Obituary of Elizabeth LeBlanc

Elizabeth T. “Betty” (Butler) LeBlanc, a resident of Burlington for 41 years, passed away at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center of Thursday evening, May 30, 2011. The wife of the late William J. LeBlanc, Jr. she was 81 years old. Betty was born, raised and educated in Dedham. She was one of 6 children born to Irish Immigrants the late Patrick and Catherine Butler. Betty had a very strong work ethic and always held a job wether it be working at a small restaurant or working as a Technician in the Manufacturing Industry. She was a member of the Burlington Country Club for many years where she enjoyed playing tennis with her circle of friends. Betty and her husband loved to travel a few of their destinations being Bermuda, the Bahamas’, and Cape Cod. Betty was very proud of her Irish Heritage and had visited Ireland. She enjoyed holiday dinners with her family. Betty was a kind and caring woman who enjoyed many friendships. Betty was the beloved wife of the late William J. LeBlanc, Jr. She was the loving mother of Brian W. & his wife Pamela of Winchendon, MA and the late Sean. Sister of Catherine Quinn of Woodbridge, VA and Pauline Watson of Milton and the late Edward and Joseph Butler. Grandmother of William. Memorial Services will be held at St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., BURLINGTON on Saturday, June 4 at 10 a.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. A collation will follow at the Grandview Farms Condo, 59 Center St., Burlington, immediately following the interment. Relatives and friends respectfully invited to attend. In lieu of flowers memorials in Betty’s name may be made to the American Lung Association, 460 Totten Pond Road, Waltham, MA 02451. Betty LeBlanc June 4, 2011 as told by Marilyn Jordan The proverb goes, “People won’t remember what you said or what you did but they will always remember how you made them feel.” I think we can all say that we never left Betty’s presence without knowing we had spent time with someone who made us feel good about ourselves and our world. We remember Betty today not for what she did but for who she was. I had the great good fortune of meeting Betty back in 1956; we were friends for 55 years. We were both working in an insurance company in Boston. You couldn’t help but be instantly attracted to her warm, welcoming presence. She was a friendly person with a wonderful sense of humor and she had the ability to put you instantly at ease and make you feel at home. Her love of life was palpable and her love of all things Irish always evident. I remember that on St Patrick’s Day, which was one of her favorite holidays, she would always attract a crowd from all the departments at work. It became a yearly event to see what Betty Butler would wear on March 17th! She would wear a blue skirt and staple green shamrocks all over the bottom of it. This would usually be accompanied by a green shirt and whatever other green items she could find which would make her a spectacle of Irish pride! While still in our single years, we spent many happy times at The Elms in NH where she loved to sing, to dance, to enjoy her friends and her life. Everyone wanted to be around her. She met the man who would become her husband at The Elms. I knew she liked him because she kept talking about this guy named Bill…. Because Betty liked to have so much fun, it took a while before he could settle her down! Betty loved her family; she came from a big family, full of sisters, a brother, cousins, nieces and nephews. She loved being a wife and a mother. She was completely devoted to her husband Bill and her son Brian, who was a the apple of her eye and the joy of her life. She brought her sense of fun into her home. We have home movies of Brian as a little boy, dressed up in his Beatles wig & costume and playing his toy guitar for the camera with gusto and concentration, and in the footage you see Betty running in and out of the film, messing up Brian’s wig, making funny faces at the camera and having a grand old time, and you see Brian, who keeps unhappily pushing her out of the camera! Through the years Betty remained a constant and faithful friend through the inevitable ups and downs of life. I knew I could call her at any time and she would always be willing to listen and to help me out in any way she could. She became a much beloved “auntie” to my three daughters and they spent many a happy time up in Burlington with the LeBlancs. Betty LeBlanc lived by the Golden Rule, “do unto others as you would have other do unto you.” She was a woman of great faith and true generosity and kindness. She made friends all throughout her life, wherever she went. People gravitated toward her. I was one of the fortunate ones to have had her as my friend for over 5 decades. I was a quiet and shy person when I met her. She helped me overcome my shyness… she brought me out of my shell and I haven’t gone back into it since, thanks to her! Betty loved all things Irish, especially Irish sayings and blessings – so I would like to end my remarks with a saying that I feel is most appropriate to my message of friendship. It goes like this, “Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me I may not lead. Walk beside me and just be my friend.” And I am so grateful and fortunate that I have had the opportunity to walk beside Betty and just be her friend. I won’t say goodbye, my friend, I will say “until we meet again.” Thank you for all your love, support and friendship. May you rest in peace alongside your Bill. I love you; we all love you. Betty LeBlanc June 4, 2011 by Maureen Flynn Flanagan Thank you Fr Robinson for a beautiful mass this morning, Brian and Pam for allowing me to say a few words, and everyone for being here today. My name is Maureen Quinn Flanagan, Betty’s niece. Elizabeth Butler LeBlanc was the youngest of five children born to Catherine and Patrick Butler. They were Joseph, Edward, Pauline, (my Godmother) and Catherine, “Kay”, my mother. Her mother and father were Irish immigrants from Galway County and settled in Dedham, MA. Her mom was a homemaker. Her father worked for the railroad and died when she was only a year old. Family life presented huge challenges after that. Betty was in the St Mary’s choir, passionate about softball and later, tennis. She has maintained friendships for decades and some of you are here today; Marilyn, Janet, Janis, Janet and Beverly, (who has been a loving and loyal caretaker until the end) to name a few. My first memory of Betty is of attending the wedding to her beloved Bill when I was only about 5 yrs old. She was beautiful in her white lace gown and Bill handsome and dashing in his tux. I thought it was a glamorous affair. Brien looks so much like him today. Bill was her best friend and soul mate. When they came to visit me in Jupiter, FL, I marveled at how tender and loving they were to each other. It was almost as if they were always on a date. With Bill as her knight in shining armor, Brian was her pride and joy. She would write often of her life with regular updates of Brian’s school and hockey news and accomplishments. When Betty became a grandmother, her life was complete. She had this special child, Billy who she absolutely adored. I am sure she has become his new guardian angel and will watch over him always. Betty was the first adult I ever met who played with me. I don’t mean for a couple of minutes here and there. She would sign on for hours and go with whatever game, team sport or pretend world we had on the agenda. When she came to visit we would play “beauty shop”. She would let me play with her hair and apply makeup for hours on end. One time while applying eye shadow I became concerned saying, “Hold still Betty there are these crinkly lines preventing me from getting this stuff on smoothly.” She laughed and said, “Oh don’t worry about those, they are laugh lines! Just do the best you can!” Now when I maneuver around my own crinkly eyes I still remember her explanation and do the best I can. Which was one of her greatest gifts…reassuring us that, “Don’t worry darling, you’re doing the best you can aren’t you? Don’t be so hard on yourself!” always so loving and reassuring. She always remembered birthdays, First Communions and life’s special events. Cards would arrive covered with her signature X’s and O’s and MUSHA surrounding her message. Hello and Goodbye included a dramatic pose and MUSHA SWEETHEART!! Now I don’t know the meaning of the word MUSHA; have never heard it used by anyone else besides Betty. It was a word that to me simply meant “I love you to bits and think you are absolutely fabulous”. If someone here knows this word and it has a different meaning then, I don’t believe I want to know what it is. I believe Betty is probably already coaching a little league team and organizing a tennis match in God’s kingdom with her big smile. Waiting for us to get there and get on a team. Musha to you Aunt Betty my new angel in heaven, we will miss you.