Hilda M. Lemay

CANAAN– Hilda Mary Lemay, of Canaan, passed away peacefully at her home on Lake Wallace on Friday, June 20, 2025, one day shy of her 100th birthday. She was born in Andover, Mass., on June 21, 1925, a daughter to the late Emanuel and Mary (Chason) Gaudet. She was raised in Massachusetts and was a 1943 graduate of Essex Agricultural High School. Hilda was a caregiver for children for most of her adult life. In addition to raising her own seven children, she was a nanny for four successive families, helping to raise nine more. She worked as a teachers’ aide and library aide for the Canaan school, and she worked in the school cafeteria as a cook. She was a short-order cook for a time at the Spa Restaurant and at Ray Frechette’s store on the corner of Rt. 253. She loved to sew, knit and do counted cross-stich, and she also loved to cook and bake. She was an avid reader and loved to do word search puzzles. She was a talented singer, loved to dance and yodel, and it never took much convincing to get her to participate in a local talent show. Hilda was a member of the Canaan Women’s Club and the American Legion Auxiliary. She had a “green thumb,” as well, and loved to tend to her flower gardens and house plants. But time spent at family get-togethers and being with her children and grandchildren is what she cherished the most. At the time of her passing, Hilda was the holder of the Boston Post Cane for the Town of Canaan as its most senior citizen, being presented with it in Dec., 2021. Hilda is survived by her seven children, Norma (Victor) Jubinvile of Whitinsville, Mass., Barbara Lemay of Hooksett, N.H., Susan (John) Stanley of Londonderry, N.H., Donald (Rose) Lemay of E. Hampstead, N.H., Russell (Andrea) Lemay of Raymond, N.H., Leonard (Cindy) Lemay of Norton, Vt., and Beth Kenney of Canaan; a brother, Donald Gaudet; her sister-in-law, Yvonne Arlequeeuw; 22 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her husband, Norman F. Lemay in 2001; her beloved step-mother, Loretta Gaudet; three brothers, Eddie Gaudet, Raymond Gaudet, and Gerard Gaudet; and two sisters, Rita Gallant and Leona Vallierre. Visiting hours will be on Sunday, July 20, 2025, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home in Colebrook. A memorial Mass will be held the next morning, Monday, July 21, at 11 a.m. at St. Albert’s Catholic Church in W. Stewartstown, with interment to immediately follow at the Assumption Cemetery at Lake Wallace. Expressions of sympathy in memory of Hilda may be made to the American Legion, Post 47, Kingsley Road, Canaan, VT 05903; or to the Orleans Essex VNA & Hospice, 46 Lakemont Rd., Newport, VT 05855 (online at orleansessexvna.org). Condolences may be offered to the family on-line by going to www.jenkinsnewman.com. Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home in Colebrook.

Hilda M. Lemay

June 21, 1925 - June 20, 2025