Josephine P. Mageau, affectionately known as (Jessie) died on December 31, 2025 in Vernon, Conn. She was 93.

Her life was a testament to resilience, independence and love — a legacy that will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.

Jessie was born on Feb. 25, 1932, in Valletta, Malta. She spent her early years on the island enduring the hardships of World War II when Malta, then a British colony, was the last critical stronghold for Britain in the Mediterranean. During the relentless bombings, her family lost their home and several loved ones — a testament to her resilience and strength throughout her life.

In her mid-20s, Jessie emigrated from Malta to Canada with her mother and sisters. There, she met the love of her life, Robert Joseph Mageau. They married in October 1966 and soon welcomed two daughters: Natalie, and two years later, Anne Marie.

Following the birth of Natalie, the family immigrated to the United States, settling in Vernon, Conn., where Jessie lived independently until just one month before her passing.

She dedicated a quarter of her life to teaching school in Malta before working as a bookkeeper in the insurance industry in Canada. After raising her daughters in Connecticut, she returned to the workforce as an associate underwriter at The Hartford Insurance Company. Both pre- and post-retirement, Jessie spent cherished time at the family’s beloved homes in Wilmington, Vt. — where family skiing adventures at Hogback, Haystack and Carinthia created lasting memories — and in Edgartown, where summers were spent enjoying the Island’s beauty for over three decades.

She will be remembered for her creativity, humor and zest for life. She loved dancing, knitting (never crochet!), sewing and “crafting,” skills that saved countless school projects for her children and grandchildren. Her family describes her as “incredible, funny, thoughtful, and full of spunk, smiles and fun.”

She is survived by: her daughters: Anne Marie Prewitt of Eliot, Me., and her husband Jay, along with their daughters Hadley and Kendall, and Natalie Wood of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.,, and her husband Scott, along with their sons Aaron (and his wife Jennifer) and Derek (and his fiancée Ashley); her sisters Theresa Kindred and Mary Lewis of Ontario, Canada; dear friends Joan and Bob Levintan and Mary McIntyre; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her treasured husband Robert and her brother Philip Coleiro.

Friends and family are invited to a brief visitation on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Ladd and Carmon Funeral Home, 19 Ellington Avenue in Rockville, Conn., and to a Mass of Christian Burial at Jessie’s beloved church – Blessed Sacrament Parish- St. Bernard Church, 25 St. Bernard Terrace, in Rockville, Conn., with a committal service to follow immediately at Elmwood Cemetery, 30 Cemetery Road in Vernon, Conn.

Special thanks to the staff of Manchester Memorial Hospital and Vernon Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, and to Father Rick of Blessed Sacrament Parish, whose thoughtfulness, care and tenderness to Jessie was a blessing to her and her family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jessie’s memory may be made to: Blessed Sacrament Parish - St. Bernard Church, 25 St. Bernard Terrace, Rockville, CT 06066; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, P.O. Box 27106 New York, NY 10087; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or to the Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT 06111.