Mary Ellen Kenney Letourneau passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care in Lebanon, NH, after an epic battle with kidney disease. The daughter of Peter C. and Catherine M. (Thomas) Kenney, she was born May 12, 1935 in Whitefield, NH. After a difficult childhood moving from farm to farm, she graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in 1952 and started working in the banking industry.
On July 4, 1955 she proudly married Roland Wayne Letourneau at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in St. Johnsbury. Roland predeceased her on July 30, 2009, shortly after they celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary. Mary was well known in medical circles throughout the northeast having been on dialysis for almost 20 years.
She was instrumental in bringing the center to St. Johnsbury after many years traveling back and forth to Whitefield and Lancaster, NH. She is survived by their 4 children and their spouses: Wayne & (Allison) Letourneau of Lakeland, FL; Tina & (Francis) Drake of Middleton, NH; Patricia & (David) Henderson of Es, VT; Pamela & (Derrick) Fallon of New Canaan, CT; brothers and sister: Freddie Kenney, Floyd Kenney and Helen K. Bedor; grandchildren: Benjamin & (Caitlin) Letourneau of N. Andover, MA, Brian & (Katrina) Letourneau of Plant City, FL, Casey & (Christopher) Campbell of Rochester, NH, Sean Drake of Boston, MA, Christina Drake of Groton, CT, Chelsea Henderson of Earle, AR, Jared Henderson of Es, VT, Colin Fallon of Omaha, NE and Ian Fallon of Chicago, IL; great grandchildren Addy and Myla Letourneau of Plant City, Carson Campbell of Rochester and Hayleigh Letourneau of N. Andover, as well as many special nieces and cherished nephews. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her parents, Peter Kenney and Catherine T. Burgess; sister Hilda K. Daigle; brother Stephen (Nancy) Burgess; and so many other adored family and friends.
Roland’s work for New England Telephone, NYNEX and Verizon required them to move from St. J to Burlington in 1978, where she worked for the IBM Credit Union, as well as the Chittenden County Teacher’s Credit Union. After Roland’s 1989 retirement they returned to Miles Pond in North Concord, VT until health issues for them both necessitated a move back to St. Johnsbury. They were active members of St. John’s Church, scheduling hours for Perpetual Adoration coverage and being involved in various prayer groups and bible studies.
She was an avid bowler, as well as an accomplished seamstress and quilter. Roland and Mary were extremely skilled ballroom dancers and could often be found cutting a rug at any function involving a band and/or music. Visiting Hours will from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wed.
, Feb. 6th at Sayles Funeral Home, St. Johnsbury. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Thurs.
, Feb. 7th at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, St. Johnsbury. Interment with Roland at St. Johnsbury Center Cemetery will take place in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mary’s name are requested for the Good Shepard Catholic School, 121 Maple St, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, St. Johnsbury Academy or a charity of one’s choice. The family would like to express our eternal gratitude to all the medical professionals throughout the Dartmouth Hitchcock and Fresenius Kidney Care network, especially Drs. Block and Remillard.
Additionally, the incredible staff and unbelievable volunteers at the Jack Byrne Center have our eternal gratitude for the extraordinary care they provided all of us – Thank you. Memories and condolences may be shared at www. saylesfh.com Donations may be made to: Good Shepherd Catholic School 121 Maple Street, St. Johnsbury VT 05819 Web: www.
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