LEWISTON — Anita C. Bonneau Roy, of Sunrise Lane, Auburn, passed away peacefully Thursday, Jan. 18, at d’Youville Pavilion after a long courageous battle with ALS.

She spent the last 28 months of her life at d’Youville, attended to daily by her loving husband, Regis. Her gentle spirit and winning ways attracted almost constant visits to her bedside by her children, her brother and sisters, friends and patients at the facility. Anita and her family were especially delighted by the frequent visits from members of the staff from all over the facility, including former caretakers who often brought their children when they visited. She will be dearly missed.

Anita was born in Lewiston on April 20, 1941, to Victor O. Bonneau and Alberta C. (Levesque) Bonneau. She attended Holy Family School and went on to St. Dominic High School. Although she was only 16 when her father died suddenly in 1957, she joined forces with her mother and grandmother to help raise her four younger siblings. She excelled in this dual role of surrogate mother/elder sister, and served at both for the rest of her life. She continued her studies at St. Dominic’s and graduated in 1959. She went on to St. Mary’s School of Nursing (1961), where she earned an RN degree.

In 1962, she married Regis D. Roy, thus beginning a love story that lasted 55 years. Their first child was born the following year and the other four soon followed. She worked as an RN at St. Mary’s General Hospital for several years, switching to private-duty nursing when her child care duties became more demanding. After a few years, she turned her full attention to raising the five children. She was a superb mother, excelling at all aspects of this most important role, from 6 a.m. hockey practice driver to late night homework helper, finding time to nurture the children and support her husband. She managed these tasks, plus the cooking, cleaning and laundry, without complaint and with her sense of humor intact.

She was also the spiritual guide of the family, as evidenced by the children’s nickname for her which was “St. Anita.” Attendance at Mass each Sunday at Holy Cross Church was mandatory. She served on the Parish Council at Holy Cross, and was den mother to her sons’ Cub Scout troops. She was rewarded for her efforts by seeing all five children become good productive adults with families of their own.

The family moved to Taylor Pond in 1983. The patterns of the family’s existence changed, boat rides at dusk in the summer and skating and snowman-building in the winter. Anita’s year-round favorite was cooking a huge dinner every Sunday night without knowing if anyone would be coming to dinner. Inevitably children, grandchildren, siblings or friends would appear, and the feast would be consumed. She treasured her eight grandchildren and doted over them constantly. Anita shopped for bargains year-round, and amassed a huge stash of gifts to be given to family and friends on birthdays and at Christmas. She was a rabid fan of all the New England sports teams. After the children had grown, she joined Regis and son, Michael, working at Roy’s Foodland, the family’s business on Broad Street in Auburn.

Anita is survived by her husband, Regis D. Roy; her son, Michael (wife Becky); his sons, Colby and Evan; her son, Gregory (wife Patrice); their daughter, Hanna; her son, Brian (wife Barbara), their children, Dylan and Lila; her son, Peter (wife Nancy), their children, Austin, Alex and Emma; and her daughter, Maureen (partner) Elizabeth. She is also survived by her brother, John Bonneau (wife Doris), their daughter Nicole; her sister, Lucille Jean (husband Denis), their sons, Philip and David; her sister, Rachel Bonneau; her sister-in-law, Donna McDonald; brothers-in-law, Michael Roy and Bertrand Ouellette; and her sister-in-law, Celeste (husband Charles) McNees. She was predeceased by her sister, Pauline Bonneau; and by her brother-in-law, Robert McDonald, and her sisters-in-law, Geraldine (Roy) Ouellette and Jeanine (Couillard) Roy.

Anita’s family will be eternally grateful for the loving care given to Anita every day by the staff at d’Youville and Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice. There are too many persons to name here but they include the doctors, the nurses, the CNAs, the food service personnel and the janitors. You are all doing God’s work and you are doing it in world-class fashion. Thank you.

Anita C. Roy

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