LEWISTON — Lewiston Public Schools’ business office now bears the name of a long-serving employee, Lucy M. Violette.

Violette and her husband, Bob, were two of 18 victims in the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting in Lewiston. Longtime bowlers, they were at Just-In-Time Recreation on Mollison Way where they loved teaching children how to bowl.

“Back when our administrative offices were at the Lewiston Armory many years ago, Lucy and Bob would sit in the balcony and hold hands at their coffee break or lunchtime,” Joanne Lagasse said Monday. Lagasse is a former administrative assistant for the school department.

“Lucy was dedicated, always helpful, always kind,” Lagasse said. “Very kind.”

Dozens gathered Monday at the Dingley building at 36 Oak St. which houses its offices. Among those in attendance to honor Violette’s memory, some had known her for over 30 years, some for just a year.

“She was a big part of everything that happened here for years. It’s really nice that they’re naming the office after her,” Violette’s daughter-in-law, Cassandra, said.

“Hopefully, it helps some of the people that are here too, providing them with some closure,” the couple’s youngest son, John Violette, said.

For the family, the grief is still new.

“It doesn’t feel much different than it did right after it happened,” Cassandra Violette said. “It feels very fresh.”

Donna Spugnardi, former head librarian for the school department, said many will continue mourning.

“I think people will mourn for a long time,” she said. “For those of us who lost people and knew people, I don’t think it will be easier to go on about our lives without thinking about what happened.

“If I go to the movies or some place where there are a lot of people, I’m very careful,” she added.

As a librarian, Spugnardi worked with Violette for about three decades.

“We ran her our bills and she took care of all of it, all of the billing and receiving and never complained,” Spugnardi said.

“Her attention to detail was second to none,” Superintendent Jake Langlais said. “She would reconcile the numbers she had already reconciled. If something was missing, she would go find it. If she was looking for a sweet snack, it was one thing. But if she needed a receipt or a group of invoices, you better have it,”  he said with a smile. “And she had this calm, graceful demeanor about her.”

“Lucy was a quiet and steady presence at the heart of Lewiston Public Schools for her entire adult life. That blows me away,” Adam Hansen, controller at the business office, said.

“She did the work behind the scenes that was never really recognized; that made it possible to educate tens of thousands of Lewiston students,” Hansen added.

Fozia Robleh said she misses Violette despite having known for just a year.

“I was working at (the school department’s) front desk then,” Robleh said. “She would always come up behind me and greet me in the morning. She was kind and welcoming. She was quiet, but open-minded too.”