Claudine Louise Gall

Claudine Louise (Lavorel) Gall, 78, of Meredith, was born on the 30th day of September in 1935 in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. At the age of five years, she with her parents and baby brother escaped from the city of Paris, in advance of the German invasion. They took refuge in the south of France, outside the city of Toulouse.

Even though the Germans occupied that area it was a relatively safe place to live. Furthermore, they were able to keep a garden to supply vegetables. They raised rabbits to furnish themselves with meat, and they even had a goat to produce somemilk to satisfy the baby.
Claudine did not have the opportunity to attend school until she was ten years of age. Then, with the valuable assistance and guidance of the Dominican Sisters, she not only caught up on all of the schooling, but she eventually earned her Baccalaureate Degree at the Bertrand Institute in Toulouse.
Claudine and her family then moved to the city of Bordeaux in the southwest of France. Since she had learned how to speak English, she was able to obtain a job as a civilian employee at an American Army base which was located near Bordeaux.

While employed at the American Army base, she met a lieutenant in the U.S. Army by the name of Neil Gall, who happened to be stationed at the same location. After he returned home to his civilian life, she made a trip to America to join him. In June of 1958, they were married in the town of Lockport, New York, not far from the city of Buffalo.

They moved to the city of Utica, New York where Neil obtained a good job teaching at the State University of New York. Not long after that, their son Jerry was born. About five years later, Claudine found a teaching position at the Utica Catholic Academy, which merged with Notre Dame High School, and she was very successful at teaching French, Spanish and Latin during her 37 years of service to those schools. She took numerous trips with her students to Europe, and became the Head of the Language Department. With her family, she enjoyed traveling, camping, hiking and sailing.

When Claudine and her husband both retired, they moved to the state of
New Hampshire, for two especially good reasons. They had visited 41 different states and New Hampshire was one of their favorites. Secondly, their only child Jerry was living there. They picked Waterville Valley to be their home because they Always enjoyed being in the mountains.

Claudine volunteered at the local library, elementary school, garden club and the "Shakespeare in the Valley" festivals. She also worked as a volunteer (for over 1000 hours) at Speare Hospital in nearby Plymouth. Claudine worked for a salary at the local gift shop, and at the Waterville Valley Academy. There she spent five years teaching French and Spanish.

Unfortunately, she was attacked by ovarian cancer in the year 2010. She and her husband found a more convenient apartment in a pleasant retirement home not too far awayin the town of Meredith, New Hampshire. On Memorial Day in the year 2014, three and a half years after the fight began; Claudine was conquered by the cancer.

Claudine is survived by her husband and son.