Theresa Agathe Doyon

Theresa Agathe Doyon (nee Leclerc)

Terry, as she was fondly known, was 92 years old when she died on June 13^th at St. Johnsbury Health and Rehab after a lengthy illness.  Her daughter Deborah was by her side. 

The second oldest of five children, Terry was born on September 16^th 1930 to Phillippe and Agathe (Fortin) Leclerc of St. Johnsbury, Vermont and spent her childhood on Green Street.  A passionate scholar, she delivered the valedictory address to her high school class when she graduated from Notre Dame Catholic High School in 1947.   Terry left St. Johnsbury that summer for Staten Island to pursue studies in Chemistry and Mathematics and graduated from Notre Dame College (now St. John’s University) in 1951 with a Bachelors of Science, Summa Cum Laude.  Dow Chemicals extended an exciting industrial career opportunity but Terry chose to return to St. Johnsbury to accept a position teaching high school math and chemistry.

The Radar Base in East Haven hosted USO dance fundraisers in the late 50’s and it was there, in 1958, that she met her future husband, Conrad Doyon, whom she married on July 11^th 1959.  Terry and Connie shared the next six decades together, building a home, a family, and becoming pillars of the community that they both loved best: St. Johnsbury.  Conrad died two weeks shy of their 60^th wedding anniversary.

Terry’s commitment to fostering democratic engagement, encouraging a diversity of political thought and expression, and to investing in the community is an important part of the legacy that she leaves to all of us.  Although she was brought up in a staunch Republican family, she broke ranks and supported Democratic political contenders, both locally and statewide, as she and her husband aligned themselves with progressive causes. Her garden, which surrounded the house on Boynton Avenue where she raised three children, was a point of pride in the neighborhood and a place of great beauty where all were welcome.  She especially loved daisies and irises and was active in the St. Johnsbury Garden Club and the Weed and Seed Society, where she served as Treasurer, Vice President and President. These clubs were responsible for planting and maintaining the flower boxes all over town. An active member of St. John’s Catholic Church, Terry organized the Christmas Bazaar for many years.   Many will remember her enthusiasm for golf, her deadly backhand on the tennis courts, and her friendly approach and attention to detail as she greeted the patrons of Citizens Bank (now Union Bank) where she worked for more than twenty years, retiring at 76 to care for her grandson, Odin, until he started pre-school.

Terry is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Conrad Doyon (2019), eldest daughter Lisbeth Doyon Gee (2022), sisters Vyonne Gravelin (2022) and Bernadette Durrse (2006), and brothers Father Gerard Leclerc (2016) and Br. Robert Leclerc (2017).   She is survived by her daughter, Deborah Doyon of St. Johnsbury, and son and daughter-in-law Timothy and Patsy Doyon of Waterford; beloved grandchildren, Odin Palmer, Heath and Nathan Doyon, Katelynn McKaffery and Justin Hale; as well as eleven nieces and nephews

Terry has asked that there be no calling hours or funeral services. Instead, the family asks that friends and well-wishers help beautify their community and neighborhood by planting wildflowers or a flowering bush in her memory. 

Memories and condolences may be shared with family at saylesfh.com.