Jane M. (Tunstall) Thibeault

WORCESTER/SPENCER – Jane M. (Tunstall) Thibeault, 79, formerly of Leicester and Spencer, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 21, 2016 under the loving care of her family and the staff at Rose Monahan Hospice Home in Worcester. Born in Worcester and raised in West Boylston, daughter of James and Estelle (LeBoeuf) Tunstall . Jane graduated from Venerini Academy in Worcester and Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. She worked 36 years for the former Fanning Trade High of Worcester now Worcester Vocational Technical High School, retiring in 2004 as department head of the Culinary Arts Program. She also worked many years at the Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield. Jane was an extraordinary woman of strength and determination. While raising her children, she worked full time to assist in supporting her family. After the untimely death of her husband in 1985, Jane persevered and continued to meet life’s challenges head on and with an unwavering zest for life. In the 1990’s, along with her son Raymond, Jane invested in Rideout’s Lodge on the shores of East Grand Lake in Danforth, Maine. At the end of the school year, she would leave her job at Worcester Voc., recruit her grandchildren, and spend summers hosting and cooking for guests at the lodge. She was an avid Red Sox fan and as a pragmatic optimist lived her life on the premise that; “anything’s possible” – making her one of the Red Sox’s loyalist of fans. Jane even traveled in her 70’s, with her sister to Camden Yards in Baltimore several times to watch her beloved Red Sox take on the Orioles. Jane was a faithful and devote Catholic. After moving to Worcester in 2011, she attended Christ the King Church almost every day where she made many new friends. As a teacher, Jane felt blessed with the opportunity to instruct, challenge and inspire students at Worcester Voc. She was generous with positive affirmations and demonstrated by example how to be compassionate with the less fortunate students. First and foremost came her family. She was proud of her children and grandchildren and their many accomplishments. Jane cherished being a grandmother, great-grandmother and spending time with her family. She especially loved holiday gatherings. Her husband of 24 years, Robert E. Thibeault died in 1985. She was also predeceased by her beloved grandson, Robert E. Thibeault who died five days after his 21st birthday on August 9, 2015. She leaves two sons, Mark R. Thibeault and his wife, Susan of Worcester, Raymond J. Thibeault and his wife Bonnie, of Kingston; daughter, Michelle J. Cook and her husband, Seth of Spencer; two sisters, Gail Brazeau of West Boylston and Ellen Belanger and her husband, Paul of Auburn; two grandchildren, Alysha Smith and Michael Greene; three great grandchildren, Lincoln, Riley and Jordan; several nephews and nieces. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Jane’s family from 3 to 6 pm on Sunday, November 27, at the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden, and again Monday morning followed by a procession at 9:15 am to Christ the King Church, 1052 Pleasant St., Worcester where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10am. Interment will follow at Holy Rosary Cemetery where Jane will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Jane’s name to the Rose Monahan Hospice Home, 10 Judith Road, Worcester MA 01602. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit "sign the guest book" on this page.