Margaret F. Cormier 92, of Nonantum, February 17, 2008, a long-time community activist in that section of the City of Newton, died Sunday morning at the Island Terrace Nursing Home in Lakeville, MA, following a long illness. She was the last surviving child of John and Lucy Cormier, who came to Newton in the early 1900's from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She is predeceased by her parents, two sisters, four brothers and a cousin who was raised as a member of the family. A 1933 graduate of Newton High School, she joined the Raytheon company, first as a vacuum tube assembler and then moving into bookkeeping, where she worked until her retirement in the 1970's. She was a devoted member and participant as a lector in the Masses of St. Jean l'Evangeliste Church (which her mother had a key role in building), known locally as "The French Church" until - in her own words - she was "chased from the altar" by the notorious Fr. Paul Shanley. Her mother Lucy Cormier had a key role as Chairman of the Funding Committee for the original French Church on Dalby St. in Newton. A familiar attendee at Newton City Hall at hearings affecting Nonantum, she was lifetime defender and spokesperson for the individuality of that area, familiarly called "The Lake." She was appointed by Newton Mayor Theodore Mann to the city's Nonantum Advisory Committee and served until her loss of mobility forced her to resign. She had a strong devotion to the extended Cormier family and nursed her sister Mary through the last years of Mary's life. She leaves numerous nieces and nephews. Visiting hours are Wednesday 4-8pm at the Andrew J. Magni & Son F.H., 365 Watertown St, Rt. 16, NEWTON. Funeral Mass Thursday at 10:30AM at Our Lady Help of Christians Church, 573 Washington Street, Newton, with burial in the Cormier family plot in Holyhood Cemetery, Brookline. _www.magnifuneralhome.com_ (http://www.magnifuneralhome.com/) Published in the Boston Globe from 2/19/2008 - 2/20/2008. Tricia **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)