In Our Care
Jean T. Dubuque
June 2, 1947 - October 7, 2022
Jean Dubuque, 75, of Belmont, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on October 7, 2022.
Jean was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 2, 1947, the third child and daughter of Charles Pazeretsky and Annie Pazeretsky (née Levins). She grew up in Burlington Massachusetts and graduated from Burlington High School. Jean was the quiet redhead, secretly fun and sarcastic. After high school, she jumped into the workforce, working at Kresge’s (the K in Kmart) among other jobs.
Jean met her soulmate Walter Joseph Dubuque at Welch’s Candy Factory in Cambridge, and their whirlwind romance grew on the factory floor with Pom Poms, Sugar Daddies and Junior Mints playing a key role. They were married at St. Margaret’s in Burlington on October 8, 1966, and were inseparable from then onwards.
Beginning with a small apartment on Beacon Street in Somerville across the street from Johnny’s Foodmaster, they eventually moved to Belmont where they raised their three boys, many Guinea pigs, two cats, and half of the neighborhood kids.
Over the years, she worked in retail and as a home health aide. She was that lady who went above and beyond and would do the patient’s hair and nails and not just make sure they were taking their meds. For many, including her family, she was that Angel you wanted in your life.
Our family memories are of trips to Rockport, Ogunquit, Canobie Lake, Salem Willows, the White Mountains, and DisneyWorld. In every picture we have of Jean and her husband, they are holding hands—two peas in a pod, a perfect couple, and a complete pair. As her children moved away, she visited Seattle, San Francisco, Maine, North Carolina, and more. In their later years she was known to travel to Foxwoods to play and mostly break even, occasionally taking home some well earned cash. Never too much.
Jean is survived by her husband of nearly 56 years, Walter Joseph Dubuque of Belmont, Massachusetts; her eldest son Chuck Dubuque and his husband Jeff Garneau of Portland, Maine; her middle son Matthew Dubuque, his wife Michelle Dubuque (née Medieros) and grandson Brandon Dubuque of Fitchburg, Massachusetts; her youngest son Steven Dubuque and his wife Dineen Dubuque (née Levangie) of Framingham, Massachusetts; her sister Carol Shea (née Pazeretsky) and her husband Daniel Shea of Dracut, Massachusetts, and lots of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews too numerous to mention but all important to her heart. She is predeceased by her parents and her sister Elizabeth Peterson (née Pazeretsky).
There will be a wake held at DeVito Funeral Home in Watertown, Massachusetts on Thursday, October 13, 2022. Visiting hours are 4-8 pm. Memorial mass will be held at Sacred Heart Parish in Watertown, Massachusetts on Friday, October 14 at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Liver Foundation at https://liverfoundation.org in her memory.
No, mom did not have hepatitis, she almost never drank, and she didn’t use drugs. She would smack you if you ever thought such a thing. But liver disease can happen to anyone. Get screened. Get tested. Consider being a living donor. It wasn’t an option for mom (damn you COVID) but it might be for someone you love.
Jean was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 2, 1947, the third child and daughter of Charles Pazeretsky and Annie Pazeretsky (née Levins). She grew up in Burlington Massachusetts and graduated from Burlington High School. Jean was the quiet redhead, secretly fun and sarcastic. After high school, she jumped into the workforce, working at Kresge’s (the K in Kmart) among other jobs.
Jean met her soulmate Walter Joseph Dubuque at Welch’s Candy Factory in Cambridge, and their whirlwind romance grew on the factory floor with Pom Poms, Sugar Daddies and Junior Mints playing a key role. They were married at St. Margaret’s in Burlington on October 8, 1966, and were inseparable from then onwards.
Beginning with a small apartment on Beacon Street in Somerville across the street from Johnny’s Foodmaster, they eventually moved to Belmont where they raised their three boys, many Guinea pigs, two cats, and half of the neighborhood kids.
Over the years, she worked in retail and as a home health aide. She was that lady who went above and beyond and would do the patient’s hair and nails and not just make sure they were taking their meds. For many, including her family, she was that Angel you wanted in your life.
Our family memories are of trips to Rockport, Ogunquit, Canobie Lake, Salem Willows, the White Mountains, and DisneyWorld. In every picture we have of Jean and her husband, they are holding hands—two peas in a pod, a perfect couple, and a complete pair. As her children moved away, she visited Seattle, San Francisco, Maine, North Carolina, and more. In their later years she was known to travel to Foxwoods to play and mostly break even, occasionally taking home some well earned cash. Never too much.
Jean is survived by her husband of nearly 56 years, Walter Joseph Dubuque of Belmont, Massachusetts; her eldest son Chuck Dubuque and his husband Jeff Garneau of Portland, Maine; her middle son Matthew Dubuque, his wife Michelle Dubuque (née Medieros) and grandson Brandon Dubuque of Fitchburg, Massachusetts; her youngest son Steven Dubuque and his wife Dineen Dubuque (née Levangie) of Framingham, Massachusetts; her sister Carol Shea (née Pazeretsky) and her husband Daniel Shea of Dracut, Massachusetts, and lots of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews too numerous to mention but all important to her heart. She is predeceased by her parents and her sister Elizabeth Peterson (née Pazeretsky).
There will be a wake held at DeVito Funeral Home in Watertown, Massachusetts on Thursday, October 13, 2022. Visiting hours are 4-8 pm. Memorial mass will be held at Sacred Heart Parish in Watertown, Massachusetts on Friday, October 14 at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Liver Foundation at https://liverfoundation.org in her memory.
No, mom did not have hepatitis, she almost never drank, and she didn’t use drugs. She would smack you if you ever thought such a thing. But liver disease can happen to anyone. Get screened. Get tested. Consider being a living donor. It wasn’t an option for mom (damn you COVID) but it might be for someone you love.