Virginia Nadeau Lane

    Lane, Virginia N., March 24, 2011.  Arrangements by Dunn Gaffney-Dolan Funeral Home, Westerly, R.I.  Interment to be held in the St. Mary’s New Cemetery, Houlton.
    WESTERLY, RI – Virginia Nadeau Lane, widow of Walter B. Lane, died at The Apple Rehabilitation/Clipper Home in Westerly, RI, on March 24, 2011 after a lengthy illness.
    Virginia was born in Fort Kent and lived a long and full life. Her parents were Maude and Judge Arthur Nadeau whose family were among the early settlers of Fort Kent.
    Virginia attended local public schools and graduated from Regis College, Weston, Massachusetts. Bilingual in English and French, she pursued French education at Harvard University School of Education and was selected for a Harvard fellowship in French literature at the Sorbonne, University of Paris, in 1937. Because of the outbreak of WWII, she left Paris in 1939 and returned to the United States. She began a career in teaching French in secondary schools in Maine, starting at Madawaska High School in Madawaska. In 1940 she married Walter B. Lane. They moved to Houlton in 1941, where they resided for forty-five years. She was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church in Houlton and quietly provided charitable help for those in need. She was a member of AAUW and for many years a member of the Great Books Discussion Group at the Cary Library of Houlton. In 1985, she retired for several years to Falmouth, where she was an active member of the Alliance Francaise and served as a docent at the Payson Art Gallery of Westbrook College. She has been a resident of Westerly since 1994.
    When her children were in college, Virginia returned to secondary French education, serving on the faculty of Houlton High School from 1963 to 1973. She clearly enjoyed teaching, and she instilled in her students a love and respect for French culture. Several of her students went on to study French literature in college and graduate school. She was especially proud of their accomplishments. She motivated and loved her family with the same quick wit and supportive challenges to achieve.
    She was predeceased by two beloved children, Dena Lane and Peter Lane and by her husband Walter Lane. She also was predeceased by her brother Arthur J. Nadeau, Jr. and her sister Bernadette Nadeau Bourgoin and their spouses.
    Surviving are daughter, Mary Elizabeth “Betsy” Mercer and son-in-law Donald of Ashaway, RI; grandson, Matthew Mercer and wife, Erin (Laharty) Mercer of Pawcatuck, CT; son, Timothy W. Lane, MD and daughter-in-law Roberta of Greensboro, NC; grandchildren, Adrienne Lane McEwan and her husband Paul McEwan, Erica Lane, Nicholas Lane; and nieces and nephews.
    Relatives and friends were invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated in Our Lady of Victory Church, 169 Main St., Ashaway, RI on Monday at 11 a.m. Burial will be in St. Mary’s New Cemetery in Houlton. Gaffney-Dolan Funeral Home, 59 Spruce St., Westerly is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Apple Rehabilitation/ Clipper Home where she was so lovingly cared for by the dedicated staff; checks payable to: Carol Kenahan, c/o Apple Rehab Clipper Home, 161 Post Rd., Westerly, RI 02891 or to The Cary Library, 107 Main Street, Houlton, Maine 04730, in Virginia’s memory. For online condolences go to www.gaffneydolanfuneral home.com.