A mother's hopes and aspirations filled the sails of her children so that each could tack their own course through life
Yvette Jalbert, 95, of Burlington, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 2, 2023, a date that coincided with the 77th anniversary of her marriage to Gaston. She was born on July 14, 1927, in Manchester, N.H., the eldest child of Joseph and Cordélia (Rousseau) Godbout. Her first childhood years were spent in Montréal until the family rented a small tenant farm near East Hereford. There followed several years of hard-scrabble existence, aggravated even further by the financial ravages of the Great Depression. Yvette frequently expressed regret at having been unable to pursue a secondary education, because she had to assist in the care of siblings and attend to an ailing mother, and her father’s work as a lumberjack in the Maine woods kept him away from home for extended periods. Seeking better fortunes, the family migrated to Guildhall, where Yvette made her acquaintance with Gaston, who would eventually become the love of her life. Following their nuptials, she and Gaston settled in Beecher Falls and resided in one of the houses newly-built by the factory where Gaston resumed employment, following his army discharge at the end of the war. In this modest post-war house, they raised a family of six children, three boys and three girls, in that order. In later years, they relocated to Canaan to a house designed by her architect son, Bernard, and constructed under the direction of her then son-in-law, Robert. This time afforded Yvette and her husband comfort and pride in owning their own home after 26 years of renting. Once her children were old enough to attend school, she worked outside the home at various jobs until she was hired as a furniture decorator at Ethan Allen, a position she maintained for several years until her retirement. She had a natural talent for engaging young children and found great pleasure in babysitting. She was very revitalized by her circle of friends, with whom she enjoyed playing cards, “pichenotte” (a French-Canadian disk-flicking game), bingo (which took on a fervor only second to religious devotion) or undertaking a daunting puzzle (a “casse-tête” or head splitter). She became known for her arts and crafts, particularly sewing, knitting, crocheting, filet crocheting, quilting and quilling, many samples of which are in evidence at each of her children’s homes and which remain enduring tributes to her talent, artistic sensitivities and caring manner. She loved to dance and could jitterbug…
A mother's hopes and aspirations filled the sails of her children so that each could tack their own course through life
Yvette Jalbert, 95, of Burlington, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 2, 2023, a date that coincided with the 77th anniversary of her marriage to Gaston. She was born on July 14, 1927, in Manchester, N.H., the eldest child of Joseph and Cordélia (Rousseau) Godbout. Her first childhood years were spent in Montréal until the family rented a small tenant farm near East Hereford. There followed several years of hard-scrabble existence, aggravated even further by the financial ravages of the Great Depression. Yvette frequently expressed regret at having been unable to pursue a secondary education, because she had to assist in the care of siblings and attend to an ailing mother, and her father’s work as a lumberjack in the Maine woods kept him away from home for extended periods. Seeking better fortunes, the family migrated to Guildhall, where Yvette made her acquaintance with Gaston, who would eventually become the love of her life. Following their nuptials, she and Gaston settled in Beecher Falls and resided in one of the houses newly-built by the factory where Gaston resumed employment, following his army discharge at the end of the war. In this modest post-war house, they raised a family of six children, three boys and three girls, in that order. In later years, they relocated to Canaan to a house designed by her architect son, Bernard, and constructed under the direction of her then son-in-law, Robert. This time afforded Yvette and her husband comfort and pride in owning their own home after 26 years of renting. Once her children were old enough to attend school, she worked outside the home at various jobs until she was hired as a furniture decorator at Ethan Allen, a position she maintained for several years until her retirement. She had a natural talent for engaging young children and found great pleasure in babysitting. She was very revitalized by her circle of friends, with whom she enjoyed playing cards, “pichenotte” (a French-Canadian disk-flicking game), bingo (which took on a fervor only second to religious devotion) or undertaking a daunting puzzle (a “casse-tête” or head splitter). She became known for her arts and crafts, particularly sewing, knitting, crocheting, filet crocheting, quilting and quilling, many samples of which are in evidence at each of her children’s homes and which remain enduring tributes to her talent, artistic sensitivities and caring manner. She loved to dance and could jitterbug…