Obituary of Therese Lorrain

Thérèse Jeanne Lorrain passed away on Monday, May 5, 2014, at her farm near Gravelbourg, SK. Thérèse was born on December 3, 1929, near Fir Mountain, SK. She was the eldest child of Léonie (née Dumont) and Arthur Rivard. Growing up on the homestead, she learned to cook and sew from her mother. From the age of 7, Thérèse attended the convent in Lafleche, where she also learned more cooking and crafts. She and her sisters would help in the convent kitchen, and Thérèse had fond memories of the nuns treating them to hot chocolate after chores were done. After completing grade 8, Thérèse returned to the farm to help her parents and siblings. Later on she took on various jobs around Gravelbourg, working as a kitchen and house helper. Thérèse also worked in the kitchen at the hospital until she married René Lorrain on July 3, 1952. After their wedding, Thérèse and René lived with his parents until 1959, at which point they moved to the home they built 2 miles North of Gravelbourg. From those early years and on, Thérèse supported the family farming efforts by preparing countless meals and managing the bookkeeping for René and his brothers who farmed together. Since much of the farm machinery repair occurred at René’s shop, this meant for a busy schedule for Thérèse, yet she still managed to feed the crew while also tending to large gardens and cultivating her talents in crafts such as sewing, knitting, quilting, tatting and cake decorating. Her patience and attention to detail meant she strived for and achieved a high quality result in everything she chose to do. If the outcome was not up to her standards, she would rework it with determination until it did. She was known for her talents, and generously shared them with others, whether it was hemming pants or baking squares, to sewing elaborate bridal gowns and decorating wedding cakes. Thérèse was selfless, often putting countless hours of effort into her projects, and then happily giving them away. She enjoyed living simply and considered others before she thought about herself. Unable to have children in their earlier years, Thérèse and René were eventually blessed with two children, Norman and Juliette, and later on 5 grandchildren. A loving spouse, Thérèse devotedly cared for René during his lengthy bout with emphysema. After his passing in 1999, she cultivated a wonderful circle of friends, and enjoyed her regular visits to the coffee shop. Thérèse was happy to continue living on the family farm after René’s death, filling her time with baking, various craft projects, playing solitaire and continuing to manage the farm. A loving mother and grandmother, Thérèse occasionally travelled to Alberta to visit her children and grandchildren, but she would always look forward to returning to her home to check on her garden, or her house. In recent years she began planning to leave the farm and she looked forward to moving to the Pioneer Villa in Gravelbourg. However, Thérèse would have preferred to stay in her own home as long as she could, and that’s exactly what she did. Thérèse will be dearly missed by her loving family and friends. She is predeceased by her husband René Lorrain (1999); parents Arthur and Léonie (née Dumont) Rivard; sisters Gisèle Lagassé, Alice Hill; brothers-in-law Raymond Gauthier, Louis Nogue, Omer Lagassé. Thérèse is survived by her loving family, son Norman (Brandene) Lorrain, grandsons Dominic, Isaac, Eric; daughter Juliette (Wayne) Lefebvre, grandchildren Joel and Danielle; siblings Cécile Gauthier, Juliette Nogue, Léo (Thérèse) Rivard, Jules (Lorraine) Rivard, Antoinette Lagassé; brother-in-law Émile Lagassé. Funeral Mass was held on Saturday, May 10, 2014, at 1:00 p.m., at Our Lady of the Assumption Co-Cathedral, Gravelbourg, SK, with Father Maurice Minne and Father Joseph Strohhofer celebrants. Cross bearer was Gilles Gauthier. Altar servers were Juliette Nogue and Monique Morin. The eulogy was shared by André Lorrain. Readers were Céline Gauthier and Mariette Anderson. Intentions were read by Johanne Rust. Offertory gifts were presented by Norman Lorrain and Juliette Lefebvre. Communion ministers were Claire Levac and Aurore Larivière. Music was shared by Leanne Mann. Active pallbearers were Guy Lorrain, Michel Lorrain, Claude Nogue, Réal Bouvier, Paul Lorrain and Amedée Lorrain. Interment took place at the Gravelbourg Roman Catholic Cemetery. Memorial donations in memory of Thérèse to the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation, Box 810, Gravelbourg, SK S0H 1X0, and Masses, are greatly appreciated. A very special thanks to all those who kept an eye out for Thérèse over the years following René’s passing, and made it possible for her to stay on the farm by herself all those years. She often referred to them as her angels. Online condolences can be shared at www.pichehawkinsgrondinfuneralchapels.ca. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Piche-Hawkins-Grondin Funeral Chapels, Assiniboia & Gravelbourg.