Kathleen (Boland) St. Jean

SALISBURY - Kathleen Ann (Boland) St. Jean, 71, of Salisbury, MA, formerly of Haverhill, MA, passed away peacefully on April 24, 2024, surrounded by her family. Kathleen leaves behind her husband of 40 years, Mark St. Jean, her loving daughter Kristine (St. Jean) Macrae, son in-law, Patrick Macrae, and grandson James Richard Macrae.

Kathleen was the eldest daughter of the late William P. Boland, Jr. and Mary (Slattery) Boland of Bradford, MA and the first grandchild of William Boland and Mary Linnehan Boland. She was a trailblazer, a listener, a learner, a reader, a fierce warrior, and a good friend.

In her elementary school years, Sacred Hearts in Bradford, MA was her world. She crossed the bridge to attend Saint James High School and was proud to wear the blue and white. When St. James closed its doors, Kathleen transferred her colors to brown and gold, became a student of Haverhill High School and graduated in 1970. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and completed a Masters of Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She was employed as an educator in the Haverhill Public School System, where she taught for thirty years.

In her zest for life, she paved a wide path for the ride those who knew her were blessed to have shared. She lived what she taught; love one another, be kind to each other, treat every day as a blessing, and keep the faith. Kathleen considered herself truly blessed with a community of dear friends with whom she and Mark shared lifelong memories. She enjoyed numerous excursions to the mountains and the shores of New England, for cherished visits with relatives and friends. She loved living by the ocean and found joy and solace in its changing ways. Above all, Kathleen St. Jean was a ray of sunshine.

In addition to Mark, Kristine, Patrick, and James, Kathleen leaves four sisters, two brothers and their families. Christopher and Monica Kelley; William and Fran Boland; Joseph and Susan Boland; Ellen and Bruce Powers; Julie and Mark Haley; Mary and Robert Kaiser.

Michael, Courtney, Charlie, and Joey Munroe; Julie Kelley; Daniel, Jackie, Charlotte, and Matthew Kelley; Maria, Ryan, Avery, and Cal Cantwell; Rachel, Jack, and Madison McCall; John Boland; Joseph Boland; Caroline and Christopher Knight; Lindsey and Justin Ferris; Jacqueline, Greg, Corinne, and Ashlene Vlahos; Elise, Colin, Beau, and Maeve Bradley; Gwendolyn Powers; Mary Haley, Brian Haley; Shannon Kaiser.

She also leaves the Saint Jean family, many cousins, and a multitude of loyal friends.

Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, April 29 in Sacred Hearts Church, 165 So. Main Street, Haverhill at 11:00 AM. Please meet directly at the church. Private family interment will be held at a later time in St. James Cemetery, Haverhill. Kathleen’s family would like to acknowledge her entire medical team from Tufts Medical Center, and her many angels. Each of the research hospitals played an important role in the miracles Kathleen prayed for daily. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in Kathleen’s memory to either Tufts Medical Center Cancer Research www.giving.tuftsmedicalcenter.org/give-now or Boston Children's Hospital www.secure.childrenshospital.org/site/Donation. For guestbook, visit www.driscollcares.com

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