Charlotte Theresa Nadeau of Meredith, NH, passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 19, 2024, at the age of 92. Charlotte was born in Brooklyn, NY, on leap year, February 29, 1932. Her parents were Frances (Orzechowski) and Charles Mongno. She was raised in Goshen, New York, on the family farm by Bobcia, her grandmother who was an emigrant from Poland and only spoke Polish. While in high school, Charlotte excelled in arts and athletics and was a first chair violinist. At the same time she worked the fields of onions and potatoes on the farm along with her brothers Larry and Charlie, and was even named Goshen’s “Onion Queen” one year. She talked about her farm life fondly, from the tight-knit Polish-Catholic community, to the hard work at harvest times and the fresh grown food she remembered so vividly.
The first in her family to go to college, Charlotte earned a degree in nursing from Albany State Teacher’s College. She took a break from nursing in 1956 and sailed on a steamer ship to Europe, where she toured with doctors and priests, lived in hostels, and made house calls in the Swiss Alps. Upon her return to Albany, she was appointed head nurse of the women’s wing of the Psychiatric Hospital in Albany at the age of 25, and also met her future husband of 62 years, Dr. Thomas Nadeau. Together, they moved to California when Tom enlisted in the air force and then to Okinawa, Japan.
In 1961 they moved to Meredith, NH. While simultaneously raising five children, Charlotte was a communicant of St. Charles Church and spent a good deal of time cleaning the nave, ironing and sewing the priests’ vestments, providing the floral arrangements for the services, and providing meals for the priests and brothers at La Salette in Center Harbor, NH. She was on the Meredith school board and helped to secure a new elementary school and initiate health programs for its students.
She and Tom built the Inter-Lakes Medical Center in 1969. In the 1970s she attended training at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and became one of the first nurse practitioners in the state of New Hampshire. She worked with Tom in that capacity, as well as the administrative side of the business until their retirement in 1995. During that time, she found great satisfaction in focusing on women’s health issues and treatment of the elderly.
Throughout her life, Charlotte continued her interest in sports as a stolid Red Sox fan, skier and golfer. She played guitar and shared instrument lessons with her daughters. She traveled to Europe and Africa, and fell in love with the people, colorful fabrics, and culture. It was not a coincidence that she went to Fenway Park on September 12, 1979 — the day the famous Polish American player (and her favorite) Carl Yastrzemski hit his 3,000th hit.
Charlotte was very patriotic. Having lived through 16 presidents, she voted in every presidential election in which she could. She also donated to many causes, including disabled veterans, children’s hospitals, and animal care groups. Her pastimes included sewing, gardening, and tending to her pets.
Charlotte is survived by her five daughters, Paula Booth (and husband Ethan Booth), Regina Nadeau (and husband David Frost), Carla Nadeau (and husband Paul Clark), Maria Cohen, and Johna Nadeau (and partner Edward Scribner); and grandchildren Nicholas, Grace and Lauren Booth, Kathryn Cohen, Charlotte Rae and Roy Thomas Clark.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of her life and legacy to the Paralyzed Veterans of American, St. Jude Hospital, or the New Hampshire Humane Society.
Arrangements are under the care of Mayhew Funeral Homes and Crematorium. To sign the online book of memories, go to mayhewfuneralhomes.com.