JEAN WAITE

SHOREHAM — Jean Anna Baccei Waite, loving wife, mother of four and dedicated healthcare professional, died after a long illness on July 2, 2024, at the age of 85 in Middlebury, Vt.

Jean was born on June 15, 1939, in Proctor, Vt., the oldest of three children. She often remembered her childhood surrounded by extended family in Proctor with fondness and humor. She graduated from Proctor High School as a National Merit Scholar and enrolled in the University of Vermont’s nursing program. She made several lifelong friends there and graduated in 1961 at the top of her nursing school class.

Jean began her professional career during the summer of 1961, working with a mobile polio vaccine clinic in Vermont. She married Conrad W. Waite, of Cuttingsville, Vt., in early 1962 and the couple moved to Glens Falls, N.Y. Jean welcomed their first daughter in late 1962. She continued to work part time in Catskill, N.Y., and Proctor, Vt. Their second daughter arrived in 1964. In 1966, the family moved to Brattleboro, Vt., where identical twins completed the family in fall 1966.

Jean continued her career throughout her daughters’ growing up, providing an example of competence, dedication and the importance of marital partnership to her daughters. She was a calm presence during the hectic years of child raising. She was a committed Catholic parishioner at St. Patrick’s in Northfield, Mass., where she was an active participant in parish life. She was also the first woman in Vermont to chair a pastoral committee, which she did at St. Michael’s in Brattleboro. Jean also volunteered her time at a free clinic in Brattleboro for years.

In 1972, Jean left clinical nursing to teach nursing at Greenfield Community College, where she was respected for her passion and excellence at nursing and teaching. In 1983, Jean enrolled at the University of Lowell, where she achieved the long-time goal of becoming a nurse practitioner, a role that wasn’t common at the time. She graduated in 1985 and went to work at a small family practice in Hinsdale, N.H. Jean was known for her thoroughness, analytical mind, and openness to new medical ideas.

She retired in 2006 and lived with her husband on Lake Champlain in Shoreham. She loved nothing more than sitting on the deck overlooking the lake and the Adirondacks. She volunteered at the Shoreham Library and attended church at St. Genevieve’s in Shoreham and Saint Bernadette’s in Bridport with her husband. They also attended many local sports events throughout the year.

Jean enjoyed sewing, even creating several daughters’ wedding gowns. She was an enthusiastic and coveted partner at bridge games with friends and enjoyed reading and working complicated puzzles. She loved to teach and help people in any way she could.

Jean was a skilled and dedicated gardener, supplying the family with vegetables all year round for nearly the entirety of her life. She was adventurous and willing to try new things, including making maple syrup in the family kitchen one memorable spring. She once drove a tank, rode in a hot air balloon, and, with her husband, competed in white water rafting races.

Friends and family remember Jean with love for her dedication and passion for her profession, her quick intelligence, sense of humor, and her abiding love for her husband and family. Her daughters especially remember her steadfast support during the ups and downs of their lives — she was always there when she was needed. She believed deeply in the importance of education. Her husband especially remembers her adventurous spirit and commitment to fair play.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Blanche (Payette) Baccei and Almo Thomas Baccei, and brother William Baccei. She is survived by her husband, Conrad; their children, Karen, Katherine, Sarah and Susan; her sister, Rita Baccei; and five grandchildren.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. There will be a funeral at St. Bernadette’s in Bridport on Wednesday, July 10, at 11 a.m., followed by a reception at the Shoreham Congregational Church.

Because Jean lived and worked in the Brattleboro area for 40 years, there’ll be a celebration of life in Brattleboro in early October. In lieu of flowers, donations of any size can be made in her memory to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.

Arrangements are under the direction of Sanderson-Ducharme Funeral Home in Middlebury. Online condolences at www.sandersonfuneralservice.com. ◊