Karen Gautreau

With sadness, we announce the passing of our mother, Karen Clare Gautreau (Pierce), 78, who left us peacefully surrounded by love. Born in Gardner, Massachusetts on October 15, 1946, a treasured daughter of the late Arline (Hill) and Chester Pierce.

She is survived by her daughters, Shelley Halkola and her husband Jim, and Amy McAuliffe and her husband Jim, as well as her grandchildren Benjamin, Laney and Katy. She was predeceased by her loving husband Robert Gautreau, and her brothers Tom and Kim Pierce. She is a 1964 graduate of Gardner High School and later worked in the nursing department at the Fernald School in Templeton, followed by the Office of the Town Clerk. She shared her fondness for her coworkers over the years, and the residents of the Fernald School.

Some of our most cherished memories are of holidays together and summers in York, Maine. She also held close her time spent in the peaceful beauty of Pittsburg, New Hampshire and the "North Woods" of Maine-places she shared with her husband, daughters and grandchildren, and recalled with great fondness. She especially loved being surrounded by her daughters' lifelong local friends, and the York "summer girls," and never tired of our stories. She adored her dogs and cats, and they followed her every step.

Our family was especially blessed when Minnie Tania Pasakinskas entered our lives, and will be forever grateful for her loving care, friendship and fun brought to us all in the last years of our Mom's life. We struck luck a second time with her nurse, Kathy St. Pierre who provided intuitive care, humor and kindness to all of us who needed it desperately in her last year of life. Her life was one of quiet dedication, love and laughter, and she left us with a legacy of kindness, compassion, and strength

Calling Hours will be held Saturday, September 6, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. with a service starting at 12:00 p.m. in the Boucher Funeral Home Inc., 110 Nichols Street, Gardner, MA 01440. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Cemetery, Bridge Street, Baldwinville, MA 01436.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601. Please reference in memory of Karen Gautreau.