Theresa Dechaine

Theresa Dechaine, 79, of Waterville passed away on Sunday, July 7, 2013, in Waterville, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on June 21, 1934, in Winslow, ME, the daughter of Leroy and Simone Dutil. She was raised and educated in Winslow, graduating from Winslow High School. Theresa was predeceased by her husband Alton Dechaine who died February 10, 2006. She is survived by her children; Frederick, Dominic and his wife Debbie, Roger, Deborah Turmelle all of Waterville, Patrick of Sidney and Laurie Glidden and her husband Kip of Coopers Mills; brother Armand Dutil and his wife Darlene; brother-in-law Robert Dechaine; foster brothers Francois Rodrigue and John Noyes; 12 grandchildren; 5 step-grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren; 6 step-great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews. She worked at the C.F. Hathaway and then operated a day care for many years. She loved children and they loved her. She was a member of the Rosary Sodality and the Daughters of Isabella. She was a tireless volunteer at the Corpus Christi Soup Kitchen. Our mother was a generous woman who always put her family and the people she helped first. Mom was an adventurous spirit who loved to travel whenever she could. She found pleasure in the simple things in life; cooking for her family, visiting with her children and grandchildren; visiting and traveling with her friends at the Muskie Center. While growing up our house was the place where all of our friends would gather on Saturday for a lunchtime meal. Our friends knew they could come anytime and the "neighborhood mom" would take them in. Later in life, when she worked for a time at the North End Variety, she became an extended family member to patrons of the store, as well as, members of the Social Club. Mom had a wonderful sense of humor, was an unstoppable force and could run circles around any of us many times over. We always wondered at how she was just so unstoppable. She fought tirelessly for the last two years of her life. She continued to volunteer at the soup kitchen and made pies for the monthly pie sale at her church, as well as, worked the pie sale up until about a month and a half ago. She did not let her disease stop her from doing the things she loved. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the HealthReach Hospice nurses who cared for our mother. The care you gave to her and showed to us has been extremely appreciated. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 12 at Sacred Heart Church, 70 Pleasant Street in Waterville with Rev. Jack Dickerson officiating. Committal prayers and burial will be held immediately following at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, 78 Grove Street in Waterville. A gathering of family and friends will take place at Notre Dame Reception Hall, 112 Silver Street in Waterville following the burial. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Theresa's name to the Corpus Christi Soup Kitchen, 70 Pleasant St., Waterville, ME 04901.