CARIBOU and FORT KENT – Gertrude Hallee was born Sept. 2, 1914, and died Jan. 19, 2010, surrounded by her family at a Caribou health care facility. Born in Caribou to Joseph and Claudia Raymond, she was one of 12 children. She married Romeo Thibodeau in 1934 and moved to Fort Kent, where she lived for the next 72 years. After her first husband’s death, she married Joseph Hallee and they had 40 happy years together. Gert was an active member of the Fort Kent community with a great love for all. Gert exemplified an active lifestyle. As a young woman she participated in many athletics, including basketball, tennis and golf. She remained active throughout her long life through walking, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing well into her 70s. To her dying day she missed skiing on Lonesome Pines slopes in Fort Kent. She and Joe loved to travel and spent many summers with their little travel van touring these United States, as well as several special trips to various parts of the world. She loved sharing her many travel experiences and her love for skiing with her grandchildren. After the passing of her husband, Romeo, she ran Thibodeau’s Insurance Co. with her brother-in-law, Omer Thibodeau, for several years and then passed her share on to her two brothers-in-law. After retiring from Thibodeau’s, she went to work in the guidance office at Community High School. Gert was a great supporter of the University of Maine at Fort Kent, where her husband taught for many years. She was a faithful communicant of St. Louis Catholic Church. Gertrude is survived by one daughter, Jeanne Sleeper and her husband, Nelson, of Caribou; and her five grandchildren and their spouses, Mark and Tina Sleeper, Doug and Kim Sleeper, David and Shannon Sleeper, Cheryl and Rick Wilson, and Andrea and Bill Ginty. She is also survived by 12 great-grandchildren, who were a vital part of her life and she of theirs, Jared, Christian, Meredith, Olivia, Jack, Will and Nicholas Sleeper, Katherine Williams, Mae and Ben Wilson and Owen and Lydia Ginty. She is also survived by two sisters, Lucille Brillant of Brunswick and Elizabeth Plopper of Enfield, Conn.; one sister-in-law, Lorette Thibodeau of Fort Kent; one brother-in-law, Wilfred Thibodeau of South Portland; several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her first husband, Romeo Thibodeau, as well as her second husband, Joseph Hallee; brothers, Hector, Bill, Chick, Mike and Freddie Raymond; and sisters, Bernadette, Albina, Raymond, Cora Cyr and Nora Hitchings. The family especially thanks the special care provided Gertrude by her dear friends, Donna Pinete, Gert Albert, Judy Saucier and Jackie Nadeau, as well as the excellent care provided by Cross Winds retirement community and Caribou Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. A memorial service to honor Gertrude’s life will be held 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Chan Center of Cary Medical Center. Calling hours will be held 9:30 a.m. until the time of funeral services Friday, Jan. 22, at Daigle & Nadeau Funeral Home, Fort Kent. A funeral Mass will be celebrated 11:30 a.m. Friday at St. Louis Parish, Fort Kent, with the Rev. Richard Ouellette presiding. A reception will be held after the service at Lonesome Pines Ski Center. In lieu of flowers, friends may donate in memory of Gertrude to the Joseph and Gertrude Hallee Scholarship Fund, the University of Maine at Fort Kent, care of Development Office, 23 University Drive, Fort Kent, ME 04743. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.
GERTRUDE HALLEE
