Obituary – Sally A. LaBarre Has Passed Away At Age 87, What Happened? Sally A. LaBarre, 87, a longtime resident of Swanzey, passed away on Thursday morning, April 7, 2022, at Langdon Place of Keene. She was born in Peterborough on June 20, 1934, the daughter of Paul F. and Gladys E. (Keough) Crowell. She grew up in Peterborough, attended local schools, and was a 1952 graduate of Peterborough High School. While growing up, she and her family were very close, a closeness and bond that remained strong throughout the years.
She was a lover of all kinds of music. While in high school, she was a member of the glee club, where she aspired to be an opera singer. Sally found another passion in life and attended Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital’s Nursing Program in Hanover, where she earned her degree as a registered nurse. She resided in Keene for several years before moving to Swanzey in 1963. Her working career as a registered nurse began in the orthopedics department at the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, where she worked for six months.
She later transferred to the former Elliot Community Hospital in Keene, taking a position as head nurse in the medical-surgical area, leading to the role of night supervisor. She was instrumental in developing and heading up the Elliot Hospital’s first post-anesthesia recovery unit in 1958. Sally transitioned to the clinic setting, working for 34 years as a registered nurse at the Keene Clinic, now the Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic, in Keene. She spent her last 28 years as a urology nurse working alongside Dr. Arthur Cohen. She retired in 1998.
Sally was a very active member of her community. She was a longtime member of the Swanzey Lion’s Club, a parishioner of St. Anthony’s Church in West Swanzey, and later at the Parish of the Holy Spirit/St. Bernard Church in Keene. Her faith brought her great strength, which she shared with others as a member of the Pastoral Council and Outreach Team at Cheshire Medical Center, and as a Eucharistic Minister, not only to the parishioners of the Parish of the Holy Spirit, but to those in the hospital, or to those who were homebound. She had a devotion to St. Therese, the Patron Saint of the little flower. Sally was also a longtime member of the Ashuelot Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution National Society and the Catholic Daughters of America’s Court Josephine No. 319.
Sally enjoyed camping and was a longtime member of the Monadnock Camping Chapter 66, serving on its board of directors for several years. Her love for camping found her traveling all over New England. She also enjoyed traveling to her favorite places in Maine, and finally, a “dream come true” honeymoon in Hawaii with her husband, Louis LaBarre in 1999. Traditions were very important to Sally, especially her annual trips throughout the country with her seven high school friends. Her love of life, people, God, and volunteerism will forever be a trait of hers, remembered by many. Her favorite quote was “Every day is a good day, and every day is good!”
Sally is survived by her husband of 23 years, Louis (Lou) LaBarre, of Swanzey; her daughter, Sheryl (Sherry) Brosseau; and her son, Mark Brosseau, and his wife, Katharine; her grandchildren: Ashley Cousens and her husband, Matthew Doyle; Brianne (Brie) Brosseau and her fiance, Scott Weaver; Keegan Brosseau; Aubrey Mehr and her husband, Kevin; Caleb Brosseau and his fiance, Brianna (Brie) Royce; and Christian Brosseau; and her great-grandson, Noah Mehr. Through her marriage to Lou, she is survived by his children: his son, Paul LaBarre, and his wife, Susan; and his daughter, Marie Koski; and his grandchildren: Angela Emery and her husband, David; Tyna Marie Murphy and her husband, Michael; Jennifer Perkins and her husband, Sam; Amanda Michaud and her husband, Noah; Theresa Koski; Kimberly LaBarre and her partner, Jeff; and Sarah Symonds and her husband, Bryan; and his great-grandchildren: Jacob, Aiden, and Devin Emery; Dean and Kate Murphy; Austin, Crosby, and Beau Michaud; and Reid and Oliver Symonds.
Sally is also survived by her brothers: Wayne Crowell and his wife, Charlotte; Richard Crowell and his wife, Anita; her brother-in-law, James Barnes; and many nieces and nephews. Sally is predeceased by her former husband of 40 years, Robert M. Brosseau; her brother, Paul Crowell, and his wife, Florence; her sister, Shirley, and her husband, Herbert Chamberlain; her sister-in-law, Irene Barnes; and her son-in-law, Michael Koski.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at 11 a.m. at St. Bernard Church, 185 Main St., Keene. A reception will be held immediately after the service in the church hall. Burial at the St. Joseph Cemetery, Main Street, Keene will be private at a later date. Family and friends are invited to call on Monday, April 18, 2022, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court St., Keene.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Sally LaBarre’s memory to: N.H. Association for the Blind, McGreal Sight Center, 25 Walker St., Concord NH 03301; The Parish of the Holy Spirit, 161 Main St., Keene NH 03431; or The Monadnock Humane Society, 101 West Swanzey Road, West Swanzey NH 03446.
