Clara Alice (Lavoie) Palmisano, 81, of Haverhill, passed away Tuesday, June 7, at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston.
She was born in Peabody, Aug. 10, 1934, daughter of the late Arthur and Alice (Gregoire) Lavoie. Palmisano was educated in the Salem and Lynn school systems and graduated from Lynn Classical High School. After graduating, she attended IBM School of New York and graduated the top of her class. She was employed for many years in the engineering field as a key punch operator and tape librarian, working at General Electric, Pratt and Whitney, and Northeast Airlines. After leaving Northeast Airlines she was the owner and manager of two Dairy Queen franchises, Somerville and South Lawrence, for more than 25 years. Palmisano enjoyed interacting with the customers and loved every employee. She would say these are “All My Children.” In some ways she was a second mother to them and to all of her daughter’s friends. She was a free spirit, very independent, and had stamina unlike any other. She always had a kind word to say. Her motto was ‘it does not cost anything to be nice.’ In her free time Palmisano enjoyed entertaining in her home, cooking and baking, and going to the movies. She was a world traveler, she always had a bag packed and ready to go. She loved going on cruises and visiting DisneyWorld and DisneyLand. Her favorite spot was Miami Beach. She very much enjoyed her trips to the casinos with family and friends.
Palmisano was predeceased by her brothers Sonny Lavoie, Eugene Lavoie and Phillip Lavoie. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Edward Palmisano of Haverhill; Daughter Lisa G Palmisano, also of Haverhill; two sisters, Pauline Delano of Lynn, and Florence Kaczynski and her husband Boleslaw of Davie, Fla.; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend her calling hours Tuesday, June 14, from 5 to 8 p.m., at H.L. Farmer and Sons Bradford Funeral Home, 210 South Main St. (route. 125). Her Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday, June 15, at 10:30 a.m., at Saint Anne Parish, 26 Emerson Ave., Hampstead, N.H. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place Memphis, Tenn., 38105, www.stjude.org and/or to the Smile Train 41 Madison Avenue 28th Floor New York, New York 10010, www.smiletrain.org.