Jeanne M. Lawless

August 24, 1924- May 29, 2015

Jeanne Offermann Lawless passed away peacefully at the age of 90 in Chatham, Massachusetts on May 29, 2015. Jeanne was born on August 24, 1924, in Buffalo, NY, the first of four children, to Isabel (Cole) and Frank Offermann. Jeanne was raised on Grand Island, NY. She completed high school at St. Mary’s Academy in South Bend, Indiana where she graduated as the valedictorian of her class in 1941. Jeanne received her associate degree in 1943 from Marymount College, Tarrytown, NY. Jeanne married William Burns “Bill” Lawless, Jr. on March 9, 1944, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Buffalo, NY. The couple resided in Buffalo, NY, where they raised their family. In 1968, the family moved to Niles, Michigan when Bill became the Dean of the University of Notre Dame law school. At the age of 46, having given birth to twelve children and having devoted her life to her family full time, Jeanne began nursing school at Southwestern Michigan College where she graduated in 1972 and then became a registered nurse. In 1973, Jeanne, and the six children still remaining at home, moved to East Orleans, MA, on Cape Cod. She and Bill later divorced. On Cape Cod, Jeanne worked as a visiting nurse and hospice nurse where she often took care of the elderly and dying. In 1997, after her children were grown, Jeanne left the Cape and moved back closer to her western NY roots in the Big Flats/ Pine City area. She lived near Mount Saviour Monastery where throughout her life she had always found great serenity, peace and fulfillment. Jeanne began volunteering at the book shop at Mount Saviour in 1999 and continued to do so until shortly before she moved back to Cape Cod in 2013. Jeanne was known for her open and giving heart, her open mind and her enduring faith. She was very inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and took part in many peaceful demonstrations during the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. She was fiercely independent but loved her time with her family of whom she was immensely proud. The world is a much better place for having Jeanne in it and her spirit endures through the legacy she left behind.

Jeanne was predeceased by both of her parents Isabel (Cole) and Frank Offermann, brothers Francis (Frank) Jr. and Karl Offermann. She is survived by her brother Paul (Mary Fran) Offermann, sister-in-law Anne Offermann of Buffalo, NY and by all twelve children, Sharon (Oakland, CA), Barbara (Bill; San Anselmo, CA), Billie (Svetlana; Cleveland, OH), Cathy (Alex; Maui, HI), Gregory (Khamoaune; Carlisle, PA), Richard (Ellen; San Francisco, CA), Robert (Brewster, (MA), Jeanne (Larry; Ithaca, NY), Therese (Jim; San Rafael, CA), John (Colleen; Orleans, MA), Maria (Nader; Walnut Creek, CA) and Tom (Nicole; Verona, WI), twenty-five grandchildren, sixteen great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

A Mass will be held at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Orleans, MA at 10:00 am on Tuesday, June 2. Another Mass will be held at Mount Saviour Monastery, Pine City, NY, on Monday June 8 at 10:00 am followed by burial services at Good Shepherd Cemetery at Mount Saviour.

In lieu of flowers, Jeanne specifically requested that donations be made to Mount Saviour Monastery, 231 Monastery Rd., Pine City, NY 14871.