Betty Ann Brunelle

Rockland, Our beloved Mom (Betty), a life-long devout Catholic, passed away peacefully at her daughter Michelle’s house in Rockland, ME after a recent decline in her health. She was born to Leo Hazelton and Elvelena Beatrice (Bucklin) Jennings on August 23, 1934 in Haverhill, MA. Betty attended the Haverhill, MA school system. She was proud of her commitment to her work life and boasted that she always wanted to pay her own way. She started with a paper route and soon moved to working in the shoe factories in the Washington Street Shoe District in Haverhill. One Saturday evening, while enjoying a soda at a local pharmacy, she met a handsome man Ron Brunelle working behind the soda fountain. Eventually Ron mustered the courage to ask her to meet him at a dance at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and even gave her the 25 cents for her admission. He became the love of her life.

Betty married Ron on October 1, 1955. They started their family life together in Haverhill, MA where she continued to work in the Washington Street Shoe District while her husband travelled to Boston. In 1966 Betty & Ron moved their family to Yarmouth, ME where they would live for the next 19 years. Betty worked at local stores, first at King’s Dept. Store and then as a meat wrapper for Shaw’s Grocery Store in Falmouth, ME. There were two particular stories she loved to tell from her years at Shaw’s. First was when Shaw’s wanted to replace meat wrappers with an automated wrapping machine. Betty went head-to-head against the automated machine where she repeatedly surpassed the competition against it. The second story she loved to tell was their decision to retire one month before her 25th service award. The service award was to be a Grandfather clock which she frequently reminded her husband that she missed out on (so often, he finally bought her a Grandfather clock). Betty retired in 1995 never losing to the automated wrapping machine.

Betty had many interests but her first love was family. Family always came first and she had such pride in her children. She loved decorating her house around the holidays in anticipation of her children and their families coming to Grammy’s house to celebrate Christmas. She loved sports, first playing and then watching. She was a superb Candlepin bowler, playing with her husband in competitive coed leagues. In retirement, Betty and Ron would move to Myrtle Beach, SC where she enjoyed many years hitting the greens and frequently gloating on the times she would beat Ron in putting percentages. Betty had a competitive streak and it surfaced when she played games like Zamba, Parcheesi and Farkle. She passed that competitive streak to her kids and grandkids. She enjoyed watching New England sports, especially HER Boston Celtics and most recently Jason Tatum. Later in life she enjoyed trips to Las Vegas and in her down time enjoyed completing crossword puzzles. As their health declined, Betty & Ron made the decision to move back to Maine in 2016 and settled in Rockland where she spent the remaining years of her life.

Betty is predeceased by her husband of 67 years Ron Brunelle, parents Leo and Elvelena (Bucklin) Jennings and siblings Gloria (Jennings) Smith, Harold Jennings, Roy (Butch) Jennings, Norman Jennings, Leo (Junior) Jennings, Shirley (Jennings) Gamrecki, John Jennings, Loretta (Jennings) Bixby, & Elvelena (Jennings) Caruso. Those she left behind to cherish her memory are children Maureen (Brunelle) Gallagher and husband Lloyd of Homossasa, FL and their children Richard Traynor Jr, Brian Gallagher and wife Marioly, and Sean Gallagher and wife Michelle; Ronald (Sonny) Brunelle Jr. and wife Wanda of Terryville, CT and their sons Aaron Brunelle and Corey Brunelle and wife Ashley also of Terryville, CT; Raymond Brunelle and wife Aprillyn of Yarmouth, ME and their children Brie (Brunelle) Newsome and husband Jonathon of Nashua, NH, Alexandra (Lexie) Brunelle of Nashua, NH, and Kyle Brunelle of Portland, ME; Michelle (Brunelle) Wiley and companion David Arey of Rockland, ME and daughter Leah Wiley; Marianne (Brunelle) Russell and partner Robert Hamel of Sabattus, ME and her daughters Erika (Russell)Toner and husband Joseph, Jessica (Russell) Abbott and husband Ron, and Devyn Russell. She also leaves behind many great grandchildren Christopher and Caitlyn Gallagher, Addison Gallagher, Declan and Keagan Newsome, Elijah, Hannah and Jonah Wiley, Ethan Lenentine, Brayden and Landon Toner, and Bingham and Aubrey Abbott.

Visiting hours will be held Friday, November 22nd, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Lindquist Funeral Home, 1 Mayberry Ln in Yarmouth ME. Rev. Michelle M Wiley will officiate a Memorial Service on Saturday, November 23rd beginning at 10:00 a.m. also at Lindquist Funeral Home followed by a graveside committal service at Holy Cross Cemetery, 75 Smith St., Yarmouth, ME.

Funeral arrangements are by Lindquist Funeral Home, 1 Mayberry Lane, Yarmouth, ME. If you wish, you can make a donation in Betty’s memory to a charity of your choice.