Obituary of Pauline J. Guay

Pauline Jeanette (Leduc) Guay, beloved mother, sister, grandmother, and great grandmother, affectionally known to her family as “Mémère”, died peacefully in her sleep at her home at Harbor Chase in South Windsor, CT on April 11, 2022. Pauline was predeceased in 2020 by her husband, Leonard to whom she was married for over 72 loving years.  She leaves three children and their spouses; Paulette and Stanley Stelmach of Glastonbury, CT; David and Kathleen Guay of South Windsor, CT; and Michael and Nancy Guay of South Windsor, CT. She also will be missed by her grandchildren and their families; Thomas and Laurie Stelmach and their children Theo and Emilia of Illinois; Suzanne and Bobby Kemple and their son Bo of Glastonbury, CT; Michael Guay of Washington DC; Nicholas Guay of South Windsor, CT.; Elizabeth Guay of South Windsor, CT; and Christopher Guay of Drakes Island, ME.

Pauline was born on February 20, 1928, to Adelard and Leona (Ruel) Leduc in Hudson, MA. Pauline was the oldest of the Leduc children; she was predeceased by her sister Yvette in 2014. Also surviving Pauline are her brothers, Roger Leduc of Dover, NH and Raymond Leduc of Enfield, CT and their families along with many other nieces, nephews, cousins and their families.

Pauline spent her childhood in West Springfield and as a young woman, found a career in the fashion industry as a designer’s assistant/model.  She was well-known for the beautiful clothes she created for herself and her family. She and Leonard married on May 15, 1948, in Springfield, MA and raised their family in Windsor, CT

Pauline returned to work when her children were of school age and had a long career as a licensed optician (one of CT’s earliest women in that field) for Mezzanine Optical at the G. Fox flagship Hartford department store. Leonard and Pauline spent their retirement primarily in Florida. Most recently, with Leonard’s death in 2020, Pauline lived in CT.  

Especially in her later years Pauline lived for all the family-hosted holiday feasts and traditions, including a 75-year summer tradition of a lake-side picnic at a camp in Otis, MA. Her homemade Canadian tourtière meat pies and pork pate creton, as well as cookies, cakes, jams and pies with fresh picked berries and seasonal fruit were always a hit. The many meals entertaining with family and friends that she and Leonard hosted at their home were often followed with guests playing a game of Bloute/Belote, an ancient French family card game.

There are no calling hours. Friends and family are asked to go directly to Ss. Isidore and Maria Parish at St. Paul Church, 2577 Main Street, Glastonbury CT for a Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at 10 a.m. A private burial will be held later.