MIDDLE RIVER, Md. — Jeannine Leona (Parent) Boardman, 88, passed away Sept. 23, 2024, with her family by her side.

She was married to Judson E. Boardman Jr. for 62 years and was the loving mother of three children, Rosemarie, of Malden, Mass., David of Oakland, Maine, and Michelle, of Baltimore, Md., three grandchildren, Van, Sophie, and Cooper Boardman, and one step-grandchild, Anthony Larson. She is survived by sisters Marie Barillaro and Madeleine Dowd, both of Chicopee, Mass.

Jeannine was born September 3, 1936, in Readsboro, Vermont, the first child of Armand O. and Alice M. (Bilodeau) Parent. The family moved to Springfield, Mass., where Jeannine would be joined by sisters Marie and Madeleine, and brother, Norman (OMI).

Jeannine was a devout Catholic throughout her entire life. Jeannine attended St. Thomas Aquinas School in Springfield, and graduated from Cathedral High School. She attended Western New England College while working as a bookkeeper for the former Lestoil Corp., and then moved to Washington, D.C. to start life on her own, working as a bookkeeper for a national organization of county and municipal officials.

Jeannine met her husband, Judson, at the time a Coast Guardsman, while riding the train from D.C. to Springfield. He was returning home to Meriden, Conn. on leave from his duty manning Boston Harbor Lighthouse and boarded the train in New Haven. In spite of a nearly empty train car, Judson asked Jeannine if he could sit next to her for his 20-minute ride. He gave her his address at the lighthouse, told her about his limited social life on an island in Boston Harbor, and asked her to write to him. She did, and six weeks later, when Judson returned home for Christmas, they went on their first date.

After a long distance romance, they married on September 1, 1962, at the former St. Joseph's Church. They settled in Meriden, Connecticut, where they started a family of their own. After the birth of their eldest daughter, Rosemarie, and son, David, the couple was able to buy their home of more than 40 years on Savoy Avenue in Springfield. There, they welcomed the addition of their youngest daughter, Michelle.

Jeannine worked at home, raising their children and helping them get a start in life. She resumed her career in bookkeeping in the late 1970s, working for Pre-Design Building Systems, later Crocker Building Co., for 20 years. Jeannine was always active in her parish church, Our Lady of Hope.

After retiring, Jeannine and her husband moved to Homosassa, Fl., but continued to spend time at their cottage in Otis, Mass., and with their grandchildren in Oakland, Maine. The couple moved to Middle River, Maryland in 2024.

Gifts in Jeannine's memory, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the Parkinson's Foundation A memorial service will be held on Tuesday October 8, 10 AM, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 1704 Old Eastern Avenue, Essex, Maryland. Private burial in the Miner Cemetery in Middletown, CT to follow.