AUGUSTA — On the way to her induction into Maine’s Franco-American Hall of Fame, Aliette Couturier sang.

She sang in the car ride from Lewiston. And when children gathered in the State House’s Hall of Flags — performing the French anthem, “La Marseillaise” — she sang and danced in place.

So, it made sense that she was inducted with a song.

Rather than deliver a bunch of speeches about the petite, 76-year-old former nun, friends congratulated her to the tune of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.”

About a dozen people, including Sen. Margaret Craven, D-Lewiston, and Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, sang a verse of “Aliette est une bonne, bonne, bonne Franco.”

Couturier beamed.

When she’d learned she’d been honored, she thought there had been a mistake, she said.

“My brother-in-law (the late Lewiston mayor and Probate Judge Robert Couturier) was the guy who won awards,” she said.

On Wednesday, he, too, was honored.

The annual awards, given by the Maine Legislature since 1997, honor Maine people who have made a serious and ongoing contribution to the Franco-American culture in Maine.  Past recipients include Rita Dube, the longtime executive director of the Franco-American Heritage Center at St. Mary’s, and Connie Cote, a local politician and French language radio host.

In all, six people were inducted into the hall of fame Wednesday. The others were Dennis “Duke” Dutremble of Biddeford, Daniel Lapointe of Van Buren, Richard “Blackie” Bechard of Augusta and Eugene Paradis of Old Town.

For Robert Couturier, the posthumous award was presented by Rep. Michel Lajoie, D-Lewiston. Couturier’s widow, Monique, and brothers Roger and Ronald witnessed the induction.

Judge Couturier, who died last summer, was known for his love of the French language.

He was a guest columnist for a French language newspaper, led a local radio show called “Festival” for 15 years and started a business that produced and sold French records.

He died in June 2011 after a short illness.

“The family’s kindness is legendary in Lewiston,” Craven told the State House audience.

Originally from Augusta, Aliette married into the family after spending 15 years as a nun and 36 years teaching in schools in Massachusetts and Maine.

She has worked to keep the French language alive in the community through La Survivance Française and spends time with the elderly, assisting with the daily Mass held in the chapel at D’Youville Pavilion.

She also hosts monthly French sing-alongs at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College, bouncing through French tunes many people had learned as school children.

Cindy Larock, who works with Aliette in the sing-alongs and in La Survivance Française, called her a “spark plug.”

“Aliette is the epitome of Franco joie de vivre,” Larock said. “She’s a magnet for other people to get involved, including the youth.”

“She adds a buoyancy to any event,” she said. “It’s her natural spirit.”

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