Obituary of Claudette I. Guerrette

FUNERAL MASS LIVESTREAM  - CLICK HERE

Claudette I. Guerrette, 80, wife of Philip A. Guerrette, died May 17, 2023 in Bangor after a period of declining health. She was born on Jan. 19, 1943 in Lewiston, the daughter of Joseph and Gabrielle (Couilard) Lessard.

She attended St Dominic's School in Lewiston. She met her husband at age 15 and they married in 1965. She often talked about their experiences living in Germany, Mississippi, North Dakota, Maine, and New York, moving around due to Phil's military orders. They settled in CT and raised four kids. Claudette was a prolific artist from a very young age. She baked, decorated, and sold cakes as a teen and dreamed of becoming a chef. Although never formally trained, she developed her culinary craft and collected and created many amazing recipes. She even made cookbooks of her favorite curated recipes to be handed down to her kids and grandkids. Art and beauty are what fueled her soul. She always had her long nails painted and felt naked without her earrings. She created Christmas ornaments from nothing in the lean years and made all holidays magical. She handmade gifts every single year for her husband, kids, and grandkids, until recently, including countless hand-painted ornaments. She crafted panoramic sugar eggs at Easter, stitched Halloween costumes, and decorated every inch of the house with her massive pumpkin collection. After retiring from 23 years as the parish secretary of St. Mary Parish in Bethel, CT, they moved back to Maine. She then taught herself to quilt. She made tiny quilts she called mug rugs, wall hangings of all sizes, bags, and pillows. She spent hours creating at her sewing machine. Her loyal best buddy, Sybil, the cat, spent hours alongside her lying in the sun while she sewed. One of her last quilting projects was a massive quilt as an anniversary gift. She loved gardening at "The Pushaw House" and had a picnic table covered in pots with all kinds of flowers, herbs, and vegetables. In the last few years, she fulfilled her need to create with coloring adult coloring books. She amassed a large collection of coloring books and requested more markers from any of her visitors at what she called "the home." She enjoyed company, telling stories of her day, and making friends with the employees. She kept her silly sense of humor, loved singing "O Holy Night" in French, and kept herself busy creating and enjoying her brightly decorated room. She adored her husband and was incredibly proud of her kids and grandkids. Her talents and influence is seen in them as, a candymaker, chef, great cooks, and multiple multitalented artists.

Surviving in addition to her husband of 58 years of Glenburn are four children, Toni Federici and her husband, Edward of Glenburn; Christopher Guerrette and his wife, Donna of Durham, NH; Benjamin Guerrette and his wife, Beth of Encinitas, CA, and Timothy Guerrette of Dover, NH; 9 grandchildren, Kylie, Zachary, Sara, Jonathan, Christian, Eva, Andre, Lucien and Melody.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 AM Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, St. Mary's Catholic Church, 768 Ohio St., Bangor, where a reception will immediately follow in the parish center. The funeral Mass will be live-streamed on the parish website HERE . Family and friends may visit 9 to 10:30 AM at Kiley & Foley Funeral Service, 299 Union St., Bangor prior to the funeral Mass. Burial will be at a later date at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Lewiston. For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made to Special Olympics, HERE  Messages and memories of Claudette may be shared with her family on the tribute wall of kileyandfoley.com