Nancy A. (Dufresne) Ellis

WILLIAMSTOWN – Nancy Ann (Dufresne) Ellis, 88, of Felicity First Avenue, passed away on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at Woodridge Nursing Home in Berlin with her family at her bedside.

Born on January 9, 1934, in Barre, she was the daughter of Wendell and Rachel (Comstock) Henry. She attended local elementary schools and Spaulding High School. While growing up, she made her home in Graniteville and Barre.

On July 24, 1949, she married Henry Dufresne in the St. Monica Catholic Church in Barre. They later divorced. On May 18, 1968, she married Walter Holmes in the Unitarian Church in Montpelier. He passed away on April 14, 1977. She then married Jack Pierce on July 1, 1978, in the United Church of Christ in Putney. He passed away on June 3, 1985. On September 8, 1988, she married Frances G. Ellis in the Dummerston Congregational Church. He passed away on September 13, 2003. During these years, she made her home in Connecticut, Barre, Montpelier, Newfane, and Putney before settling in Williamstown.

Nancy worked for the Rock of Ages Capacitor Plant in Barre and was a waitress at the Brown Derby Restaurant in Montpelier in her earlier years.  Shortly after her marriage to Walter they moved to Newfane.  Together they owned and operated Holmes Shoe Repair Shop in Brattleboro until Walter became ill.  They sold the shop and she worked a brief time as a line worker at American Optical in Brattleboro and then with The Book Press in the bindery department.  She moved to Putney after his passing.  A car accident caused her to leave The Book Press.  Once she recuperated she pursued her next adventure as owner and operator of Cherie’s Knitting Shop until she retired.  To fill her idle time she decided to work part-time in the kitchen  at the Austine School for the Deaf.

She was a former member of St. Edwards Catholic Church – Ladies of St. Anne, the American Legion Auxiliary Post #10 of Barre, and the Moose Club.

In her spare time, she enjoyed hunting and fishing in her early years, camping, knitting and crocheting, playing Bingo, playing the organ, singing and dancing, listening to country music as well as motorcycle rides with her son, Henry in her later years. She loved to decorate for the Christmas season, and her home won many awards for her seasonal display.

Survivors include her children Karla Dufresne Perkins and her husband, John; Henry G. Dufresne, Jr. and his wife, Gay; John E. Dufresne and his wife, Rose; Tamara Dufresne Lokatys and her husband, Ron; Linda Dufresne Floyd and her companion Don Ainsworth; Robin Dufresne Miller and her companion Dan Cota; her grandchildren James Perkins, Sara Jarvis-Comi and her husband, Billy; Tanya MacAuley, Aimee Laferniere and her husband, Arthur; Tasha Dufresne, Crystal Dufresne and her companion, Nicole Provost; Jeremie Dufresne, William Locke, Tabitha Breckenridge, Joshua Floyd, Jennifer Miller, and Tiffany Bolduc; her great-grandchildren Wyatt, Caleb, and Ethan Jarvis-Comi; Mitchel, Colby, Sage, and Slade MacAuley; Leo (Halla) and Stella Laferniere; Mikaela and Colton Herold; Abigail and Jacob Dufresne; Kalianna Locke; Mariah and Derek Wright; Kayla Bolduc; Mason and Ely Lucas with a great-great grandchild due in May; her sister Barbara Henry Laufman in Dunnellon, FL; her cousins Anita Nay and her husband, Peter; Robert Comstock, Bonnie Pemberton and her husband, Mike and Brent Maurais and his wife,  Kathy as well as her nieces Shari Jones and her husband, Denzel in Dunellon, FL and Elizabeth (Becky) Barberry in Newport News, VA.

In addition to her grandparents and parents, she was predeceased by her husbands; her daughter Rosemarie Dufresne; her aunts and uncles Edward (Pete) and Francis (Poppy) Maurais and Claude and Natalie Stevens and her nephews Shane, Scott, and Lance Laufman.

The graveside service to honor and celebrate her life will be held on Friday, May 13, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. in the Worcester Village Cemetery in Worcester. Family and friends may call on Thursday, May 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Hooker Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy Street, Barre.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Central Vermont Humane Society, PO Box 687, Montpelier, VT  05601; St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN  38105, or to Habitat for Humanity, 300 Cornerstone Drive, Williston, VT  05495.