Eugenie "Jennie" Jeannette Trott

Eugenie “Jennie” Jeannette Trott, 97, Manchester, passed away on July 29, 2025, at Massachusetts General Hospital, surrounded by her loving family. Born on August 9, 1927 in Lawrence MA, she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Lea (Fortier) Vaillancourt. Raised a proud French Canadian, her first language was French and she learned English at Sacred Heart Elementary School. As a young child, she worked alongside her siblings and widowed mother tending to their massive vegetable garden, storing crops in the root cellar and preserving vegetables. There began Jennie’s lifelong infatuation with gardening.

At 9 years old, she began taking sewing lessons, and by the age of 12 became an accomplished seamstress. After high school, she began working at the textile mills and was soon sought after by Sutton Mills in North Andover as a highly skilled invisible mender. Jennie met her adoring husband, Ken, ballroom dancing at the Commodore Ballroom in Lowell, MA. They were married on September 22, 1951, and within several years, began building their first home on the land she tended to as a child.

Ken and Jen raised three daughters in Lawrence before moving to Barnard, Vermont in 1970 where they built their second home, a Bavarian styled chalet overlooking the Green Mountains. There they enjoyed many happy years and family gatherings. In 1985, they built their third home in Quechee, Vermont where Ken retired and Jennie created her vibrant cascading gardens and stone walls, using Ken’s custom made birdhouses to attract Eastern bluebirds. Jennie was an avid organic gardener and self- taught nutritionist. In 2000, they moved to Merrimack, NH to be closer to their daughters and grandchildren, and she spent her final years living in Manchester with her daughter Jeanne and her family.

For the past 30+ years, Jennie enjoyed spending winters in Florida with her husband, Ken, and later was joined by her sister, Isabelle. The highlights of her time in Florida included Tuesday night bingo, recounting stories of her youth with her sister during their nightly “teatime”, and spending time with Isabelle’s Pomeranian, Jake.

In her 80s and early 90s, Jennie enjoyed traveling throughout Europe with Jeanne and her family. She was an active member of the Merrimack Garden Club and enjoyed participating in activities hosted by the Franco-American Centre. Jennie was creative, hardworking, kindhearted and caring. She will be remembered as a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. Jennie was predeceased by her beloved husband, Kenneth F. Trott in 2012. She was also predeceased by her sister, Isabelle Byron, and brother, Wilfred Vaillancourt.

Surviving family members include her three daughters, Jeanne Trott and husband Jack Walsh of Manchester, NH, Karen Trott and husband Peter Herdrich of New York City, NY and Donna Shoemaker and husband Carl of Wells, ME; and six grandchildren, Madeline Walsh, Bradley Shoemaker, Lauren Shoemaker, Chelsea Shoemaker, Anna Trott-Herdrich and Wen Trott-Herdrich.

SERVICES: Calling hours are from 4 pm to 7 pm on Sunday, August 3rd at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St., corner of North St, Manchester, NH 03104. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 am on Monday, August 4th, at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 225 Hemlock St., Manchester, NH 03104. A graveside committal service will take place at 1 pm on Tuesday, August 5th, in NH State Veterans Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Highway, Route 3, Boscawen, NH. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to the MGH Fund at https://giving.massgeneral.org/our-donors.