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Person

Isabelle G. LaFreniere

Also Isabelle G. LaFreniere · Isabelle LaFreniere

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypePerson
Born1944-08-12
Died1971
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Person
Born
1944-08-12
Died
1971
Burial
circa 1971 · Holy Cross Catholic Church building
Work
Women's Army Corps servicemember · Employee, Michigan Secretary of State's office, Lansing
Parents
Patrick W. LaFreniere
Siblings
Patrick Edward LaFreniere
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
communitycatholicismheritage
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

Isabelle G. LaFreniere was born at St. James on August 12, 1944, the daughter of Patrick W. LaFreniere (Patrick W. LaFreniere) and Elizabeth LaFreniere. She graduated from Beaver Island Community School, served in the Women’s Army Corps from October 1963 to March 1965, and afterward worked in the Michigan Secretary of State’s office in Lansing, where she was living at the time of her death. The July 1971 Beaver Beacon reports that she was killed outright, at 26, in a three-car crash at St. Johns while traveling to Beaver Island to visit her parents. Funeral services were held at Holy Cross Church and burial followed at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Evidence and limits

The obituary supports the birth date, parentage, education, military service, employment, and funeral and burial arrangements. It names three brothers — Patrick E. of Manistee, matching Patrick Edward LaFreniere; John N. of Ludington; and Joseph W. of Chicago — and three sisters, Mrs. Archie Minor of St. James, Mrs. Margaret Plemons of Lansing, and Mrs. Jean Osmolinski of Lowell, none of whom yet have their own episode-qualified records here. It does not give the exact date, time, or cause of the crash, nor a military service record beyond the WAC enlistment and discharge dates.

Open questions

  • What was the exact date of the crash, and were other parties identified?
  • Do any of her named siblings — beyond Patrick Edward — appear elsewhere in the held corpus under married or maiden names?

See also

Kin

Patrick W.LaFreniere1910 – 1978Patrick EdwardLaFreniereb. 1961This articleIsabelle G.LaFreniere1944 – 1971
Only relations stated in the sources are drawn; absence means unrecorded, not childless or unmarried.

Sources

  1. Reports that Isabelle G. LaFreniere, 26, of Lansing, was born at St. James on August 12, 1944; graduated from Beaver Island Community School; served in the Women's Army Corps from October 1963 to March 1965; was then employed in the Secretary of State's office in Lansing; and was a member of Holy Cross Church. It reports she was killed outright in a three-car crash at St. Johns on a Friday morning while traveling to Beaver Island to visit her parents, Mrs. Elizabeth LaFreniere and Patrick W. LaFreniere ([[person/patrick-lafreniere-1959]]), and names three brothers — Patrick E. of Manistee ([[person/patrick-edward-lafreniere-1961]]), John N. of Ludington, and Joseph W. of Chicago — and three sisters — Mrs. Archie Minor of St. James, Mrs. Margaret Plemons of Lansing, and Mrs. Jean Osmolinski of Lowell. Funeral services were held at Holy Cross Church and burial followed at Holy Cross Cemetery; the Winchester Funeral Home of Charlevoix handled arrangements. It does not give an exact crash date/time or an independent civil record.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-07_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held eleven-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1971-07_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Lists Isabelle G. LaFreniere (1944–1971), corroborating the newspaper's death year and reported Holy Cross burial.

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 4 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Isabelle G. LaFreniere”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/isabelle-g-lafreniere/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, July 1971, “Obituaries: Isabelle G. LaFreniere.” (and 2 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-04. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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