MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – On Monday May 17, 2021, Mary Jean Audet passed away peacefully at Ascension St. Vincent’s hospital in Middleburg, Fla. at 86 years of age, with her sons and loving family members by her side. Jean was a loving mother, grandmother, loyal friend, and an accomplished legal advocate.

Jean was born on Feb. 1, 1935, in Fairfield to Laurestine and Valére Gilbert. She graduated from Lawrence high school in 1953 and trained as a paralegal. She married Gerald Audet in Fairfield, and they raised three sons, Christopher, Timothy, and Anthony. Jean moved from Fairfield to Boothbay after marriage, then to Keene, N.H. before finally settling in Hurricane WV in 1978, where she then lived in the same home for 43 years.

For 27 years Jean worked for the Legal Aid Society for the State of West Virginia headquartered in Charleston. Additionally, Jean created the Pro Bono program which provides free legal services for low-income citizens of the State of West Virginia. She was also named to the Committee of the National Association of Pro Bono Coordinators (NAPBCO), a position held by only seven legal aid professionals nationwide.

Jean was someone everyone wanted as a friend; and as a result, she had many. Jean cherished summers in Maine spending time with her family and friends where she enjoyed local travel, theater, and food. She also had an insatiable appetite for lobster, and lobster rolls specifically. She was a tried-and-true “Maine-iac” to her core. Jean loved being in the water, swimming and just being at the lake. She enjoyed going to the movies, having lunch with her girlfriends, playing cards, and spent many late nights reading, particularly John Grisham mystery novels.

Jean was curious by nature, extremely kind and generous, and had a great sense of humor. She was also an animal lover and had a particular soft spot for dogs. Yet, truly, nothing made Jean happier than being with her friends and family: talking, laughing, and just passing the time with those closest to her heart.

Jean is preceded in death by her parents, Valére and Laurestine; an infant sister, Marie Angela; husband, Gerald; son, Christopher; and a baby boy lost just prior to birth. She is survived by her two sons, Anthony and Timothy; her two sisters, Angela and Lucille, brother, Robert; two grandchildren; and six nieces and nephews. The family would like to specifically thank Gary, Sandy, and Tammy Handley for their devotion and support of Jean throughout the nearly 43 years they were neighbors and more particularly later in her life.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Veilleux & Readington funeral home on Friday, July 2, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. with a burial immediately following at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery Waterville.

Funeral arrangements were made under the care of Veilleux and Redington Funeral Home. http://www.veilleuxfuneralhome.com.

Donations in Jean’s Honor can be made to the:

Legal Aid Society of Charleston, WV at https://legalaidwv.org/give-back/donate/

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