LEWISTON – Jeanne Williams L’Hommedieu, 65, of North Yarmouth, died peacefully at Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston, on Friday afternoon, June 30, after a long battle with emphysema.

Born in Oswego, Kan., on Oct. 28, 1940, to Glen and Letha Williams, Jeanne graduated from high school in Oswego and went on to graduate with a major in French from the University of Arkansas.

She married a native Long Islander, Edward L’Hommedieu, in her senior year. In 1964, half way through her master’s degree in French, Ed was awarded an Air Force commission and they moved to Texas, where Ed attended flight training. The Vietnam War took Ed to Thailand and Guam. In a move rarely seen at the time, Jeanne traveled with him, towing their two children along. During this time, Ed was flying combat missions six nights a week in heavy bombers, kissing his children goodnight before missions. Jeanne managed to maintain as much of a normal life for her family as possible. At times, she would return from the market in Thailand along the beach, refusing to pay for a Bot Bus when they tried to charge her two Bot rather than one.

Later, Air Force assignments took her to California, Maine, Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, New York, Belgium and the United Kingdom, with a final move to North Yarmouth. In the tiny village of Bauffe, Belgium, next to Chevres Air Force Base, she managed to make a home against all odds, and helped to build a large horse-riding club for service families stationed there. Thereafter, she gained recognition for her equestrian excellence and dressage instruction.

Jeanne was a gourmet cook, known for her flank steak and Peking duck. In England, she would select choice duck at the market and dry it for days in the larder before cooking it.

She was an exceptional musician, playing tenor saxophone in swing bands in her youth and teaching her children piano.

After settling in Maine, Jeanne again adapted to her new home and developed a passion for gardening and, at Plainview Farms, became widely known as an acknowledged expert in hostas.

She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Edward L’Hommedieu; daughter, Heather Perreault and husband, Steven Perreault, of Auburn; her son, Chris L’Hommedieu, also of Auburn; and her grandchildren, Allison and Fiona Perreault and Benjamin L’Hommedieu.