Jeannette M. Desjarlais

Jeanette Marie (Babineau) Desjarlais, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 27, 2025 at the age of 91. She is predeceased by her husband of 57 years, Roland A. Desjarlais. She was the daughter of Joseph Babineau and Marie (Girouard) Babineau (deceased) of Woonsocket, Rhode Island and was predeceased by two sisters, Diana L’Etoile of Woonsocket, RI and Theresa Lavalle of Jacksonville, FL.

The individuals she leaves behind, and whose lives she touched are numerous. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Lorraine and Raymond Allard of Portsmouth, RI; her five children, Carol Aubry of Virginia Beach, VA; Celeste Potter (Robert) of Greenville, RI; Robert Desjarlais of Warwick, RI; Ronald Desjarlais (Linda) of Chester, VA; and David Desjarlais (Nancy) of North Kingstown, RI.

Jeanette’s family was her pride and joy and she spoke of them often to her friends. Almost nothing pleased her more than her family gathered around the table, laughing and trading childhood memories. She held high expectations for all of her children and taught them to face whatever challenges life brought with strength and their heads held high. In addition to her children, her 5 grandchildren Justin Aubry (Grace), Kyle Desjarlais (Alexandra), Sabrina Donnelly (Michael), Nathan Potter and Chase Desjarlais, and her 4 great-grandchildren will miss her deeply.

Those who knew Jeanette remember her as someone who rarely stopped moving and was always on the go. An avid animal lover, she spent many mornings and afternoons with her faithful companions, Thelma and Louise, walking the neighborhood. She was a graduate of Woonsocket High School class of 1951 and worked as a secretary at University of RI. After retirement she enjoyed travelling to various countries with her husband, Roland.

However, her favorite place was the home she made for her family. She had a life-long love of playing cards, dancing and bowling and spent many hours showing bowlers at Kingstown Bowl exactly how it’s done. Most days, from late spring to early fall, she could be found swimming in Narragansett Bay which was her favorite place to float and ponder life’s worries.

Funeral service Saturday, August 2nd at 10:00 am at the Fagan – Quinn Funeral Home, 825 Boston Neck Rd., North Kingstown UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE HILL SKEFFINGTON FUNERAL HOME OF EAST GREENWICH. Burial will be in the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery, Exeter. Calling hours: Friday, August 1st from 5-7 pm. In lieu of flowers donations in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org  or to St. Jude’s children’s Hospital www.stjude.org 

Visit www.hillskeffington.com for online condolences