Elaine G. Lemieux

Elaine Lemieux died at age 75 in her home in Shutesbury, MA on March 8, 2023 surrounded by family, after a short battle with cancer. She was a compassionate nurse, a passionate gardener, and a lover of animals.
Elaine grew up in Methuen, MA and attended nursing school in New Hampshire, and later received a B.A. in education from UMass Amherst. She was a nurse for 50 years, working in a wide range of settings. For the last 30 years of her career she was a visiting nurse, bringing joy and kindness and fussy, meticulous care into people’s homes. She loved her patients and most of their dogs.
Elaine helped to build her family’s home in Shutesbury and created a network of perennial gardens across the property, which she fussed over endlessly. When she was at home she was usually out working in the gardens or hiking trails with her goofy yellow Labrador Retriever, Rocky.
Elaine was happiest outdoors. She was a runner, hiker, backpacker, and skier. She loved traveling and adventuring with her husband, her children, and her grandchildren. She was a proud member of the Coffee Cake Club, the famous local running group, and she and her husband often hosted the club at their home.
For relaxing, Elaine was an avid reader of fiction and nonfiction, a devoted fan of corny romantic comedy movies, and took great joy sitting on her porch with a gin and tonic at the end of the day, watching hummingbirds at her 5 feeders.
When she retired at age 70 she stayed busy working and hiking outdoors with Rocky and driving her cute green Mini Cooper, She volunteered at The Hitchcock Center, where she cared for plants and animals, and at the Shutesbury Elementary School Library.
Elaine is survived by her husband Ron Berger; her daughter Kristine Elison of Amherst, MA and husband Raphael Elison and their sons, Calvin and Keagan; her son Scott Aldrich of Belleair Bluffs, FL, and wife Eva, and her daughter Alex; by her mother Irene of North Andover, 97 years old; by her sister Maureen of Methuen, MA, her brother Carl of Lake Oswego, OR, and her brother J of Gilmanton, NH.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Hitchcock Center or a charity of your choice.
New England Funeral & Cremation Center, LLC, 25 Mill Street, Springfield, MA has been entrusted with the arrangements. Please visit Elaine’s memorial page at www.nefcc.net for expressions of sympathy.
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Elaine G. Lemieux.