Yvonne M. (Frechette) Gaudette

Our dear mother, Nana and G.G., passed away on June 2, 2020 at the age of 93. A lifelong resident of Western Mass., Yvonne was born Sept. 23,1926 to the late Angeline and Elodien Frechette in Easthampton, where she grew up before settling in Holyoke to raise her family. She spent 25 years working in the Holyoke public schools, enjoying the friendships and camaraderie of her cafeteria co-workers, whom she fondly called “the girls.” She moved to South Hadley in 1994 where she was a communicant of St. Patrick’s Parish and enjoyed the senior center and the Red Hat Society. She loved her condo decorated with family photos and her lighthouse collection. She made delicious French meat pies and zucchini breads humming to an ever-present soundtrack of country music and a Red Sox game on TV. Yvonne spent 30 years with her husband, Gerard (Jerry) Gaudette, who passed away in 2003. They were always on mini adventures often with a grandchild or two tagging along. Together they enjoyed camping in their RV, biking, cross-country skiing, walking, dancing and traveling. Known for her friendly, upbeat disposition, she had a well of positive energy that everyone drew from. Yvonne could turn any sentence into a song. Even a simple “How are you?” had a melody that ended with a laugh. She found every child to be “just darling” and cherished each moment holding one of her grandbabies. Cheerful and thoughtful, she never forgot a birthday or special occasion, sending cards with sentiments in quotation marks for extra emphasis. Her ideal day was soaking up the sun in one of her children’s back yards while sipping a cold drink. She was even happier when the whole family came together for a cookout with plenty of sweets. It was all about family, and it was all about dessert. While she loved family outings and being on the go, no matter where she visited, the conversation typically came back to her favorite place of all time, York Beach, Maine. Her review of other seaside destinations consisted of four words: “It’s not York Beach!” Yvonne was the proud mother of her four children: Camille S. Cote and his wife, Debra, of Ware, Mass.; Louise Barsalou of Kittery Point, Maine, and her partner, Robert Hamilton; Denise Hampson and her husband, Scott, of Holyoke, Mass., and David P. Cote and his wife, Ruth Ann, of Hopkinton, Mass. She was blessed with 13 grandchildren, Robert, Cheryl, Andrew, Aimee, Nichole, Matt, Carrie, Melanie, Jodie, Christopher, Catherine, Jack and Sam, as well as 16 great grandchildren and one great, great granddaughter. And yes, they were all “just darling.” She also leaves behind her stepchildren, Kenneth, Alan (Lori) and Suzanne Gaudette of Arizona; her sister-in-law, Kathleen Wesley, of Westfield, Mass. and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her son-in-law, Edward Barsalou, and her siblings, Arline Derwiecki, Doris Anderson and Harvey Frechette. Our family would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the staff at Heritage Woods in Agawam, Mass. who cared for Yvonne with compassion and kindness the past three years in assisted living. Her favorite pastime was sitting on the porch in her beloved sun. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a private funeral will be held for immediate family only. Yvonne will be laid to rest at St. Brigid’s Cemetery in Easthampton, Mass. Donations can be made to Jericho P.O. Box 1039, Holyoke, Mass. 01041-1039 or to the veterans’ charity of your choice. Barry Farrell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Yvonne M. (Frechette) Gaudette, please visit our floral store.