Cecile E. Charest

Accountant and bookkeeper

LACONIA - Cecile E. Charest, a longtime resident of Laconia, recently died at age 72 in her Connecticut residence surrounded in love by her children.

Born in Mexico City, Mexico, to American parents, Robert and Louise Beatrice Bobay, she had five siblings and spent her childhood living in Acapulco, Cuernavaca and Mexico City, Mexico, Pacific Palisades, Calif., and later Warwick, R.I.

She married Aime L. Charest of Fall River, Mass., in 1961 and together they raised four children, initially in Long Island, N.Y., moving to Cranston, R.I. in 1963, then to Concord in 1969 and finally settling in Laconia in 1979.

Cecile's post-secondary schooling was at Katharine Gibbs-Executive Secretarial Program and in 1973 she attained an accounting certification. Employment included executive secretarial work for Bostitch in Rhode Island, bookkeeping for N.H. Catholic Charities and Concord YMCA, and office assistance/record-keeping for Saint John's Catholic Church in Concord.

She volunteered for school- and N.H. Special Olympics-related functions in her communities.

She was an avid gardener, at the leading edge of organic gardening principles, and a strong advocate for non-processed food sources, as well as natural medicine.

She attained her Reiki Master Certificate in 1991.

She was predeceased by her husband, Aime; son, Gregory; and a brother, Robert Bobay.

Her surviving family includes son, David Charest, his wife, Patty; and grandchildren, Nicole and Luke Charest of Middletown, Conn.; daughter Christine Aliouche, her husband, Hachemi, and grandchildren Tesa and Aiden Aliouche of Greenland; and daughter Lisa Charest, her husband, Werner Muller, and grandchildren Carter and Carissa Muller of Gilmanton. Her surviving siblings include Anita Bobay, Albert Bobay and Mary Murphy of Rhode Island and Richard Bobay of North Carolina; and several nephews and nieces.

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, May 15, at 11 a.m. at St. Gregory the Great Church, 360 Cowesett Road, Warwick, R.I.

In lieu of flowers, all gifts may be directed to the Lakes Region Scholarship Foundation (Aime L. and Cecile E. Charest Scholarship Fund), PO Box 7312, Gilford NH 03247 (603-527-3533).

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is in charge of the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.