Therese Marie Petit

Therese Marie Petit
SCARBOROUGH -- Therese Marie Petit, of Saco, died peacefully on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born in Jay on April 17, 1925, one of six children of Joseph and Phemina Nolette Dallaire. She spent her formative years on a hardscrabble farm located deep in rugged foothills overlooking the Androscoggin River. She walked a wooded path to a one-room schoolhouse two miles from the farm. During the Great Depression, her cousins from Biddeford would spend weeks at the farm enjoying the summer's abundance. But her favorite season was winter when her father would hitch his big draft horse to a sleigh, and off they would go bundled against the cold, to sell butter, visit neighbors or attend their little church. And although the family left the farm in the 30s for the steady employment of Biddeford's vast textile mills, for the past 60 years she returned each fall to the abandoned farm's ruins with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
On April 12, 1945, the day President Roosevelt died, she married the love of her life, Marine private Roland Lucien Petit of Biddeford. While Roland worked long hours starting up his home winterizing business, young Therese was soon fully engaged taking care of their of their five children. The very soul of patience, none of her children could recall an unkind word or raised voice from their wonderfully gentle mother. In 1971 tragedy struck when illness stole away her 11 year old Pamela. In confronting her own death Therese was genuinely comforted by the knowledge that they finally would be re-united. And in the years that followed the sad loss of her daughter, she was still able to love, and make feel important, every child she knew, especially her 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
In her long years as Mem- memere-Therese provided a
Therese Marie Petit
warm environment for all of her loved young ones at home or the family camp. She cooked ragout, baked tortieres, made crepes, eclairs, fig squares, and irresistible fudge. Her quiet, but competitive winning ways at card games frustrated Roland. But when she played games with her grandchildren they somehow always managed to win.
Once their children were grown, Therese and Roland managed a bit of travel, starting with Florida stays in the dead of Maine winters. But the highlight was a surprise trip in 1980 that forever sealed their love. In 1936, at the age of 11, shy Therese won a talent contest singing the 'Isle of Capri' at the Canton Grange Hall. Forty-four years later she stepped off a boat and Roland escorted her on to Italy's fabled isle of Capri.
Therese was a gentle woman of faith. She loved Maine. She was forever kind. She was totally devoted to her family. She will be missedÉand always present.
Therese is survived by her four children, Michael Petit and his wife Pamela Day of Arlington, Va., Dennis Petit of Saco, Nancy Twomey and her husband Richard of Saco, and Debra Robinson of Sac; her brother, Gerard 'Del' Dallaire of Biddeford; 24 grandchildren and great-grandchildren; many in-laws; nieces and nephews; and an extensive community of friends.
Visiting hours will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 14, at Hope Memorial Chapel, 480 Elm St., Biddeford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 10 a.m., at Most Holy Trinity Church, 271 Main St., Saco. A reception will follow in the church hall. Burial will be at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Biddeford. Please visit www.hopememorial.com to share your condolences or memories with Therese's family.
In lieu of flowers donations
can be made to:
Gosnell Memorial
Hospice House
11 Hunnewell Rd.
Scarborough, Maine 04074