1925 – 2015

LEWISTON — On Monday, Nov. 9, Cecile J. Coulombe left this world very peacefully after a long illness.

She was born on Dec. 28, 1925, to Levis and Lucia Jutras in Lewiston, where she spent most of her life, except for a few years in the late 1960s when she lived with her husband and four children in Venezuela.

Upon returning to Maine in 1970, she and her husband, Raymond, engaged in a new venture by starting White Rock Distilleries Inc. They began with three employees and the business grew to over 200. When lawyers, bankers, government people would come in and ask questions, it was not uncommon to hear employees say “Ask Mrs. C., she’ll know.” She was president and treasurer of the corporation, until her retirement in 1990 at which time her four children took over.

Cecile was a very warm, caring and social person — it was nothing for her to give an employee a ride home or even get them something to eat. She was very involved in her community and church. There were many boards that she served on including St. Mary’s Hospital and d’Youville, which she chaired for several years in the 1980s. The grey nuns loved her dearly and she took many trips to St. Hyacinth to visit with them. She co-chaired the capital campaign for the St. Mary’s Women’s Pavilion in 1998 – 2000, which was a great success and then went on to co-chair the campaign for the ICCU beginning in May of 2002. She was a person that it was not easy to say no to. The emergency department is known as the Cecile J. Coulombe Emergency Center and was dedicated to her in 2010.

Even after her board duties were over, she remained active with the organization and received the St. Marguerite d’Youville community award for stewardship in 2005. For many years, Cecile was active and served in many capacities in the hospital patronesses and then the ladies auxiliary.

She was also very involved with her church — Holy Family, where she was a Eucharistic minister both in church and going to shut-ins and a very active member of the Ladies of St. Anne, where she held several offices and got many awards including mother of the year.

Probably the greatest loves of her life were her grandchildren. They could all tell you what a fabulous story teller she was and how much she loved spending time with them. If there was a story to be told or a joke to be shared, she was the best at telling it.

She leaves behind four children, her daughter, Janet Bishop and husband, Fred, and her three sons, Roland and wife, Patricia, Paul and wife, Giselaine, and Dennis and wife, Amanda. There is one remaining sibling, her brother, Normand and his wife, Susan. She also had 12 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband in 1998; and her mother, also in 1998; and two brothers, Lucien and Roger.

She was able to remain at home until the very end thanks to a team of very caring, very loving ladies who thought of her like family: Sharon, Cheryl, Sandi, Stacy, Amy, Rena, Nikki, Beth and Claudia. Cecile will be sadly missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known her.

Condolences may be shared with the family at www.thefortingroupauburn.com.