She was born in Brunswick, ME on December 31, 1922, the daughter of Melvina and Alpha Poulin. She attended St. John’s School through the eighth grade and then, as was common among the Franco-American community, began working to help support the family after her mother and father died. She worked at the Verney Mill in Brunswick for 11 years and took pride in having learned some of the mechanical jobs which were traditionally male. In 1945, she married Leo Poitras after his return from World War II. After the mill closed in 1955, she was self-employed taking care of children in her home as she raised her own two children.
In her later years, she enjoyed taking bus trips with her sister and friends, learning to play the piano, enjoying her collection of old movies and becoming an enthusiastic member of bowling leagues in Brunswick. After becoming legally blind, she was pleased that her bowling average actually went up. Despite her deteriorating health and limited mobility in the final months, she maintained her cheery view of life and her great pleasure in family and friends.
Rose was predeceased by Leo, her husband of 41 years, by her 3 brothers Peter, Joseph and Armand Poulin and two sisters, Della Devine and Florence Blanchette. She is survived by her daughter Nancy Dorr and her husband Dale of Brunswick, her son Raymond Poitras of Boston, MA, her sister Irene Doyon of Brunswick, her grandson, Nathan Dorr of Brooklyn, NY and numerous nephews and nieces.
Visiting hours will be held from 5 to 7 pm on Thursday, February 7th at Brackett Funeral Home, 29 Federal Street, Brunswick, ME. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. John the Baptist Church, 39 Pleasant Street, Brunswick on Friday at 10 am. Contributions in her honor may be sent to Tedford Housing, PO Box 958, Brunswick, ME 04011. For those unable to attend, condolences to the family may be expressed and a Tribute of her life viewed at www.brackettfuneralhome.com.
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