Obituary of Gerry Belliveau

Geraldine (Gerry) (Stuart) Belliveau, a retired registered nurse, passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning, October 17, 2023.  She was 90 years old.  Gerry was born in the small village of Church Point (Pointe de l’Eglise), Nova Scotia, Canada.  There were less than a 1000 residents in the community.  Gerry proudly told her family that she graduated second in her high school class.  What she would fail to say was there was only one other girl in her graduating class.  She went to the Halifax Infirmary Nursing School in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  She met Joseph Belliveau, who lived in the neighboring town of Grosses Coques.  They married in 1957 in Church Point.  Not long after returning from their honeymoon in PEI, they packed up their bags and started their new life together in the United States.  They settled in Malden, and they had four children.  Gerry worked part-time nights as a registered nurse while raising her family and then went back to full time when they were all well established in school.  Over the years she had worked at Malden Hospital, Grover Manor Hospital in Revere, and Woburn Nursing Center until her retirement.  In 1987 she settled in Burlington.  She had a strong will and lived independently up until 2 months ago. 

She grew up in a humble home and had to work hard for everything.  She saw things in black and white.  If you asked her a question, she told the truth and never sugar coated anything.  She made sure her family stayed connected to their Canadian roots and always returned each summer with her family to visit family and friends.  Her children, who grew up in a city, loved the freedom that came with a small town, the open space, and the beaches of St. Mary’s Bay.  She loved playing games with her favorites being cribbage, scrabble, Yahtzee, skittle bowl, and Auction 45.  She was a bit competitive no matter who her competition was young or old.  She was an avid bowler.  As she grew older, she enjoyed knitting and crocheting.  She made countless afghans for her family which are now heirlooms.  She enjoyed word searches and doing puzzles as well.  She was extremely proud of her children and their spouses and loved being a “Memere” to her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Gerry was the beloved wife of the late Joseph A. Belliveau.  She was the caring mother of Eric Belliveau & his wife Denise of Tewksbury, David Belliveau & his wife Patricia of Exeter, NH, Cecile Smith & her husband Paul of Plymouth, MA, and Paulette Savage of Burlington & her late husband Mark Savage.  She was the proud grandmother of Danielle Nichols, Erica Belliveau, Matthew Belliveau, Mark Savage, Brian Savage, Christopher Smith, Cameron Smith, Erin Savage, and David Savage.  She was blessed to see the births of three great grandchildren; Hailey, Jackson, and Jayce Nichols.  She was predeceased by her seven siblings: Jaqueline Pulley, Elizabeth, Gerard, Charles, Benoit, Paulette and Amelia Stuart. 

Funeral services will be private.  Memorials in Gerry’s name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.  Arrangements by the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, Burlington.  For online guestbook and video tribute see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net