Joan (Dansreau) Boudreau, 65, of Salem, a prominent figure in Salem’s modern history, died suddenly at home. Adventurous, creative, hard working, generous, talented and caring are some of the adjectives used to describe Mrs. Boudreau. It is this spirit that helped her courageously survive four bouts with cancer including breast, kidney, pancreatic, and thyroid. She co-chaired the NSMC 1997 Cancer Walk in Salem, MA.
Mrs. Boudreau was born and raised in Salem and became a prominent figure to the community throughout her life. She always said “there isn’t any place in the world like Salem.”
Mrs. Boudreau has been called a “pioneer of urban renewal in Salem.” One of the reasons for this title was her purchase of the Lyceum Restaurant in 1971. This historic building was the first project downtown to be restored into an active and successful business. The building had lapsed into disrepair and everyone thought she was silly to have taken such a risk, but she saw a city on the verge of rebirth in Salem.
Mrs. Boudreau was President of the Salem Redevelopment Authority for 14 years and was a member of the board at Salem Hospital. She was also President of the Salem Chamber of Commerce and named Business Person of the Year. She received the Hawthorne Historic Preservation Award in 2004 for her strong commitment to community involvement and she was the first woman Grand Marshall of the Salem Heritage Days Parade.
Mrs. Boudreau was very well known by her family and patrons for her love of cuisine. She studied cuisine at the London Cordon Bleu and it is this knowledge that helped build the Lyceum Restaurant’s well known reputation and her ever-lasting family recipes.
She will be always remembered for her outgoing spirit and kindness to others. This spirit will be forever in her family’s hearts. She is survived by her husband, Lee Harrington and her three sons, Wilfred Boudreau of Chicago, IL, Robert Boudreau, of Beverly, MA and Beau Boudreau, of Danvers, MA, one brother Charles Dansreau of Vista, CA and one sister, Claire Melville, of Newbury, MA; five grandchildren, Jeffrey and Sydney Boudreau, and Thomas, Joseph and Nola Boudreau. She was the daughter of the late Officer Wilfred Dansreau and Rose Dansreau of Salem, MA and sister of the late Doris Anne Dansreau.
Relatives and friends are invited to her funeral on Monday at 8 am from the Levesque Funeral Home, 163 Lafayette St., [Rt. 114 / 1-A] Salem followed by her funeral service in Ste. Anne Church, Jefferson Ave., Salem at 9 am. Visiting hours: Sunday 3 to 7 pm. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem. If desired, memorial contributions may be made to the North Shore Cancer Center, 17 Centennial Dr. Peabody, MA 01960