ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Jeanne Marie Carrier was born in Rumford, on May 20, 1947, just 60 short years ago. After graduating from Mexico High School in 1965, she pursued her passion for nursing at the Maine School of Practical Nursing in Waterville.

After her graduation, she practiced nursing at Maine Medical Center in Portland, before venturing to the great state of Alaska in 1977. Talents in tow, she continued her nursing work at Providence Hospital for several more years. Always the adventurer, she left nursing and joined ERA Aviation, a company that would facilitate her desire to see the world. And travel she did!! Through the benefits of the airline industry, she sent her daughter to an elite boarding school for six years. A true lady, always putting others before herself.

After her retirement from ERA, she opted for a role that continued to utilize her God-given talents, helping people with a smile and warm heart, she excelled at all levels of services that make Nordstrom nationally recognizable.

She wasn’t all about work. She took time to smell the flowers, watch the birds, and found joy experiencing different worlds and cultures, and always leaving a lasting impression and gained friendships throughout her travels. Through her laughter and smiling eyes, she knew how to communicate in any language. Her greatest joy was spending time with her daughter and best friend, Tanya.

While work was a necessity, her true love and devotion was to God and her family. As a member of Holy Family Cathedral, she blessed many lives whether in passing or as life-long friends. She never wavered from her beliefs and this journey has led her to where she is today.

“Our hearts are broken, but hers is complete, as we know she is home with God. Her beauty radiated from within, through her laughter, kindness, thoughtfulness and her deep, unwavering faith. A humble and yet classy lady, she is an example to all those who were blessed to know and love her, on how life should truly be lived. Her loss leaves an emptiness that can only be filled by God.”

She is survived by her greatest joy, her daughter, Tanya Carrier of Alaska; mother, Dorothy Thibodeau Carrier of Maine; three sisters, Patricia Perry, Denise Chessie and Cheryl Child, all of Maine; and four brothers, Gerald Carrier of Nevada, Philip Carrier and Denis Carrier of Maine, and Marcel Carrier of Wisconsin.

She was predeceased by her hero, her father, Emile A. Carrier, who she has been reunited with. She left this earthly place on Feb. 24, and traveled into eternity. May those of us who remain, follow her path of unwavering faith and draw strength from her life and legacy.