Marie Jeanne Lesperance
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Marie Jeanne Lesperance passed away on March 1, 2019 at the Hope Hospice House in Ft. Myers, Fla. Three years ago, during tests for an upcoming knee replacement, she was diagnosed with having stage 4 cancer and given six months to live. All of her family and countless friends have been continually amazed at her fight and her will to live life at its fullest.
She was born the sixth child to Arthur J. and Adelaide Roy Lesperance on June 25, 1937, in Lewiston. Her schooling was obtained through the local parochial school system and she graduated from St. Dominic’s High School, class of 1955.
Upon graduation MJ worked at the New England Telephone Co. as an operator until she became involved in politics. She was nominated the secretary of the Maine Democratic Party. Through this connection, she became acquainted with Edmund Muskie, the current Governor of the State, who liked her work. After he was elected US Senator from Maine, Sen. Muskie invited MJ to join his staff in Washington, an offer she accepted. While in Washington, she was diagnosed with a thyroid infection that created many health issues, limited her activities and remained with her for the rest of her life. MJ returned to Maine to convalesce and decided to go back to school to become a paralegal. She became associated with the Law Firm of Cote, Cote and Hamann, a position she held until her retirement in 1999.
MJ spent the past 17 years in North Ft. Myers. She loved Florida and was very active at her mobile home park, the Buccaneer’s Estate where she had many friends.
Marie Jeanne was predeceased by both parents; two sisters, Colombe Boucher and Carmen Scott, and a brother, Gregoire.
She is survived by her brothers: Richard of Florida, Gaston “Gus” of Florida and Augusta, Maurice of Washington State, Andre and his wife, Barbara, of North Carolina and a sister-in-law, Jacqueline Lesperance of Saco. She leaves many cousins throughout this country and Canada, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Per her request, Marie Jeanne has been cremated and there will be a Celebration of Life service at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 25, at the Chapel at St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lewiston, followed by burial in the family plot.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Share your condolences, kind words and remembrances below. You must be logged into the website to comment. Subscribers, please login. Not a subscriber? Register to comment for free or subscribe to support our work.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.