02/23/09

Jeanne Marie Finnerty

BRIDPORT — Jeanne Marie Finnerty, 59, of Bridport died peacefully in her home on Feb. 17, 2009, after a long battle with ovarian cancer.

Born May 31, 1949, at St. Albans Naval Hospital in New York to Robert C. Downs and Rita E. (Hayes) Downs, she was the third of 11 children, raised in Natick, Mass.

She married her husband Frank in a beautiful backyard ceremony on May 29, 1976, at their home in Berlin, Mass.

She attended Marion High School in Framingham, Mass., and Natick High School then went on to study art at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.

She was the food director at the Cambridge School of Weston for nine years, then the executive chef at State Street Research in Boston, Mass., for 16 years.

The majority of her adult life she lived in Wayland, Mass., before following her dream and moving to Vermont in 2003 with her husband Frank and their four precious pugs: Chugger, Rosie, Belle and Stella.

Jeanne was a creative soul who had the unique ability to make everything she touched in life beautiful. She was a talented chef, artist and seamstress. She loved spending time outdoors, whether in her garden or on the beach or just sitting on her deck watching “her” birds.

Family members include her daughter Amanda Hyland and her husband Jim of Milford, Mass.; her siblings, Robert Downs of Bedford, Mass., Maureen O’Neill of Brookline, N.H., Jack Downs of Bellingham, Mass., Joseph Downs of Bellingham, Mass., Rita Bell of Holliston, Mass., Daniel Downs of Natick, Mass., David Downs of Boulder, Colo., Helen Downs of Sarasota, Fla.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her mother, Rita E. Downs; her brother, Charles Downs; and her sister, Peggy Downs.

A memorial service was held at her home on Saturday, Feb. 21. There will also be a memorial service and reception at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 169 Rice Rd., Wayland, Mass., on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to either the Green Mountain Pug Rescue, c/o Phil Douglas, 24 Town Line Rd., Mendon, VT 05701, or Addison County Home Health and Hospice, P.O. Box 754, Middlebury, VT 05753.

Our family would like to express our sincerest gratitude to all the health-care workers at Addison County Home Health and Hospice who made this very difficult time as bearable as possible. You are all angels.

“Keep on smilin’ through the rain, laughin’ at the pain, rollin’ with the changes ’til the sun comes out again.” — Wet Willie

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