Doris Marie Progen

LEOMINSTER -- Doris Marie (Leger) Progen released her sprit to eternity on September 2, 2011, at the age of 85.

Doris was born January 9, 1926 in Fitchburg, MA to the late Joseph Albanie (Benny) and Marie Beatrice (Babineau) Leger. She attended Fitchburg High School and was a graduate of the Burbank School of Nursing, LPN Class of 1963. She was married to the late Gilbert N. Progen, with whom she had five children.

While independently raising her family Doris' nursing career spanned 35 years, including employment at Burbank Hospital, Dr. John DeLeo's medical practice in Fitchburg, and many years at Fairlawn Nursing Home in Leominster. She was highly respected and loved by patients and colleagues alike. Many nurses now employed in the area cite her as their mentor and model.

Doris loved music of all types, most especially Opera, and was a pianist who, while teaching many young children to play, enjoyed sharing her love of music.

She was very active in the Stratton Playhouse Productions during the 1950's, and loved playing Scrabble. She loved to cook and baked bread regularly, often sharing her home-made creations with her many friends and neighbors.

She was a big fan of the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox.

Doris earned college-level credits at the age of 85 while completing a course in Creative Writing, and recently saw two of her articles published. Her life-long experiences, having come from simple beginnings in a French Catholic family during the Great Depression, volunteering in Hospitals and doing factory work during World War II, raising a family, and her years of working in the Nursing profession, provided many wonderful stories for her to share.

Doris was a deeply spiritual woman, who often prayed to St. Therese of Lisieux and considered "The Little Flower" to be her family's protector and patron Saint.

After having lived in Fitchburg most of her life, Doris moved for a number of years to Harborside, ME, to live with her daughter Lisa and four granddaughters. She loved her ocean community experience and made many friends there. Her final years were spent living in Leominster with her son Chris, and his wife Jayne, who cared for her with devotion while it became necessary for her to undergo regular dialysis treatments at Davita Dialysis Center in Fitchburg.

Above all, Doris was most proud of her large family. She will be sorely missed by those who survive her: daughters Islene Runningdeer and her husband Don Wilcox of Brookfield and Chelsea, VT, Michelle Roche and her husband Dan of Townsend, and Lisa Jae and her partner Tim Doyle of Harborside, ME; sons Michael Progen and his wife Meri of Venice, FL, and Christopher Progen and his wife Jayne of Leominster; grandchildren Tawnya Kristen, Marnie Roche, Tom Roche, Sihaya Hopkins, Kendal Hopkins, Chelsea Hopkins, Kipp "Elde" Hopkins, and Colin Progen; great-grandchildren Julia Buckingham, Abigail Buckingham, Daniel Thomas Roche and Olivia "Liv" True Kristen; Doris' brother Raymond Leger and his wife Rena of Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada, sister-in-law Susan Leger of Las Vegas, NV; and many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents, her brother Joseph Roland "Rookie" Leger, her former husband Gil Progen, and her beloved sister-in-law Dorothy Jordan.

PROGEN Her funeral will be held from the Lunenburg Chapel of the Sawyer-Miller-Masciarelli Funeral Home, 763 Mass Avenue, on Monday, September 19, 2011 with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. in Our Lady of the Lake Church, 1400 Main Street, Leominster, MA 01453.

Burial will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery, 486 Clarendon Street, Fitchburg, MA 01473.

Calling Hours will be in the Funeral Home on Sunday, September 18, 2011 from 5:00 -- 7:00 P.M.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions can be made to the Davita Physicians Dialysis Center, 551 Electric Avenue, Fitchburg, MA 01420.

For further information see (www.masciarellifamilyfuneralhomes.net).