Marianne Gendreau

Marianne Catherine Gendreau, age 63, passed peacefully on Saturday August 25 at her new favorite place - her yellow beach house in Quincy, MA.  Marianne was born to the late Bertha and Robert Butt; she attended North Cambridge Catholic High School before graduating Suffolk University, where she met her future husband in class after they shared a section of The Globe.  While an extremely introverted person, Marianne ironically thrived at the head of the classroom, enjoying a long career in education, most notably teaching business courses at Matignon High School in Cambridge for 30+ years and serving as vice president at Aquinas College in Milton.  After an early retirement, she could occasionally be found helping out at the family store, Joyce & Gendreau Jewelers of Quincy. Beloved wife of Frank A. Gendreau, she was the loving mother of Michelle Walsh and her husband Ryan Walsh of Upper Brookville, NY; dear sister of Linda Butt of Lexington and Judith Rhodes of San Antonio, TX; and adored grandmother of Francis Ryan Walsh. Marianne was an extremely dedicated wife, mother and sister; she spent countless hours driving Michelle to figure skating lessons & competitions all over the Northeast and in more recent years, she thought nothing of hopping in the car and driving to Long Island to spend a week with "her Francis," who had lovingly dubbed her "Nana."  When the severity of her cancer diagnosis was realized, she immediately planned a family trip so she could be the first person to take Francis to Disney World.  With a smile on her face, Marianne always quipped she might have spent 42 happy years with her husband but her grandson was the love of her life.  Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the Funeral Mass for Marianne on Monday October 1st at 10am at Sacred Heart Parish, 386 Hancock St. in Quincy.