Anne Quesnel Poirier

She was born on November 27, 1938 in Meriden, Connecticut to parents Antoine Quesnel and Mildred Brown and descended from a long line of proud French Canadians from both sides of the Northern border between Canada and Vermont. Her early years were spent in Whiting/Orwell Vermont with her four siblings John (deceased) , Claire, David and Larry and other extended family. Some of her favorite early memories were of gardening with her Grandmother and Aunt Jess- which was planting the seed for a lifetime love of plants.

In 1947, when Anne was nine years old, her father died of accidental drowning in frigid Lake Champlain. In that time of family crisis, Anne was sent away to Rock Point boarding school in Burlington, VT. It was a time that must have forged what became her unwavering strength and spirit. She excelled both academically and socially, graduating in 1952 and moving along to Champlain College.

This is where she met her beloved husband Michael John Poirier and they married in 1958. Four daughters followed with the first two being identical twins Karen and Kathy then Kim and Michelle. In 1968 Kathy died at the age of 9 after struggling with a congenital heart defect and this unspeakable loss was another test of Anne's resilience as she kept her family going and worked full time.

The majority of her career was spent as an administrative assistant at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Colleagues spoke of her intelligence, compassion and her dedication to UVM. She retired in 1990 and found time to do the things she loved like sewing, playing cards with friends, entertaining, (her halloween costumes were legendary) plus volunteering at Vermont's first Hospice organization, growing orchids and traveling. Her favorite trip was a river cruise she and Michael took on the Danube.

Anne’s ability to strike up a conversation with absolutely anyone was a gift. Her sense of fun was welcoming and she delighted in sharing the lives of her family with her large group of friends. She was very competitive and would usually beat you in almost any type of game. She also loved intelligent, in depth conversations and was known to probe her opponent with all the tough questions. Her family especially was familiar with her rapid fire inquiries as she sought to get to the heart of the issue.

She and Michael lived in many states in their retirement years including VT,AZ,SC, and NC, escape Vermont's snowy winters. They always made the effort to travel to visit family and friends to keep connections strong. She had close relationships with her grandchildren Chris, Mark, Jess, Seth, Reed, Rachel and Natalie and kept up with her 8 great grandchildren’s life milestones.

In addition to nurturing old relationships, she was constantly meeting new friends by finding some type of common ground with everyone with whom she came in contact. This wide web of connections will assure that a huge circle of friends and family will miss her deeply.

She is survived by Michael, her husband of 67 years, her daughters Karen Poirier Veliko (Doug),Stowe VT, Kim Poirier Lajoie (Steve), Cape Cod MA, Michelle Poirier Graham, (Alex), Cary NC, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be held on February 6th at 1:00 pm at The Holy Name of Jesus Christ Cathedral, in Raleigh. A Celebration of Life ceremony will be at Park Alumni Ctr, NC State University, 2450 Alumni Drive, Raleigh, NC immediately following.

“The Love of a Family is Life’s Greatest Blessing” -Eva Burrows

The Family Thanks you for your Thoughts & Prayers at this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake County, or the Heartland Hospice of Wake County.

Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh is serving the Poirier family.