Therese Yvette Blais

Therese Yvette Blais

March 10, 1930 - December 15, 2012
Laguna Woods California

Therese Yvette Blais

March 10, 1930 - December 15, 2012
Laguna Woods California

Obituary

Therese Yvette Blais, age 82, died peacefully at the home she shared with her loving husband of 61 years, Leon Blais in Laguna Woods, CA, on December 15. Born March 10, 1930 in Manchester, NH, Therese was the sixth child of Rosa (Bourque) Pinard and Napoleon Pinard.

Upon graduating from St. Anthony’s High School, she worked at L’Avenir National newspaper where she met Leon, whom she married in 1951. They raised 10 children in Manchester before moving the family to Garden Grove CA in 1973. Upon retirement as the office administrator of St Columban’s Parish, she and Leon settled into an active retirement in Laguna Woods.

A life-long devout Catholic, Therese was active in her church, forming close friendships with other parishioners, Marriage Encounter participants and in a woman’s prayer group. Her travels in later years included such devotional sites as Medugorje, Fatima, Lourdes and the Holy Land.

Therese thrived in her years at Laguna Woods Village, taking advantage of exercise opportunities and handicrafts. She mastered crochet and completed several challenging multi-stitch “heirloom” blankets, as well as countless hand-made gifts for her children, grandchildren, other family and friends. She developed a hobby of creating handmade greeting cards and gift bags by using stamp pads, recycled materials, ribbons and patiently writing each card and address in beautiful calligraphy all her own. Hundreds of people have been the delighted recipient of thousands of creations, not only at Christmas and birthdays, but also at Easter, Thanksgiving, and many other occasions. She was thoughtful of people in hospitals and nursing homes, and would deliver cards to these strangers as well.

Her grandchildren hold fond memories of special times and gifts: ping pong games, beach outings, climbing their special cypress tree at Laguna Beach, hand crafted toys and Christmas tree ornaments with unique hand-sewn storage bags. Some of them benefitted from her drilling of the multiplication tables and other educational “fun” times. She encouraged her children’s and grandchildren’s musical pursuits and development of other talents, attending recitals and other performances both private and public. Best of all, we remember how she loved to laugh and to get us all laughing together until it seemed we would never stop.

In addition to Leon, Therese is survived by all ten children, sons Donald, Armand, George, Arthur, Roger, Frank and David, daughters Diane, Claudette and Estelle, along with their spouses, partners, twenty-two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She leaves a surviving sister, Rose Anna Harrington, three brothers, Fernando, Marcel and Louis Pinard, all of the Manchester NH area, sister-in-laws: Alice Blais Delisle of Moreno Valley, CA, Helen Pinard of Tavares, FL, and Rita Pinard of Manchester. She is preceded in death by sisters Georgette Pelletier and Rita Forcier, brothers Andre, Antoine and Paul Pinard, grandchild Justine Blais.

O’Connor Mortuary is handling arrangements to include:
Visiting 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Friday Dec. 21 at: Laguna Hills Chapel 25301 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Vigil and Rosary 7:00PM Friday at St Nicholas Catholic Church, 24252 El Toro Rd, Laguna Woods, CA 92637
Mass of Remembrance 10:30 AM, Saturday Dec 22 also at St Nicholas.
Graveside services will be held with the family.

Donations in memory of Therese Blais may be made to
Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood
700 Bridge Street
Manchester, New Hampshire 03104-5495
Attn: Sister Mary Joseph

 

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35 responses to Therese Yvette Blais

  1. Lit a candle in memory of Therese Y. Blais

  2. Karen Keller says:

    Rembering Therese, the one we all loved and adored. It’s so hard to say good-bye to such a special person, I know our family is not alone in our sadness for she meant so much to so many. She was always a delight! Let us all charish the memories she shared with each of us. She will be watching over us all, we know that. May her memory be eternal.

    With Heartfelt Sympathy,
    The Vaughn & Keller Family

  3. My deepest condolences to the entire Blais family on the loss of your Matriarch. Having grown up with only one sibling it always fascinated me to watch Claudette’s mom manage her large brood… from lunch time when a whole loaf of bread would be laid out the entire length of the kitchen counter, spread with luncheon meat or P&J and then topped with another whole loaf of bread, cut and served on Sunday morning in the family van when all children’s eye glasses were passed to the front passenger seat where mom sat and cleaned all eye wear so that her children would attend Sunday services with clean eye glasses, and amazingly driving from the east coast to the west coast, a mother, alone with ten children, camping all the way from NH to CA on her journey to meet her husband so many miles away. Truly an amazing woman, wife, and mother. I am so sorry to hear of her passing; yet feel so blessed to have been welcomed into her world as one of her daughter’s friends and to witness the incredible devotion she gave to her whole family. May she rest in peace… God Bless Your Mom and God Bless You All!!

    Claudette’s friend:

    Kathy (Kate) McCullough Lemire

  4. Lit a candle in memory of Therese Y. Blais

  5. Leon Blais says:

    Lit a candle in memory of Therese Y. Blais

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