Bernice Elizabeth Downey Dallaire, beloved spouse and mother, passed peacefully from this life in the early morning hours of Thursday, November 7, 2013 at the Fairview Commons in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. A longtime resident of Adams, Cheshire, and Lee, Massachusetts, she was 91 years old. Bernice was married to her beloved husband, John (Jack) R. Dallaire, for 46 years, who preceded her in death on April 9, 1989. Bernice was born in Adams on June 27, 1922. She was the daughter of Michael and Roseanna Dow Downey. Bernice was the third of six children. Her formative years were spent in the Grove section of Adams where she attended school. She married her husband Jack on September 27, 1942. After World War II, Bernice and Jack moved from Adams to Cheshire where they raised a family of five children on Depot Street. Bernice and Jack were members of the Cheshire Stompers Square Dance Club. The family moved to Lee in 1971, after Bernice accepted a position at the Lee Post Office. Bernice is survived by one remaining sibling, Michael Gerald Downey, of North Adams, and a sister-in-law, Gabrielle Downey, wife of Robert Downey, of Pittsfield. She is preceded in death by four other siblings, Ruth, Robert, and Patrick Downey and Katherine Scott. Bernice has five children: Michael Dallaire of Sandwich; Linda Calero of Great Barrington, John Dallaire of Tucson; Ann Norcross of Newport, Rhode Island; and Robert Dallaire of Nashua, New Hampshire. Bernice has twelve grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. A Liturgy of Christian Burial to celebrate the life of Bernice Dallaire will be held on Tuesday morning, November 12 at 10 am, at St. Mary's Church in Lee. Burial will follow in Fairmount Cemetery on Greylock Street in Lee. Visiting hours will be held at the Kelly Funeral Home, 3 Main Street, Lee, on Monday afternoon, November 11, from 2 to 5 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.

Visitation Details

Monday, November 11th, 2013 2:00pm - 5:00pm, Kelly Funeral Home

Service Details

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013 10:00am, St. Mary's Church

Interment Details

Fairmount Cemetery