Jeannette Eunice LeBlanc, of Franklin, died peacefully at home on September 15 surrounded by family, following a long illness.
Jeannette, 86, was the beloved wife of A. Basil LeBlanc and daughter of Marguerite Rose (LeBlanc) and George Toussaint LeBlanc, both of Abrams River, Nova Scotia. Like her mother, she never had to change her name after marriage.
She was born and raised in Wellesley, Mass., where her father founded LeBlanc Taxi. She graduated from Wellesley High School in 1950 and went on to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing, where the faculty twice elected her as a Mary Riddle Scholar. She graduated in 1953 and became a registered nurse.
She met Basil that summer on an annual visit to the family homestead in Nova Scotia. Basil visited her in Wellesley the following Christmas and they became engaged on New Year’s Eve. The couple married in August 1954 and after a honeymoon in New Hampshire, returned to Nova Scotia to live in Basil’s home in Amirault’s Hill.
There, Jeannette had three children and worked at Yarmouth Hospital. She also served as a visiting nurse, assisting Dr. Vernon Rideout in his efforts to eradicate tuberculosis. She also led a committee to secure increased government funding for education in the Acadian village where they lived.
After moving to Franklin in 1960, the family grew to five children, who along with two grandparents lived in a home that Jeannette ran with competence, joy and lots of love — while juggling a nursing career and other activities.
Active in St. Mary’s Parish, she was a member of the Catholic Women’s Club and the Legion of Mary. She worked on the annual Christmas Bazaar, washed altar cloths and other church linens, and organized cleaning the church’s pews. She also drove people to medical appointments for the Town of Franklin’s FISH program, and led scouting troop.
As a nurse, she developed a speciality in geriatric care, working at the Franklin House nursing home and as director of nursing at the Ben Franklin Nursing Home. She retired as a case manager for a Tri Valley Inc.
She leaves her children and their spouses, Barbara and Robert Unger, of Fairhaven; David and Cindy LeBlanc, of Greenfield; Kathy and Charles McStay, of Franklin, John and Lenette LeBlanc, of Uxbridge; and Anette and Ted Kahn, of Steamboat, Colo.; five grandchildren, Avery, Teagan and Ainsley McStay, Erin LeBlanc, Jonathan LeBlanc Unger and Joshua Shaw, as well as one great granddaughter, Bella Shaw. She also leaves her sister-in-law Pauline Smith and nephew Steven Smith and his wife Diane and their children and many other nieces and nephews, and grand nieces and nephews. Her brother Francis died in 2005 in Stuart, Fla.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend her funeral Saturday Sept. 22nd, at 9AM from the Charles F. Oteri and Son Franklin Funeral Home 33 Cottage St. followed by a funeral Mass in St. Jude Church 86 Main St. Norfolk at 10AM.
Her interment will be held privately.
Calling hours are Friday from 4-8PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St Mary’s Parish 1 Church Square Franklin, MA 02038, for its renovation fund.
Guestbook/directions www.oterifuneralhome.com
