Dolores E. Lajoie, 82, of Fall River died April 2, 2023, at home surrounded by her loving family. She was the wife of the late Peter L. Lajoie to whom she was married for 34 years. Del, as she was known to friends and family and her husband Peter moved to Worcester in 1971, and she returned to Fall River in 2004 to care for her ailing mother, Juliette.
Born in Fall River, Dolores was a daughter of the late Charles and Juliette Larrivée. Dolores grew up in Fall River, MA and attended Notre Dame Elementary School and Jesus Mary Academy, parochial schools built and supported by parishioners of our historic and beautiful former Notre Dame Church. Many cousins and friends were on the same educational path and they sometimes walked to school together.
Del and Janet Baptiste, her loving sister and best friend (also recently deceased), had a special bond in addition to being sisters. They were accomplished pianists who thoroughly enjoyed playing the piano and singing. Del and Jan often had fun playing duets when they lived on Eaton street in Fall River, MA during their school years. Dolores also sang in the church choir.
Dolores enjoyed helping children learn to read while working as a reading tutor for the former Montessori School of the Angels in Westport, MA. Above all else, she loved spending time with her family, and she especially enjoyed going out to dinner on Friday nights with her cousins. Del loved spending time with her friends also and she treasured her companion dog, Daisy Mei.
Dolores’ survivors include her children Christa Lajoie of Fall River, Philip Lajoie and his wife Maura McCarthy of Burlington, and her grandson Alex; her brother, Ron Larrivée, his wife Mary Everett Larrivée of Sandwich, and Del’s goddaughter, Emilie Larrivée of Bolton, MA. Additional include Janet’s children, Dolores’ nieces Susan Wamboldt Almeida, Lori Wamboldt Aguiar, and nephew Tim Wamboldt.
We hope to get together with family and friends to celebrate the lives of Del & Jan this summer. We regret our and everyone’s loss of our loved ones, and we know they’ll play an outstanding duet as they gather once more in the heavens.
Donations in Dolores’ and Janet’s names can be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704 Hagerstown, MD 21741 or www.cancer.org/donate.