Theresa "Terry" LaPlante

Beloved family matriarch Theresa "Terry" (Hamel) LaPlante, passed away on Thursday, December 4, 2025, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, with loving family by her side. She was 96 years old. Born to parents Helen (Charest) and Pierre Hamel, she was raised in South Lawrence, MA. Terry was the baby of 10 children, all of whom predeceased her. She was married for 46 years to the late Lucien (Mac) LaPlante.

Soft-spoken, kind and generous to all, Terry led an active and joy-filled life. She traveled to Europe, Canada and Mexico and several tropical islands with Mac, other family members and friends. Ever the adventurer, she was known to ride scooters to get around. She enjoyed camping for many years.

She worked primarily at Western Electric and Lucent Technologies. Upon retirement, Terry and Mac moved to Barefoot Bay, Florida, where they took part-time jobs and enjoyed the beach life until family and health issues caused them to move back to the chilly North East.

A devoted member of Mary Queen of Peace Church, Terry loved spending time with her family, especially at Salisbury Beach, where so many happy memories were created. She loved many types of music, particularly standards from the 1940s and 1950s and Broadway musicals, and line-danced well into her 80s. She also taught line-dancing and knitted hundreds of hats that were donated to babies born in local hospitals

Every holiday season would bring wonderful decorations she lovingly placed around her home, from mini-Santa's villages and Easter bunnies to train sets and pumpkins. She made friends everywhere she lived, partly because she walked around and explored. She was considerate to all she met, with a smile on her face.

Terry's survivors include two sons -- Donald A. LaPlante and his wife, Denise of Manchester, NH, and Kenneth G. LaPlante and his wife, Johanna of Marlborough MA; grandchildren, Melissa Clayton and her husband, Joshua Clayton, Kevin LaPlante and his wife, Pamela Helliwell, Katherine Stewart and her husband, Nick Stewart, Krista LaPlante and her fiancé, RJ Litchfield, and Michael LaPlante. Other survivors include great-grandchildren Riley, Jackson, and Madison and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the nursing and hospice professionals and other staffers at St. Patrick's Manor nursing home in Framingham, MA, for the loving and wonderful care they provided Terry for several years.

Terry will be missed always, but her love will carry on throughout the ages.

Family and friends are invited to visitation hours on Wednesday, December 10, from 3 PM to 7 PM at the Methuen Family Funeral Home (formerly Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home) at 233 Lawrence St. in Methuen. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, December 11, at 10:30 AM at St. Monica Parish, 212 Lawrence Street in Methuen, with interment to follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Andover. To share memories or send condolences visit www.methuenfh.com. The Methuen Family Funeral Home is honored to serve the LaPlante family.