FORT KENT – Jeanne Toussaint Caron, died May 23, 2005, at Forest Hill Manor in Fort Kent. Her loving children kept a bedside vigil throughout her week there. She was born Oct. 28, 1916, in Fort Kent, the daughter of Alfred and Euphemie (LaFerriere) Toussaint. She attended St. Louis elementary school and high school. Following graduation, she enrolled in Madawaska Training school in Fort Kent in preparation for a teaching position which she held for 10 years in New Sweden, in Madawaska, and in a one-room schoolhouse in the Violette Settlement in Fort Kent. While teaching in the Violette Settlement she met and fell in love with Camille Dennis Caron. They married in 1941 and had eight children. Her first daughter, Danielle Jeannine, predeceased her at age five in 1951; her husband at age 84 in 2001. She was also predeceased by three brothers and three sisters, Ludger Toussaint, Rose Toussaint, Dr. Leonid Toussaint, Sr. Ann Marie Toussaint, Juliette Kirk, and Paul Toussaint. Jeanne is survived by her sister, Theresa Henderson of Manchester, Conn.; two daughters and five sons, Paul Caron and his wife, Pauline, of Terryville, Conn., Jack Caron and his wife, Linda, of Sinclair, Maurice Caron and wife, Anita, of Pinellas Park, Fla., Bill Caron and wife, Sandra, of Fort Kent, Jeannine Toussaint of San Francisco, Calif., Anne LeBlanc and her husband, Jean, of Fort Kent, Peter Caron and wife, Grace, also of Fort Kent; 16 grandchildren (and another on the way); 11 great-grandchildren; and scores of nieces and nephews. Jeanne was a loving wife and deeply devoted to her children who remember the songs she sang while they were growing up. A song was certain to accompany her work, making light, at least to her young audience, even the most onerous of household tasks. Her children carry these songs with them and, like their mother, find themselves singing her songs while otherwise preoccupied. Jeanne is also remembered for her intelligent humor, her joy, independence, and spirited optimism. Throughout her life, she volunteered for the March of Dimes, the American Heart Association, and other non-profit organizations. She was a member of the Maine Right to Life Committee and Ladies of St. Anne. Jeanne loved to write, and was a reporter for the St. John Valley Times in her early years. Later, many of her letters were published in the St. John Valley Times and the Bangor Daily News. Friends and family members cherish the many personal letters she wrote during quiet late night hours. When a benign familial tremor eventually rendered writing impossible, she concentrated upon her lifelong love of books, and remained an avid reader until two weeks before her death. On Friday morning, May 27, a wake will be held from 9 a.m. at Daigle & Nadeau Funeral Home in Fort Kent, followed by an 11 a.m. Mass at St. Louis Church. Jeanne’s ashes will be buried in St. Louis Cemetery. Donations in her memory can be made to the Fort Kent Public Library.
JEANNE TOUSSAINT CARON
