Pauline M. Lachance
1918 – 2009

WESTBROOK — Pauline Marion (Perkins) Lachance died peacefully at her home in Westbrook in the presence of her loved ones on July 4. She had recently celebrated her 91st birthday.

She was born in Lewiston, June 15, 1918, the second of three children of Roland and Celina Perkins. She graduated from Lewiston High School and married Armand Lachance in 1941. The two settled in Danville Junction and later moved to Gorham.

She lived a life of virtue, faith, kindness and industry. Never one to sit idle, she was independent and accustomed to hard work — both out of inclination and necessity. After her husband died suddenly of a heart attack in 1961, she was left to raise their three children — then teenagers — on her own. She worked long days in the office of L.C. Andrew to provide for her family; at home, she worked equally hard to make sure they were happy, well loved and well cared for. 

She went on to become a loving and generous grandmother, and eventually great-grandmother. She lived modestly and was loathe to spend money on herself, but was incredibly giving when it came to others. She took great pride and delight in the accomplishments of her children and grandchildren, who, thanks to her, enjoyed opportunities for education and travel that had been denied to her. 

She had many talents: she was a gifted seamstress and had an elegant but unassuming sense of style. In her pea coats and signature beret, she looked sharp well into her 80s. She was a wonderful cook and had a pronounced sweet tooth, but always maintained an enviably petite figure. Her delicate stature and gentle mannerisms were a perfect foil to her more robust, practical, down-to-earth sensibility, which often found memorable expression in amusingly candid observations. 

She remained active and agile into her older years. An avid reader, she was a member of the Friends of the Walker Memorial Library; a lover of music, she was an auxiliary member of the Chopin Society of Westbrook. She enjoyed writing letters, watching the birds in her backyard feeder, gardening and flowers,  especially pansies; she had a special fondness for Boston terriers and owned several over the course of her life. A longtime member of St. Mary’s parish, she was a devout Catholic and a great believer in the power of prayer.

She is survived by her three children, Marther Ward of Melbourne Fla., Claire McCullough of Westbrook and Paul Lachance of Gorham; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

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