Jacqueline G. Gonyer

Jacqueline (Good) Gonyer, of Taunton, MA, passed away due to complications with cancer on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, with her husband and children by her side.  She was 67.

Jacqueline was born on December 14, 1953 in El Paso, Texas, to a French mother and an American father, the fifth of six children.  She attended Catholic schools in El Paso, and American army base schools in Germany.  She attended college in Paris, France, as well as in El Paso, and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso. She described herself as “French-Texan”, and was proud of being both a French and an American citizen.  Her mother died unexpectedly when Jacqueline was 14, and she always said that her stepmother was like her second mother.  

Jacqueline was fluent in French and Spanish, and spent significant time in France and Mexico.  She married Bradford Gonyer in 1978, and they had two children, Dominique and Paul.  They moved to Massachusetts near Brad’s family in 1984, and settled in Taunton, MA in 1989.  Jacqueline taught French, Spanish and English to teenagers in MA for over 30 years, in Plymouth, Bridgewater, Holbrook, Canton, and other towns.  Jacqueline had a soft spot for students with hard lives, some of whom she fed regularly, and particularly loved working with quirky and funny students.  She spent her summers gardening, and loved the secluded garden paradise she and her husband created in their yard in Taunton.  She also loved reading, and in retirement read nearly every day.  She had her own interpretation of the French expression “faire l’effort” (make the effort, referring to dressing well everyday), and wore some wild clothes and accessories sometimes, such as gold-coated chili pepper earrings.  She reliably missed the punchlines to jokes, distrusted the internet, and often mixed metaphors with unintentional hilarity. Jacqueline was a loving, devoted wife and mother, and she will be missed terribly.

Jacqueline was predeceased by her mother, Suzanne (LeMasne) Good, originally of Paris, France; her stepmother Maria Celia (Martínez) Good, originally of Durango, Mexico; her father James Good, and one of her brothers.  She is survived by her loving husband of 43 years, Bradford Gonyer, of Taunton; her daughter Dominique Gonyer (Kriss Gil) of Brookline; her son Paul Gonyer (Katelyn Gonyer) of Mansfield; her grandchildren Henry, Ingrid, Derek, Charleigh and Cole; several of her siblings and step-siblings, and a close knit network of in-laws on the Gonyer side.

A private burial will take place in Middleboro, MA.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to FeedingAmerica.org or PlannedParenthood.org. Arrangements enrusted to Riendeau-Mulvey Funeral Home, 467 Bay Street, Taunton MA 02780. To leave Jacqueline's family an online condolence please visit, www-r-mfh.com.

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