Beatrice White

Beatrice Catharine (Bolduc) White of Vernon passed away at Fox Hill Center in Vernon, CT on October 2, 2013. She was the wife of Kenneth Cogswell White of Vernon. Bea (“Joy”) (“Memere”) (“BB”) was born on December 18, 1929 in Penacook, NH, the daughter of the late Alfred Leon Bolduc and Beatrice (Vigue) Bolduc. Her father was so delighted with the birth of his daughter (after three boys) that he exclaimed that there was “Joy in my life!” From that day on, she was known as Joy to family and friends. She graduated from Penacook High School and attended St. Petersburg College. After college, Joy was a microbiologist/bacteriologist at Cornell Medical Center in New York City working with live TB samples. A testament to her attention to detail was that she never contracted TB, even after working with the live cultures in the conditions that they had at the time. Soon after leaving New York, she met and married Kenneth White. They stayed in Moodus, Fairfield, and Rockville for a few years, before finally setting in Tolland. While her children were in school, she worked as a Paraprofessional in the Tolland Middle School Library. After they graduated, she then returned to her profession of microbiologist at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT in the Animal Husbandry Department and continued to work there until her retirement. Her work included working with cow mastitis samples and for a time, testing eggs when the big egg scare hit Connecticut. Joy was a very involved in the Tolland community Boy Scouts and was an active member of St. Matthew’s Church for many years. Reading was a passion of hers and she was involved with the Tolland Public Library Association as well as the Tolland Volunteer Ambulance Association. Joy was also an accomplished artist creating many reverse glass and velvet paintings, and eyeglass pins. Her skills as an expert seamstress, were spectacular and family members enjoyed receiving the items that she created out of cloth and yarn. Opera was Joy’s music genre and she enjoyed listening to her favorite, LaTraviata, over and over again as well as attending concerts. Memere doted on her grandchildren and many delightful hours were spent reading, playing, and gardening with them. When the grandchildren were older, countless hours were spent going to school plays and concerts. She rejoiced in all of their accomplishments and achievements. Besides her husband, she also leaves a son, Christopher White and his wife Laurie of Tolland, CT a daughter, Beatrice L. White-Ramirez and her husband Peter Ramirez, of Tolland, CT and a son, Timothy and his wife Deborah, of Orono, ME. Also mourning the loss of their Memere are her grandchildren Nicholas White and his wife Jennifer Willis of Vernon, CT, Nathaniel White and his wife Hope of Ayer, MA, Beatrice R. and Kylee White-Ramirez of Tolland, CT, and Carl and Elizabeth White of Orono, ME. She also leaves her brothers Ronald Bolduc of Concord, NH, and Raymond Bolduc and his wife Yolanda of North Fort Meyers, FL as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and many dear friends. A brother Richard Bolduc predeceased her. The family would like to thank Father Carini and the many members of St Matthew Community who provided her with prayer, communion, and fellowship all these years. The family expresses their heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated Fox Hill Nursing Home Staff for their tireless efforts in providing Joy the best possible care for the past thirteen years. Some of the Staff remembered Joy from when she would visit her parents, Freddie and Bea Bolduc who were also taken care of superbly by the Staff. You were her second family and we know you will greatly miss her, Thank You. A special thank you to her physician Dr. Orris and his staff for their many years of support. Friends and relatives may gather with Joy’s family during calling hours on Friday, October 4 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Tolland Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Merrow Road (Route 195), Tolland, CT. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial held at St. Matthew’s Church in Tolland, CT Saturday, October 5 at 10:00 am. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tolland Volunteer Ambulance Association PO Box 827, Tolland, CT 06084 and the Tolland Library Association 21 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 06084. For online condolences visit www.pietrasfuneralhome.com