Alma M. Langlois

Berlins oldest resident Alma M Langlois passed away at her home surrounded by her family on Wed., Sept. 15, 2010. She was born at home at 376 High Street in Berlin, NH on Sept. 2, 1906, the daughter of Alphonse & Agathe (Legere) Leclerc. She graduated St Regis Academy in 1922. She was a member of many church organizations over the years, some of which were: the JOC (a youth organization), the Ladies of St. Anne, the church choir & the Secular Order of St. Francis. She was the organist at the mission church in Cascade, at St. Josephs Parish for many years & occasionally played at St. Kieran's Church. As a member of RSVP for over 25 yrs., she entertained the residents at local nursing homes as a member of the Jolly Seniors in the 70s & 80's and then also started theFrench Folklore Group in 1980. This group also entertained the nursing home residents & performed at local events. She also was always interested in crafts & taught ceramics out of her home & at the Holiday Center during the late 70s & early 80s. She also belonged to the NH League of Arts & Crafts, who sold many of her ceramic pieces. Another hobby that has kept her busy over the years, is stringing rosary beads. She has been doing this since the early 1990s. By the year 2010, she had made over 1300 rosary beads that she has donated to missionaries, prisons & schools all over the world. In the 90s (after losing some of her sight to Macular Degeneration) she started making clown dolls out of yarn for the Association for the Blind. They would then sell them for revenue towards more craft materials for their clients. Alma will also be remembered for her green thumb. She always maintained a flower garden around her property & her house was always filled with an assortment of very healthy plants. She could still be seen outside weeding her flower bed well over 100 years of age. Another pastime that she enjoyed was playing her accordion which she purchased at 93 years of age & taught herself how to play. She often played it with another group of musicians & singers. They would all go entertain the old people at the local nursing homes. Alma is survived by her sons, Lucien and his wife Helen and Richard and his wife, Monique. She also leaves three grandchildren: Lori Langlois, Christy Langlois & David Langlois. She is also survived by 2 great-grandchildren: Sawyer Sanschagrin & Aspen Langlois a niece, Pauline Nichols & 3 nephews, Al LeClerc & his wife, Muriel, Laurent Pellerin & Roger Pellerin & several great-nieces & great- nephews. Alma was predeceased by her parents, her husband, Lucien, 2 brothers, Alfred & Albert & a sister, Rose Pellerin & her great-granddaughter, Baby Angel Star Langlois/Sanschagrin. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, September 17, 2010 at 2:00 PM at St. Anne Church of Good Shepherd Parish in Berlin. Interment will be in the Holy Family Cemetery in Gorham. Relatives and friends may call at the Bryant Funeral Home, 180 Hillside Ave., Berlin on Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM and on Friday from 12:30 to 1:30 PM prior to the service. Donations in her memory may be made to AV Home Care Services, 795 Main Street, Berlin, NH 03570.