the closing of her parish, she became a communicant of Saint Anthony of Padua Church in Willimansett. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicopee Council on Aging. Active in Chicopee, Estelle and her late husband, David, played Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus for many local events at City Hall, the Chicopee Schools and at various nursing homes during the holiday season. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, David R. Lee who was Called Home on November 2, 2013. They were married at Saint Patrick Church in Thompsonville, Connecticut on October 26, 1957 and were blessed with 56 years of happiness together. She leaves her three loving children, Martin J. Lee and his wife, Lynne, of Smyrna, GA, Susan M. Czech and her husband, Timothy, of Ware and Thomas D. Lee and his fiancée, Marcia Letourneau, of Chicopee; her cherished granddaughter, Jennifer A. Lee and her partner, John Jebb, of Chicopee; her dear brother, Robert Lajoie and his wife, Helen, of Battle Creek, MI; and her many dear nephews, nieces and friends. Besides her parents and husband, she was also predeceased by her dear brother, Ernest Lajoie; and her dear sister, Irene Ball and her husband, Roger. Her funeral will be held on Monday morning, February 6, 2017 beginning at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels, (413-532-9806), 13 Dale Street, Chicopee, MA 01020, (funeral home will open at 7:45 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 9 a.m. in Sainte Rose de Lima Church, 600 Grattan Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her Committal Service will follow the Mass at 11 a.m. in the Chapel at the Massachusetts Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, 1390 Main Street, Agawam, MA 01001. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday, February 5, 2017 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The parking lot and main entrance are located in the rear of the funeral home at 20 Lafayette Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her family has requested that memorial donations be made in her memory to the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, PO Box 6307, Springfield, MA 01101-6307. For more details, please visit:
www.stpierrephaneuf.com