Ms. Janice Mary Laferriere Obituary (1959

Janice Mary Laferriere April 5, 1959 - June 4, 2017 ATTLEBORO - Janice Laferriere of Attleboro passed away at Sturdy Memorial Hospital on Sunday, June 4, in the company of her family, after a month-long hospitalization. She was the daughter of Ray and the late Georgianna (DeLollis) Laferriere. Jan was born with Down Syndrome and overcame many obstacles in her attempts to be as productive as possible, thanks to the support of her family and the Attleboro Area Association for Retarded Citizens (AAARC), formed by a group of area parents of children with disabilities. Jan was raised in Attleboro with her five sisters. She began pre-school at 3 years old in a pilot program sponsored by AAARC at the Murray Church, which gave her a good start for her education, as nothing was yet available in the school system. Eventually the school system began to integrate classes for the mentally challenged, and Jan attended the Willet School. She then attended high school with the Bi-County Collaborative program, graduating with a certificate from North Attleboro High School. She then entered a program at Attleboro Enterprises, providing her on-the-job training at Pleasant Manor Nursing Home (now Golden Living) as a full-time laundress. Following that job, she was employed as a kitchen assistant at Pub Dennis and L.A. Roberts in North Attleboro for several years. After an illness, she was unable to return to work, but joined a day program at Attleboro Enterprises where she was enrolled until she was hospitalized in May, 2017. For many years, Jan partook in the Massachusetts Special Olympics in cross-country skiing. She loved to swim and to dance; she also spent hours coloring vibrant pictures. Jan lived in a group home on Stoney Brook Lane under the supervision of the Horace Mann Educational Association of Franklin. She attended the former St. Joseph's Church of Attleboro (later combined with the Holy Ghost parish and renamed St. Vincent DePaul). She could often be seen in the choir loft with her father at Sunday morning Mass. Jan is survived by her father, Ray and her sisters and brothers in law: Diane and Kevin Laferriere -Murphy of Vermont and South Carolina, Michelle and Mark LaPlante of Georgia, Jim Olsen of Attleboro, Paula and Michael Cassidy of Attleboro, and Monique Laferriere of Attleboro. She was pre- deceased by her mother Georgianna (Gig) Laferriere and her sister Carol Olsen. Jan is also survived by her 16 nieces and nephews, 3 great nephews and 1 great niece as well as her household at Stoney Brook, Rose, Joan and Mary, the Resident Manager Cheryl, Leslie and the wonderful staff. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Friday, June 9, from 4 -6 pm in the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home, 20 Peck St. Attleboro. A funeral will be conducted on Saturday, June 10 at 9 am from the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 am in St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 71 Linden St., Attleboro. Burial will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Horace Mann Educational Association of Franklin, 8 Forge Park East, Franklin, MA 02038.