Jean M. (Farrell) Vient

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Jean M. (Farrell) Vient, age 93, of Warwick, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, January 23, 2023, surrounded by her loving family.  She was the loving wife of the late Noel T. Vient.

Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Charles E. and Clara E. (Gavigan) Farrell, she lived in Warwick for most of her life.  She was a l947 graduate of St. Xavier Academy in Providence, and a member of the RI Honor Society and National Honor Society.

Jean was an insurance agent, and the owner of Vient Insurance, Agency, Inc.

She was a long-time communicant and member of St. Catherine of Siena Church.

Immediately following her graduation from St. Xavier Academy, Jean obtained her insurance brokers license and began her insurance career at GL & HJ Gross Insurance Agency.

In 1964 she and Noel opened their own insurance agency, the Vient Insurance Agency, Inc.  In 1978 she obtained her Certified Professional Insurance Woman designation.

Jean was active in local, state and regional insurance associations.  She was a member of the Independent Insurance Agents of RI, the Professional Insurance Agents of New England, and the National Association of Insurance Women/RI.

She served on Boards of Directors and chaired numerous committees, including the RI Governor’s Insurance Council and the RI Auto Insurance Plan Governing Committee.  She played a paramount role in the establishment of the RI Auto Insurance Plan Service Center, the first of its kind in the country.

She was President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Kent County, President of the National Association of Insurance Women/RI, served on the Board of Directors of the Independent Insurance Agents of RI and the Independent Insurance Agents of New England, and was a member of the Peerless Insurance Company and Northland Insurance Company Agents Councils.

Her dedication and commitment to the independent insurance agency system were evidenced by the numerous rewards she received.

In recognition of her outstanding support and exemplary service to the insurance community in RI and New England, she was awarded the Professional Insurance Agents of New England Agent of the Year 1987, 1988 and 1996, and Chairman of the Year 1982 for her outstanding leadership on the RI Steering Committee.

Always a proponent of education as a means to success, as President of the National Association of Insurance Women/RI she initiated educational I-Days to be held during office hours to promote and provide education for women employed in the insurance industry.

Known for her high integrity, strong ethics, intelligence, impeccable class, and for always conducting herself in a lady-like manner, she was a pioneer of women in the insurance industry, paving the way for women to achieve positions of underwriters, managers and presidents of insurance companies.

As a believer in Catholic education, she was the on Parent’s Advisory Council at Prout Memorial High School for Girls, and in 1970 traveled to London, England, to meet with the Sisters of the Cross and Passion and was successful in requesting funding to keep Prout open.  She was on the Save Hendricken Committee, which was successful in keeping Bishop Hendricken High School from closing.  She was inducted into the Prout and Bishop Hendricken Halls of Fame.

Jean was on the Board of Directors of the American Parkinson Disease Association/RI Chapter, and for many years the co-chair of the chapter’s walk-a-thon, which raised funds for Parkinson Disease research.

Jean loved summers at Bonnet Shores, early morning walks on the beach, vacations in New Hampshire, and she was a voracious reader, but most of all she loved spending time with her family.  Insurance was her profession, but her family was her life.  She was beautiful inside and out.

Jean was the loving mother of Kathryn M. Vient (husband Christopher P. Lefoley) of Warwick, and the late Marilyn J. Lamendola (husband Richard Lamendola of North Kingstown); the grandmother of ten; the great-grandmother of eight; and the sister-in-law of Verna Farrell of Cranston.

She was the sister of the late Marjorie C. Johnson, Frances I. Paine, Edward J. Farrell, Evelyn A. Siczewicz, Leo C. Farrell, Ronald A. Farrell, Charles E. Farrell, and Robert J. Farrell.

Her funeral will be held on Friday, January 27, at 10 a.m. from the Barrett & Cotter Funeral Home, 1328 Warwick Avenue, Spring Green, Warwick, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 A.M. in St. Kevin Church, 333 Sandy Lane, Warwick.  Visiting hours will be on Thursday, January 26, from 4-7 P.M.  Burial will be in St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston.

Contributions made in her memory to Bishop Hendricken High School, 2615 Warwick Avenue, Warwick, RI 02889, would be appreciated.  www.barrettandcotter.com