Muriel Jacqueline Francoeur, 95, “The Hat Lady”, left this world on Thursday, March 25, 2021. Muriel was born on August 9, 1925 in Nashua, NH, the daughter of Oscar and Corona (Casavant) Neveu.
Muriel attended St. Francis Xavier parochial grammar school and graduated from high school at Our Lady of Angels Academy in Montreal. She received her nursing diploma from Carney Hospital in 1947 and later achieved a Bachelor’s Degree from Rivier College.
Her working career started out in the Operating Room at Carney Hospital in Dorchester, MA. After moving back to Nashua to get married, she then was employed as a registered nurse at St. Joseph Hospital and the old Memorial Hospital now known as Southern New Hampshire Medical Center.
Muriel was a unique woman with a huge heart, adventurous spirit, and was interested in everything. She read from a variety of books, ranging from history to gardening. She could be seen reading her beloved Nashua Telegraph then dissecting it with her ever-present scissors. Articles of interest were pinned to a cork board for later reference. Schooling and learning were an obsession to her. She was a student until she completed her formal education in her sixties.
A mother of five, she took time to entertain her children by planning camping trips, a week or two at Hampton Beach and day trips to Silver Lake.
Muriel never a met a person who she didn’t like or who she wouldn’t help. She was a selflessly dedicated aid to the underprivileged. She was there for them, no matter what languages they spoke, or what color they were. As a result she received a framed certificate from President Richard Nixon for her dedication to the needy of Nashua.
Muriel was always known as the lady with the hats. Over the years, she collected hundreds of hats, mostly with wide brims decorated with flowers. Her excuse was that she was a redhead and needed protection from the sun. The hats of course, needed to be accompanied by her orange lipstick!
There was never a day that she was not optimistic and smiling. Gardening was a love that she pursued throughout her life. Her favorite flowers were her roses, from which she was known. She made many faithful friends in the Nashua Garden Club. Some club members continued to send her cards and notes while she was living at Langdon Place after her husband’s death in 2012.
Muriel loved shopping, often leaving the house early and returning for dinner with a multitude of bulging bags. She was a bargain hunter extraordinaire, and could often be seen at Rich’s Department Store or Building 19. There wasn’t a coupon that she wouldn’t clip!
Muriel is survived by her children: Frances Bell and her husband, Robert of Nashua, Norman Francoeur of Jersey City, NJ, Philip Francoeur and his wife, Doris of Milford, George Francoeur and his wife, Sherry of Amherst, and Marguerite and her husband Paul Fuiek of Snellville, GA; grandchildren: Jenna Bell and her husband Mitch of St. Petersburg, FL, Courtney and her husband Robert Lee of Middleton, MA, Lauren and her husband Leo Tecosky of Brooklyn, NY, Amie Winer and her husband Stephen of Goffstown, NH, and George Francoeur Jr. of Amherst, NH; great-grandchildren: Hannah and Lizzy Lee of Middleton, MA, Reeve and Sloan Mortenson of St. Petersburg, FL, Augustus “Augie” Winer of Goffstown, NH and Coretta Tecosky of Brooklyn, NY.
Muriel was predeceased by her husband, Reginald; her brother, Maurice Neveu; and step-brother, George Grondin.
We will miss you, Mom and will be reminded of you when the roses bloom. We know that you are now free and enjoying driving again, probably with Memere, heading up to Canada.
A Graveside Service took place at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in Nashua on Tuesday, March 30th. Arrangements were in the care of the FARWELL FUNERAL SERVICE, 18 Lock Street, Nashua. www.farwellfuneralservice.com
