Obituary of Jeannine Houle

D. JEANNINE TODD HOULE Canandaigua, NY D. Jeannine Todd Houle of Canandaigua, New York and Bonita Springs, Florida, was welcomed into heaven Sunday, January 9, 2011. She was halfway through her 75th year. Throughout her life, including during her recent diagnosis of and treatment for cancer, Jeannine was known for her charismatic personality. This trait served all those who shared the journey: she sustained us through her wit, patience, and ever-present optimism and smile. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lawrence and Elizabeth Todd; her infant sisters Rose Marie and Marjorie Anne; beloved first grandson, Jeremy CH Houle; and several doting aunts and uncles, including Kathryn and Harry Leonard, Beatrice and Arthur Kilcoin, and Agnes Sullivan, all having contributed greatly to her upbringing. Jeannine’s legacy lives on through her husband of fifty years, Glenn Robert (Bob) Houle, and their six children and their families: John (Carol) Houle and Jake of Canandaigua; William and (Christina) Houle and Kyle, Alyssa and John of Canandaigua; Lynne Houle (John Reyes-Guerra), Jack, Elizabeth and Sarah of Canandaigua; Anne Michelle Houle (Roger Selin) and Nalanie of Houston, Texas; Robert (Dara) Houle and Benjamin, Harrison and Maxwell of Mendon; and Kathryn (Dan) Benson, Annie, Michael and Matthew of Canandaigua. Jeannine is survived by her older sisters Mrs. Claire (Charles) Dyring of Rochester, New York and Mrs. Margaret Mary (David) Krohn of Amelia Island, Florida; in-laws James and Elizabeth Heiden of West Chester, Pennsylvania; and seventeen nieces and nephews. Born July 8, 1935, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Jeannine grew up in Western New York State. Due to her father being a traveling salesman, Jeannine attended twelve schools before graduating from Geneseo High School (1953). Prior to marrying, Jeannine graduated from the University Of Rochester School Of Nursing (1956), where she earned the nickname “Nini.” Always curious about the world, she had her first international adventure when she traveled by ship to spend a summer in Europe at just twenty-one years old. She also was proud of her nursing experience at Strong Memorial Hospital and engrained in her children’s minds that “there is a right way, a wrong way, and a Strong way.” She met her husband, Glenn, a locomotive engineer, while based in Cleveland, Ohio, and working as Regional Nurse on the Pennsylvania Railroad. They eventually settled in East Bloomfield, New York, where they raised their children. Jeannine set an example by living life to the fullest, and brought out in those around her a desire to know more, do more, and most importantly, to be more. She contributed with enthusiasm to the communities in which she lived and was a founding member of the Bloomfield Nursery School; member of the Bloomfield Garden Club; tour guide at Sonnenberg Gardens; volunteer at WXXI’s Reach Out Radio (reading for the blind) and Strong Memorial Hospital’s Rochester Adolescent Maternity Program; and patron of the arts, particularly the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. She was a voracious reader and avid world-traveler, a gifted tennis player and skier, and a wonderful wife, mother, and friend. She loved to laugh, always greeted people with a smile (and expected the same from others), and had special compassion for local veterans, many of whom she befriended and helped care for. Jeannine made diverse and unique experiences a priority while raising her children. Believing that each offered special gifts, she encouraged participation in things they loved. From riding Harleys to skiing, music to traveling, and sewing to fishing, each has been made more whole through her efforts. Jeannine dealt with her recent illness with strength and dignity, wholly depending on her faith in God. A member of the St. Mary’s (Canandaigua)/St. Bridget’s (Bloomfield) Parish and of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church (Bonita Springs, Florida), she used her gift of voice, as a lector for more than twenty years. Jeannine spoke of her friends and caregivers with a full heart, regularly commenting on how fortunate and overwhelmed she felt by such wonderful treatment. Among them, her dear friends in Florida, and the medical teams that cared for her in Bonita Springs and Naples, Florida and Canandaigua, New York. Her family is especially grateful to the many members of the care teams at F.F. Thompson Hospital who patiently and lovingly guided them through the end-of-life process, and who treated Jeannine with an extraordinary amount of respect and love. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Jeannine’s name to the Wood Library at 134 North Main Street, Canandaigua, New York, 14424. Friends may call Thursday, January 13, from 2-4 and 6-8 pm at Fuller Funeral Home, Inc. 190 Buffalo St. Canandaigua. A 10:00 am funeral mass will be held Friday, January 14 at St. Mary’s Church, 95 North Main Street, Canandaigua.