LEWISTON – Patricia “Pat” Russell Leclerc, 86, passed away on March 5, 2019, at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, after a short illness. She previously lived on her family farm in Durham, Maine.Pat was born on July 17, 1932, to Clyde A. and Ruth T. Russell in Bridgton, Maine. After graduating from high school, Pat attended Bliss College in Lewiston, where she earned a degree in business. Pat taught secretarial science classes at Mechanic Falls High School until its closure in 1968. Thereafter, she worked at the University of Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College from 1968-1998, performing many roles for both University of Maine at Augusta and University of Southern Maine, eventually earning master’s degrees in business and English. After an eight-year “retirement”, during which she taught classes for Lewiston Adult Education and private businesses, she returned to Lewiston-Auburn College serving as an administrative specialist until two weeks before her passing. “I tried retirement but just did not like it much” said Pat only two days before she passed.Pat married Albert “Al” Eugene Leclerc from Lewiston, Maine, on June 21, 1953, and they greeted their son Victor into the world on March 28, 1954. Together, Pat and Al remodeled their farmhouse and raised, bred, showed and groomed dogs and horses including Airedales, Borzois, American Saddlebreds and Arabians, a few of them national champions. In the past, she functioned in several capacities as a member of Lewiston-Auburn Kennel Club, the American Saddlebred Association of Maine and the Arabian Horse Association. Pat was an energetic, positive and brilliant woman who loved spending time with her family and friends, working with staff at Lewiston-Auburn College, and remaining actively involved in every aspect of her life to the fullest extent of her abilities. She strove to inspire all those around her to pursue excellence.Pat is survived by her son, Victor and his wife, Jacqueline, of Lewiston; her brother-in-law, Philip Leclerc of Woodbridge, Va.; several nieces and nephews by marriage and their families, good friends, Phil and Melanie Kennedy and their family of Durham; and close friend and caregiver Claudy Lynch. She was predeceased by her husband, Albert, and her parents, Clyde and Ruth Russell.Donations and condolences may be found online at www.albert-burpee.com. Albert & Burpee Funeral Home.At Pat’s request, there will be no services.Donations may be made in her memory to the:American Cancer SocietyPO Box 22478Oklahoma City, OK 73123, The American Society for the Prevention ofCruelty to AnimalsPO Box 96929Washington, DC20090-6929,or to, the CoastalHumane Society30 Range RoadBrunswick, ME 04011

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