ST. GEORGE — The St. George City Council honored local scouter Jackie Comeau Thursday by declaring March 19 as Jackie Comeau Day.
“Today we honored Jackie Comeau for her nearly four decades in scouting as a volunteer,” Mayor Michele Randall said in a statement.
“Well, actually, it’s more like 35 years,” Comeau told St. George News. “I took a few years off to care for my mom.”
Comeau acknowledged that there were times when, due to the stresses of life, she wondered if she should quit.
“But I’m not a quitter,” she said, defiantly.
In the halls outside the council chambers, at least two passersby – people who know Comeau from scout-related activities – asked Comeau how it felt to have a day named after her.
Comeau demurred, preferring instead to ask her own questions. She responded to the first by asking that she not be removed from the scout book, for instance. And she told a young cub scout that she felt just about the same as before.
Comeau said that while she appreciates the honor, she doesn’t seek the limelight.
“Really, all praise is due to Troupe 0509, the parents and the Elk’s Lodge,” she said.
Although she’s stepping down as Chartered Organization Representative for Cub Scout Pack 0509, she will continue to volunteer as her schedule allows.
“I’ve been on this path since 1997,” said Comeau, who spent 20 years teaching P.E. and another 20 as a guidance counselor. “At this point, someone else needs to learn the job.”
Before she and her husband moved to St. George in 1995, they lived in Glens Falls, New York.
“We moved here to get out of the snow,” she said.
In 35 years of service, Comeau said she “met a lot of cool people.”
“And, with the right amount of coaxing, they’re willing to help out most of the time,” she said. “I’ve also made lifelong friends. ”
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