Norwich, VT – Ghislaine M. Belair, 98, died Saturday July 13, 2024, at the Stoughton House in Windsor, VT.

She was born January 29, 1926 in Saint-Vianney, Quebec a daughter of Antonio and Aurore (Poulin) Fortier.  Ghislaine grew up in Quebec and was married to Gerard Belair August 21, 1951.  They settled in North Troy, VT where they began their family. The family moved to Newport in 1959 where she took her talents and love of sewing and began her career sewing at Slalom Skiwear. They moved to White River Junction in 1965 and she began working at Profile Skiwear in West Lebanon, NH until the couple purchased the Riverside Store in Bradford in 1977. They lived in Bradford, operating the store together until 1986. After selling the store the couple moved to Crystal Lake in Barton, VT where the family continues to have family gatherings to this day. After Mr. Belair's death in 1988 Ghislaine was proud to live independently on her own, in her own home for the past thirty years, until only weeks before her death. She moved to Norwich in 2004 where she lived until becoming a resident at the Stoughton House earlier this summer.

Ghislaine was known to most as Mimi and her life was centered around her family. She regularly let everyone she met know how proud of her children and grandchildren she was. She worked hard to give her family everything she could working both outside the home as well as at home. She sewed all her children's clothes when they were young and also built several homes with her husband. Mimi did everything from roofing to installing insulation and finishing drywall on many of the family's homes.

Mimi was predeceased by her husband Gerard and four brothers Omer, Henri-Louis, Robert, and Jocelyn Fortier.

She is survived by her children Carol Lyman (David) of Hartland, VT, Joan Richardson (Kim) of East Corinth, VT and Raymond Belair (Leah) of Cornville, AZ; four grandchildren, Christopher, Andrea, Desiree and Amanda and nine great grandchildren, Ben, Matt, Kade, Jacelyn, Josiah, Hailey, Jaylin, Carter and Grayson, a sister Huguette Lessard of Sherbrooke, QC as well as many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on Crystal Lake in Barton at a time to be announced later with burial in the Notre Dame Cemetery in North Troy.

Condolences may be expressed to Mimi's family in an online guestbook at knightfuneralhomes.com