Obituary of Mary Jeanne Varese

Mary Jeanne Arsenault Varese, 72, of Monroe, passed away Sunday, June 28, 2020, at Yale New Haven Hospital. Born on Sept. 22, 1947, in Bridgeport, she was a daughter of the late Alyre and Mary Adams Arsenault.

A graduate of Harding High School, she worked at the phone company in Bridgeport before attending the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She returned to Connecticut and took time off from school to raise her children. She attended Sacred Heart University where she graduated with her master's degree followed by her Sixth-Year Diploma in Professional Education.

She spent her career with the Bridgeport Public Schools where she taught elementary school before becoming a math coach. She was dedicated to her profession and worked as both a tutor and summer school teacher throughout her 25 years with the school system. Following her retirement, she continued to teach part time.

Mary Jeanne loved spending time in her garden, reading and restaurant hopping with her friends. Her smile lit up a room and laughing fits were easy to come by.

She was predeceased by her son, William (B.J.) D. Varese and his father, William J. Varese, and brother, Norman Arsenault. Survivors include her loving daughter Ashley Varese and her fiancé Jeremy Leonard of Palm Coast, FL, sister Peggy Kennedy of Ohio, her companion Terry Barber of Monroe, as well as several nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 1, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. directly in St. Patrick's Church, 851 North Ave., Bridgeport. All other funeral services will be held privately for the immediate family.