SOUTH PORTLAND – Bern-adette Genevieve Clavette, 81, of Sawyer Street, died peacefully Saturday, Aug. 25, 2007, at her residence, where she had lived for the past 50 years. She was born in Quimby, a daughter of William Joseph and Julie Gagnon. She attended schools in Winterville and Milo. As a young woman, Bernadette worked as a waitress at the Pagoda and Splendid Restaurants, Portland. She married Toussaint R. Clavette, Nov. 21, 1949, at Sacred Heart Church, Portland. She soon became a mother and fulltime homemaker. After the death of her beloved husband Dec. 13, 1980, Bernadette returned to work as a seamstress, specializing in draperies. Bernadette was a very strong and independent person. She looked foreword to holiday gatherings and spending time with her family. She took great pride in her grandsons and was anxiously awaiting the birth of her first great-grandchild. Her hobbies included gardening, flower arranging, cooking and sewing. She was a longtime communicant of Holy Cross Church and a member of the Osewantha Garden Club, South Portland. She was predeceased by her parents, husband; two sisters, Rose Hichborn and Blanche Guimont; and a brother, Paul Nicknair. Survivors include two daughters, Dianne Hanlon and her husband, Denis W., of Braintree Mass, and Jolene M. Swett and her husband, Larry, of Buxton; a son, Philip D. Clavette and his wife, Kathy, of Lisbon Falls; two sisters, Violet Nichols of Bristol, Conn., and Lilly McKeeman and her husband, Kenneth, of Hanover, Mass.; two brothers, Ivan Nicknair and his wife, Gerealdine, of South Windsor, Conn., and the Rev. Harold Nicknair of South Portland and St. Petersburg, Fla.; a sister-in-law, Giovanni Nicknair of South Portland; and six grandsons. Visiting hours will be held 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Conroy-Tully Crawford South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. Prayers will be recited 9:15 a.m. Thursday at the South Portland Chapel with a 10 a.m. concelebrated Mass of Christian burial after at Holy Cross Church, corner of Broadway and Cottage Road, South Portland. Burial will be after at Brooklawn Cemetery, South Portland. In lieu of flowers, those desiring may make donations to the American Cancer Society, One Main St., Suite 300, Topsham, ME 04086. The family would also like to extend a special thank you to Bernadette’s many neighbors and friends, whose helpfulness and friendship allowed her to remain independent and at home. Online condolences may be expressed at www.ctcrawford.com
BERNADETTE GENEVIEVE CLAVETTE
