Lucy Auger, beloved mother, Nana, and gracious presence to countless friends, passed peacefully in her sleep just shy of her 102nd birthday. She lived a long and beautiful life marked by kindness, resilience, creativity, and a deeply generous heart.
Lucy was born in New Westminster, British Columbia. Over the course of her remarkable life she witnessed nearly a century of profound change, yet she carried forward the enduring values of her early years—family, hard work and community. Tending crops, raising livestock, and caring for one another were part of daily life. Lucy and a cousin would pack a homemade lunch and ride bareback across the fields to herd cattle to the watering hole. Refrigeration was a deep cellar in the earth, water came from the well, butter was churned by hand and cottage cheese simmered on the back of a large cast-iron stove. There was joy in monthly barn dances, homemade music, and families gathering in laughter and celebration. From that prairie heritage Lucy carried a lifelong legacy of resourcefulness, perseverance, and quiet determination—always paired with her gracious spirit.
Lucy met the love of her life, Francis “Fran” Auger of Windsor, Vermont, at a WWII Servicemen’s Canteen dance in Edmonton. Courage and devotion drove Lucy from her large Canadian family to Windsor, Vermont where Fran and Lucy married and began building the life that would become their shared adventure. Lucy and Fran moved eleven times in fourteen years as Fran’s work with Mobil Oil Corporation took them to new places. Eventually his career brought the family of seven to Greenwich, Connecticut, where they made a home for 61 years.
Life in Greenwich was filled with simple joys and treasured routines. Lucy and her family spent countless days walking, picnicking, swimming, and boating at Greenwich Point Park (Tod’s Point). Lucy and Fran often walked the three-mile loop there together, a ritual friends joked was their fountain of youth. Staff at the entrance booth fondly knew Lucy as the “Grand Dame of Greenwich Point.”
Lucy was also an artist who loved color and beauty, selling her paintings and winning awards at local art shows. She generously shared her love of art as a docent in the Greenwich public schools, bringing creativity and wonder to hundreds of elementary students over the years. She was an active, ribbon-winning member of the Old Greenwich Garden Club for more than 25 years.
Lucy and Fran raised five children: Catherine Vesterby (Paul Vesterby, deceased) of Queensbury, NY; David Auger, deceased (Becky Auger) of Moretown, VT; MaryEllen Solomon-Auger (Mara Solomon-Auger) of Marblehead, MA; Stephen Auger, deceased; and Susan Auger, deceased.
She is survived by seven grandchildren: Erika Kersey, Alissa Vesterby, Krista Mitchell, Sarah Auger, Isabella Auger-Larsen, Tobey Solomon-Auger and Noa Solomon-Auger.
Lucy was also blessed with 10 great-grandchildren: Kyle, Ashley, Sophia and Josephine Peterson; Lucelle and John Francis Kersey; Nicolas and Carmen Rimauldo; and Mallory and Jackson Mitchell.
At age 98, Lucy made a graceful transition to be near her daughter Cathy in Queensbury, New York. Overlooking peaceful meadows and sunsets, she spent her final years embraced by a warm community of friends at The Glen Senior Living—“friends in the same time of life,” as she liked to say.
Lucy lived a full and gracious life—rich with love, family, art, music, and friendship. Her gentle spirit and generous heart will live on in all who were fortunate enough to know and love her. As Lucy herself often said with a contented smile, “Who could ask for anything more?”
Private Funeral Mass in Glens Falls. Donations in Lucy’s honor to High Peaks Hospice for their loving care of our mother.