- Date Of Birth: January 17, 1941
- Date Of Death: May 7, 2011
- State: Connecticut
Charlene (Lagasse) Dionne, 70, of Farmington, passed away after a long illness on Saturday May 7, 2011. She was the loving wife of the late Gerald Dionne with whom they had shared 45 years of marriage. Born in St. David, Maine on January 17, 1941, she was the daughter of the late Aurele and Delia (Sirois) Lagasse.
Charlene’s perseverance and strong will to live were an inspiration for her family and everyone blessed to know her. She faced numerous health issues during her life including a kidney transplant in 1978 and she struggled at points but fought back to be there to raise her family and live each day to the fullest. This included her love of dancing, bowling and going to parties as often as she could. Food was a focus in her life and sitting down for a meal with the family was important even if it was just a quick run to her favorite Olee’s Pizza. She also loved shopping. Charlene would drive her Lebaron convertible to buy large furniture and just put the top down to make anything fit. She lived life on her own terms and didn’t let anything get in the way. Charlene will be truly missed by all those who knew her.
She leaves her loving children Rachel Chiarillo and her husband Rico of Farmington; Denise Dionne of Plainville; Kenneth Dionne of Farmington; her grandchildren Gary Dionne and his wife Melissa of Bristol; Matthew Dionne and his fiancé Bridget Leining of Middletown; Nicholas and Eric Chiarillo of Farmington; a great-grandchild Lincoln Dionne; her siblings Aurella Painter of Florida; Fern Beaupre and her husband Archie of Coventry; Leo Lagasse and his wife Lil of Wells, Maine; Leola Bouchard and her husband Ron of Georgia; along with many very special nieces, nephews and friends. She was predeceased by her sister Helen Terranova.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to all the staff at Hartford Hospital especially the ICU and transplant program for their care and compassion.
