Edna Simonne Poulin, age 83, of Central Falls, RI passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.

She graduated from Central Falls High School, the University of RI with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Bryant College with a Master's in Business Administration.

Edna began her career at the former Union Wadding Company in Pawtucket as a Quality Control Technician, advancing to the position of Director of Training and Personnel and to Plant Manager, the first woman Plant Manager in RI. For over twenty years, she was a consultant/publisher for GRM Associates. She was formerly Vice President/Treasurer for Verichem Laboratories, Inc., a company she co-founded. For five years, she was the Finance Director for the City of Central Falls and became the Director of Labor for the State of RI in 1995. She ended her career as Chief of Worksite Wellness for the RI Department of Health, where she spearheaded an initiative with the business community to make RI the first "Well State" in the nation.

She believed in giving back and made volunteering a top priority. Highlights of her many business and community involvements include Past Board Member/Secretary Memorial Hospital of RI, Past Board Member AAA, Southern New England, Past President Board of Directors Family YMCA, Past President Textile Club of Boston, Past President Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, Past Board Member RI Chamber of Commerce, Past Board Chairman Bishop Keough Regional High School, Past Board Chairman Central Falls Community Center. She was the first woman to serve in many of these capacities and was a trailblazer paving the way for numerous women to advance in their careers.

Edna will be remembered as an extraordinary woman. She was a woman of results…not just words. She left an impact and a legacy, and her influence will remain in the lives of all who knew her.

Preceded in death by her parents Edgar L. Poulin and Edna K. (Grudzien) Poulin, her brother Joseph E. Poulin and nephew Dennis Poulin. She is survived by niece Donna Woodworth and her husband Allan, niece Michelle Poulin and her wife Paula, nephew Michael Poulin and many other great nieces and nephews, cousins, and dear friends.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, at 10:00 AM at St. Joseph's Church, 391 High Street, Central Falls, RI. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, family and friends may make memorial donations to the YMCA of Pawtucket, 8 Summer Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860. Please notate the Richard D. Merrill Scholarship Fund.