Theresa M (Leary) Lemaire

Theresa M. Lemaire of Newton, MA passed away peacefully on January 28, 2026, at the age of 97. She was surrounded by her family. Theresa gave us the finest example of how to live a good life.

Born Theresa Leary on September 4, 1928, in Burlington, Vermont, she was the second of four children. Theresa was an exemplary student and after finishing high school, went on to earn her BA in English and a Minor in Geology from Trinity College in Burlington. She met her true love Henry Lemaire shortly after she graduated. They were married July 7, 1951. They spent their early years in Winooski where Henry taught at St Michael’s College, but eventually relocated to Natick, MA and then finally to Needham, MA as Henry pursued a career in engineering. During their time together, they raised a family of seven children of whom they were very proud. Theresa and Henry enjoyed a beautiful life together, interrupted by Henry’s unexpected death in 1977.

After losing Henry, Theresa still had three kids living at home. She became a single mom, but also found herself as an individual. She became a political activist, a therapeutic masseuse, and a world traveler. She trekked through Nepal, biked along rivers in Europe and helped crew a sailboat through the Alaskan Inside Passage. She skied the trails of Craftsbury Vermont well into her 80s and took long daily walks in and around her Hawthorn Ave neighborhood, where she was known to the neighborhood kids as “Miss Theresa”. For her 90th birthday she hosted a family river cruise up the Columbia River in Oregon. She was an avid reader. An excellent writer, she wrote scores of essays about her life that were eventually compiled into a book entitled “Piano Lessons”.

Her Catholic faith was central to her life. She practiced her faith by volunteering to help those less fortunate. A long-time member of Saint Susanna Church in Dedham, MA, she was also a member of the Natick Liturgy Group that was active from the 1960s through today. Many life-long friendships were forged there.

Her favorite place was Camp Edgewater, a family property on Lake Champlain in Vermont for over a hundred years. She spent nearly every summer of her life there, creating memories and strengthening the family bonds that were so important to her. She liked nothing more than enjoying outdoor summer dinners with ten to thirty immediate and extended family members gathered around a few picnic tables, and later admiring the sunsets over the lake.

Theresa lived her last few years at Lasell Village in Newton. The staff and her many aides from Deaconess Abundant Life provided excellent care and made sure that her final years were good ones.

Theresa walked the paths and sidewalks of the Village in all sorts of weather. Residents and staff loved to talk with her. Her smiles and sense of humor did not fade, even as her health declined. She inspired many with her cheerful approach to aging.

Theresa leaves behind her children Paul (Laura) Lemaire, Mary Lemaire-Ruhl, Thomas (Sarah) Lemaire, Mark (Cindy) Lemaire, Martha (James) Picone, Daniel (Sharon Markworth) Lemaire and Beth Lemaire (Matthew Cunningham).  She also leaves 11 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.  She was an inspiration and a support to many, and will be terribly missed.

She was predeceased by her baby daughter Anne, her parents Lionel and Phyllis Leary, her brothers James (Ann) Leary and John Leary, her dear sister Phyllis (Robert) Billups and her son-in-law James Picone.

Family and friends are invited to attend visiting hours on Thursday, April 9 from 4-7 PM at Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Ave, Needham MA.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Susanna Church in Dedham, MA at 9AM on April 10.  Burial will immediately follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, 1 Wellesley Ave. in Needham Heights.

Memorial donations may be made to 

Pine Street Inn https://www.pinestreetinn.org/

St Francis House https://stfrancishouse.org/

Rosies's Place https://www.rosiesplace.org/