HAMPTON BEACH -- Diana LaMontagne, 84, died Thursday, Aug. 11, 2010, at Webster at Rye after a period of declining health.

She was born April 17, 1926, in Manchester, the daughter of the late Alfred and Rose (Boudreau) Gagne.

Mrs. LaMontagne and her late husband built the Blue Jay Motel at Hampton Beach, which they operated for 34 years before passing the business on to their daughter Mary.

She served the town of Hampton as a selectwoman for one term.

The widow of Arthur R. LaMontagne, her husband of 56 years who died in 2002, she is survived by three sons, Arthur F. "Skip" LaMontagne of Hampton Beach, Eric A. LaMontagne of Raymond and Michael J. LaMontagne of Berwick, Maine; one daughter, Mary LaMontagne of Hampton Beach; 14 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; one brother, Armand Gagne of Portsmouth; one sister, Jeannette Wheeler of Seabrook; and many nieces and nephews.

WE REMEMBER: She was a former member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Precinct Fire Auxiliary, the Hampton Beach Women's Club, the Hampton Monday Club, Oceanside Grange #260, the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 51, and was a Hampton Beach Precinct commissioner.

She was a founding member of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, she served on the parish council, was a Eucharistic minister, a member of the Catholic Women's Club and was very active in the Stephen Ministries.

She enjoyed bowling and wintering in Kissimmee, Fla.

SERVICES: There are no visiting hours.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Monday, Aug. 16, at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, 289 Lafayette Road, Hampton. Burial will follow in High Street Cemetery, Hampton.

Memorial donations may be made to Sacred Heart School in care of the church.

HAMPTON -- The Hampton Beach Beautification Committee is doing something special in memory of former Precinct Commissioner and Selectwoman Diana LaMontagne, who died Aug. 11 at the age of 84.

While a blue spruce tree has already been planted in her honor in the south end of the State Park, a 4-foot granite bench is yet to come.

"Diana has always been a strong supporter and advocate for Hampton Beach," said Linda Gebhart, a member of the Hampton Beach Beautification Committee. "She lived a life a service to our community and was a wonderful role model. We wanted to do something to honor that."

LaMontagne served as a precinct commissioner until she was elected as a selectwoman in 1978. She worked to bring the town and beach together.

Over the years she volunteered her time to many groups, including the Beach Women's Club and Stephen Ministries, an organization that assisted the aged and sick members of Hampton and followed them until their passing.

"She loved the community and would do anything she could to help," Gebhart said. "Even when she was frail and not going out, she still kept active by watching all the board meetings. She wanted to be involved and wanted to know what was going on."

Gebhart said the bench is being donated by Edmund St. Pierre, who refurbished it from recycled granite curbing. A resident on M Street provided the tree, which was rerouted and replanted last week.

Gebhart said the reason why they wanted a blue spruce was because Diana loved Christmas trees.

She recalled the story of when the Clews home at the beach was being torn down to be turned into a parking lot.

There was a tree by the home that Diana enjoyed looking at through the window of her home.

"Diana and I were worried they were going to knock the tree down," Gebhart said. "She warned the boys not do anything with the tree because their mother would be upset with them. That was Diana. She was very opinionated and she was not afraid to put her opinion out there."

The family who inherited the home ended up moving the tree to another location to appease Diana.

"But now Diana is going to have her own Christmas tree," Gebhart said.

Gebhart said LaMontagne's daughter, Mary, thought it would be a fitting tribute for her mother.

"She said Diana would have loved it, the bench will have a view of the sunset on the harbor and the butterfly flower garden in the state park," Gebhart said.

LaMontagne had lived at the beach since she was 3 and during her adult life ran the Bluejay Motel for 34 years until her daughter took it over.

A founding family of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, she served on the parish council, was a Eucharistic minister and was a member of the Catholic Women's Club.

"She was very involved in the Catholic School and was a godmother to the second-grade class," Gebhart said. "Every holiday she had packages made up and gave a gift to every child in the class."

LaMontagne was married to the late Arthur LaMontagne and had four children: Skip, Rick, Michael and Mary.