Jacqueline Claire Desmarais

Jacqueline Claire (Fontaine) Desmarais, age 87, of Glenrock, Wyoming, peacefully passed away surrounded by her family at Transitions LifeCare Hospice Facility in Raleigh, North Carolina on October 3, 2024.

Jackie was born August 25, 1937 as the 7th of 9 children to Donat and Rose (Motard) Fontaine in Weedon, Quebec Canada. She was born into a farm family and has often described her fondest memory of going to midnight Mass in the horse-drawn sleigh hearing the sleigh bells. She attended Notre-Dame-Du-Sacre Coeur school in Weedon and after school, got her first job as a telephone operator.

She started seeing her future husband, Gaston Desmarais, who happened to be part of another farm family who lived down the road. Gaston, who was 3 years her senior, often joked that he remembered seeing her get her diaper changed. Jackie’s father, the town Chief of Police, was leery of her new beau because her father found him driving his car too fast through town.

Gaston and Jackie were married May 19, 1956 in Weedon. Soon after, they moved to Tupper Lake, New York where Gaston worked in the logging industry with his brother. They grew to a family with four children and both self-taught themselves English by immersing themselves into the community and business. They even tried speaking only English in the home to encourage their children to learn the language they were to be schooled in. The kids all remember being taken seasonally to the various areas of the Adirondak region’s plentiful picking of wild blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries. This would result in the making of many pies and canning treats. There is one important lesson that was learned, each night, this family always had a hot meal on the table…and dessert.

Jackie worked many jobs in the Tupper Lake area to help with the family’s finances. It included her time as a fishing rod assembler at Major Rod Fishing Pole Factory in Tupper Lake. It was during this time that Jackie became an avid bowler and attended and won many tournaments including those at the national level. She also won a first place trophy in a Powder Puff Derby car race at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY.

Due to work, the Desmarais’ moved to Lyons Station, Pennsylvania in 1977 with their 2 youngest children. They lived there three short years before moving again, this time to Glenrock, Wyoming in 1980 with their youngest daughter. Jackie got a job at the Dave Johnston Power Plant as a clerk where she worked until 1997. She was very fond of this position and had many good stories to share of the people she worked with. After her retirement from PP&L, she continued to work at Gaston’s garage, GD Auto, as the office manager and book-keeper. She stayed on there until Gaston’s retirement in 2006. Jackie and Gaston enjoyed traveling and their most enjoyable adventure was their driving trip to Alaska where they went salmon fishing and exploring the wilderness.

After living in the United States for 40 years, Gaston and Jackie decided to gain their citizenship which they were tested on and sworn-in in Casper, WY in 1996. This allowed them to vote for the first time, which they wanted to participate in for a country that gave them so much.

Jackie had many interests outside of bowling which included BINGO, cross-country skiing, reading, knitting, crocheting, sewing, doing crossword puzzles, doing jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, watching Jeopardy, and taking the occasional trip to the casino. We all looked forward to getting our Christmas boxes full of her brown sugar fudge and Canadian Maple Syrup. She also could be found every afternoon going to the Glenrock Senior Center for lunch and volunteered in their donation center for many years. She often commented that she didn’t know what she would’ve done without them.

Jackie was a long-time member of the St. Louis Catholic Parish of Glenrock where she served as a Eucharistic Minister for many years. She was a faithful daughter of God and was often seen praying on her rosary beads. She often said, “I hope you remember me by my rosary.” Her heart was close to God and our Blessed Mother.

Jackie is survived by her children, Diane Desmarais of Durham, NC, Rene’ (Twila) of Tucson, AZ, Denise (Michael) Cesarano of Mumford, NY; her daughter-in-law, Joanne Desmarais of Glenrock, WY; her two sisters, Marguerite Pinard from Sherbrooke, Quebec Canada and Jeanine Beaudoin of Manchester, NH; and one brother, Real Fontaine of Sherbrooke, Quebec Canada. Included are 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Jackie was predeceased by her husband, Gaston, who died in 2007, and her son, Marc, who died July 13, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, please consider having a mass said in her honor or donating to the Glenrock Senior Center or a local hospice agency of your choice.

The Rosary will be recited at 5pm Thursday evening, November 7, at St. Louis parish in Glenrock. A Catholic service will be held at St. Louis parish on Friday, November 8 at 10 am. Burial service immediately following service. Reception to follow in the church hall.