Doris Elizabeth "Dot" Girard

1917 - 2014

JAFFREY - Doris "Dot" Elizabeth (LaShier) Girard, 97, died peacefully on Thursday, October 16, 2014, at the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Jaffrey.

Dot was born in Long Island, New York, October 8, 1917, daughter of Frederick and Bertha (Aiken) LaShier. The family moved to Greenfield, Massachusetts, in 1924 where she graduated from Greenfield High School in 1935. In 1939 she married Lionel T. Girard (of Turners Falls) who predeceased her in 2001. They settled in Montague Center, Massachusetts, in 1946 where she lived until 2003 and then moved to live with her youngest daughter and family in Jaffrey.

Doris was a homemaker by vocation and choice. She has left us with a vast inheritance of cherished family memories and good recipes. She participated in the Montague PTA, the Montague Historical Society, and taught 4-H courses related to sewing and homemaking. Many remember her special shredded wheat bread and her hot chicken dish always ready for those in need. Singing in the choir at the First Congregational Church in Montague Center, was a primary joy for Doris along with participating in the Ladies Benevolent Society. She excelled in making candy for Montague Old Home Days and the Fete Noel church fundraisers.

She is survived by her five children: Eric and his wife Jan of South Hadley, Mass., Carol Girard – Barton and her husband Craig of Rochester Hills, Mich., Michele Novak and her husband Tom of Conway, Mass., Pat (Paulette) Cournoyer and her husband Phil of Jaffrey, and Mark and his wife Cheryl of Montague Center, Mass.; 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank her caregivers at the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Nursing Center for providing tenderness and care for Dot since 2008.

A memorial service will be held at the First Congregational Church in Montague Center, Massachusetts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 25, 2014. The Rev. Barbara Turner DeLisle, pastor of the First Congregational Church of Montague, will officiate. A luncheon will be served in the church hall immediately after the service.

Donations in Doris's memory can be made to the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, 20 Plantation Dr., Jaffrey, NH 03452, The First Congregational Church of Montague, 4 North St., Montague, MA 01351, The United Church of Jaffrey, 54 Main St., Jaffrey, NH 03452 or a charity of your choice.

Arrangements are under the direction of Walker Funeral Home, 14 High Street, Greenfield.