Mireille "Mimi" Theena

Mireille "Mimi" Theena 1919—2016
Mireille "Mimi" Theena died October 10, 2016, in Tucson, AZ. Her daughters, Christine and Jennifer, were with her as she ended her 97 year journey. Mimi was born on August 13, 1919, in Rouen, France to Felicienne (Chavatrell) and Gaston Jean Baptiste Ghevart. Mimi was orphaned at age 4 and grew up in a convent with many other children and her sisters, Felicienne "Nenette" Burette, and Jacqueline Maffre. Mimi met her future husband, Joseph Francis Theena, a pilot with the U.S. Army Air Corps, on a blind date in Paris where she was a fashion model for the House of Cayllx. One of their first dates was to the grand re-opening of the Paris Opera following the end of the Nazi Occupation. They fell in love and were married in 1947, in Paris and at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City then moved to Portage, Wisconsin. They spent most of their married lives in Metamora, Illinois and wintered in Ft. Myers Beach, Florida for 25 years. Her journey with Joe from Paris to life in the United States lasted 56 years when Joe passed away in 2003. Mimi moved to Freeport in 2009, and recently moved to Tucson with Christine and Clarence Holt. Mimi was a force of nature. She dazzled the world with her smile, humor and charm. She knew how to get through tough times and how to appreciate the good ones. She was intelligent, caring, hilarious, vivacious, very particular and fiercely loving. She adored reading, listening to classical and big band music, and dancing. She was always the life of party. She is survived by many loving family members and friends: her daughters, Christine (Clarence) Holt of Tucson and Jennifer (Joe) Kanosky of Freeport; her grandchildren, Dominique (Thorsten Schmidt) Thiers-Schmidt, Jiliane (Todd) Dunaway, Andrew (Amanda Olson) and Alison (Mike Figura) Kanosky; 2 great-grandchildren, Magnus Schmidt and Alexandra Dunaway; her sister, Jacqueline Maffre; one niece and two nephews. Mimi is preceded in death by her husband; her youngest daughter, Jessica Theena; her parents; and sister, Nenette. She will be missed dearly.
Private graveside services will be held at a future date at St. Mary Cemetery in Peoria, IL.