Lillis Jeannette Joy Beaudoin -- “Lee”—was born on December 9, 1932, in Southwest Harbor, Maine—the fifth and youngest child of Lillis Jeannette Phillips Joy and Winifred Bennett Joy. As a child she displayed unusual musical gifts. Her first words were spoken in the form of a song, “Did You Ever See A Dream Walking? Well, I Did,” sung in the back seat of the family car, much to the astonishment of her family. From her mother, a piano teacher and librarian, she developed a love of music and of literature. As she grew, it became clear that she possessed a lyrical soprano voice, which received much attention in her frequent recitals, beauty pageants and other public performances. When she was in high school her family moved across Mount Desert Island to Northeast Harbor, where her singing voice was noticed by the town’s wealthy resident s, who offered to arrange a music scholarship to Juilliard for this gifted young singer. Ultimately the Joy family decided to keep Lillis close by, and after graduating from Mount Desert High in 1951 (where she wrote the school song), she enrolled at the University of Maine at Orono as a speech major. In December of her freshman year she was set up on a blind date with a handsome sophomore from Biddeford, Chuck Beaudoin, and they never looked back. After Chuck’s graduation in 1954, Lee did not return to Orono for her senior year. She and chuck were married in Northeast Harbor on October 31, 1954.
By the time of their fourth anniversary they were the parents of three children, Julia (b. 1956), Daniel (b. 1957), and Susan (b. 1958). Two more children followed—Jennifer (b. 1963) and their youngest, Nancy, who completed the family in 1965. During these years the family moved from San Diego (where Julie and Dan were born) to Boston (where Sue was born while Chuck attended business school) to Augusta, Maine (where Jennifer was born) to Clarksburg, Maryland (where Nancy was born). Chuck and Lee made Clarksburg their home for 37 years, from 1964 to 2001, where they were active in civic activities from PTA to book club to community association. And with their large brood their home was always a hub in a social community where people fed, tended and raised each others’ children. While she had her hands full with five young ones, Lee began teaching piano and voice to private pupils from her home, and she never gave up this calling. She was an avid reader of literature, and all her life took great pride in being a great cook and hostess. Many will attest to her prodigious skills in these areas! Lee had a way with food and strong beliefs about how it should be prepared and served—in addition to strict protocols about how guests were to be made to feel welcome, comfortable and well-satisfied.
Lee became a grandmother at the age of 47 when Jila Kavandi was born to Sue and Bijan; seven additional grandchildren followed. 32 years later, in 2012, she became a great-grandmother when Mason Arya Kavandi was born to Brandon and Neda.
After Chuck retired, he and Lee grew impatient with Maryland’s suburban sprawl, and decided to move to Oak Harbor, where Nancy, their youngest, lived with her husband Kenny and sons Jake and Nick. Since 2001, Lee and Chuck have been happy residents of this community, where their neighbors have appreciated the hospitality for which the couple is known. They, in turn, have appreciated the town’s welcoming residents and the remarkable beauty of Whidbey Island.
Lee Beaudoin will be remembered for her musical gifts—her voice, her piano playing, her perfect pitch. She will be remembered as a generous and inspiring piano teacher by her scores of devoted pupils over the years. She will be remembered as a chef and hostess extraordinaire. She will be remembered as an enthusiastic, outgoing friend who loved being surrounded by people and celebrating life’s moments. Most of all, she will be remembered by her family as a loving, devoted wife, mother, grandmother and now great-grandmother. She leaves behind a place in all our hearts which will always be hers.
Descendants of Lee and Chuck Beaudoin:
Children: Julia Beaudoin Nakken, Daniel Beaudoin, Susan Beaudoin, Jennifer Beaudoin Moffitt, Nancy Beaudoin Rouser
Grandchildren: Jila Kavandi, Leyla Kavandi, Ali Kavandi, Brandon Kavandi, Sara Kavandi, Jacob Rouser, Nicholas Rouser, Curtis Ducken, William Nakken
Great-grandchild: Mason Arya Kavandi, born March 15, 2012

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