Irene Sullivan

LEWISTON — Irene Fillion Gauthier Sullivan, 90, of Lewiston passed away Thursday, Aug. 16, at the d’Youville Pavilion.

Born in Lisbon on Aug. 3, 1928, she was the daughter of David and Georgianna Fortin Fillion. Educated in Lisbon schools, she worked in the local mills for several years. In 1946, she married Roger Gauthier, and they made their home and raised their family in Lisbon.

In the early 1960s, they started their catering business and opened Rogers Restaurant and Catering in Lisbon. She moved to St. Petersburg, Fla., in 1985. She enjoyed knitting for family and friends, and knitting slippers for vets and hats for newborns at hospitals in Florida. Over an eight-year period, she knitted more than 1,000 hats for newborns, and received recognition from the Veterans Administration. Nicknamed “Naughty,” Irene was known for her playful sense of humor, and loved teasing and joking with family and friends.

Survivors include her daughter, Phyllis St. Laurent, and companion, Alan Tower; son, Gary Gauthier, and wife, Nancy; brother, Joseph Fillion; five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, all of whom were her greatest joy; and many nieces and nephews.

Besides her parents and her beloved first husband, she was predeceased by a daughter, Gail Gauthier; three brothers: Roger, Lionel and Armand Fillion; four sisters: Rejane Binette, Edith Moore, Lillian Boisclair and Laurette Bernier; her second husband, Walter Sullivan; and her companion, William Flory.

The family would like to thank the staffs of Beacon Hospice and d’Youville Pavilion, especially an “angel nurse,” Claire Levesque.

Donations and condolences may be found online at www.albert-burpee.com.