Obituary of Theresa Dorval

Theresa Dorval With sadness we announce the passing of Theresa Dorval (Tetreault). She is predeceased by her husband Arthur. Theresa is lovingly remembered by her daughters, Bernadette (Grant) Paterson and Raymonde (Kevin) Josuttes; grandchildren Brock, Anique, Riley, Tatjhannah and Walker. The Prayer Service was held on Thursday, March 16th at 7:00pm and the Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, March 17th at 11:00am with both services being held at the Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in Glaslyn, SK. Memorial Donations in honor of Theresa may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of Saskatchewan. Those wishing to send the family private email condolences are invited to visit www.beaulacfuneralhome.com. EULOGY – THERESA (THÉRÈSE) DORVAL NÉE TÉTREAULT We are here today to celebrate the remarkable life of Marie Thérèse Lord Dorval (née Tétreault). I am the son of Theresa’s brother, Victor Tétreault and she was my aunt and godmother. I feel honoured to have been asked to say a few words about a woman who was much loved and who has had a tremendous influence on our family. Theresa was a true pioneer and trailblazer. Her parents, George Tétreault and Leontine Laitres, were amongst the early settlers who farmed near Capasin, Saskatchewan and her ancestors, on both her mother’s and father’s side, came to Canada in the 1660’s, amongst some of the earliest European immigrants. Thérèse est née en 1929, et provient d’une grande famille francophone. Elle est la deuxième enfant d’une famille de treize enfants. Quand elle était jeune, ses parents parlaient peu d’anglais et le français était sa langue maternelle. Tout au long de sa vie, elle a gardé son attachement à la langue et la culture française. De plus, Thérèse était dévoué à sa foi catholique et elle a vécu sa vie en conformité avec les enseignements catholiques. Theresa was a child during the Great Depression and, in the early part of her life, her family lived in very modest circumstances. This hardship helped create the resilience and strong values that characterized Theresa, and led to her later success and accomplishments. From an early age, Theresa learned the value of hard work and the importance of family. She assisted her parents with the many chores of running a farm, helped care for her younger siblings and, like her mother, was a wonderful cook who could serve as many people who happened to show up and could sew anything from a rag. She loved to go the blueberry patch and pick berries with her mom and family. Theresa used to joke that she had such strong arms from carrying water pails as a child. At one point, four of Theresa’s younger siblings contracted polio and were sent to Saskatoon where they were quarantined for several months while they underwent treatment. Theresa came to visit periodically, which was a tremendous comfort to them. Because polio is so contagious, Theresa was not able to go into the hospital but, instead, she found out from the desk where each of them was staying and then went outside their windows. The nurses would move her siblings’ beds so they could see her. On these trips, she would scrape together some money to buy them a treat, such as some cherries. It was not usual in the 1940’s for a farm girl from Capasin, Saskatchewan to be so determined to pursue an education. In fact, Theresa was the first in her community to complete high school and she went on to Normal School in Saskatoon and became a teacher. She maintained a life-long love of learning and eventually obtained two university degrees. In this regard, she was a role model and mentor for some of her siblings, including my father. Theresa encouraged and supported them in their pursuit of education and her praise was deeply appreciated by them. Without a doubt, Theresa changed the course of my father’s life and gave him the belief that he could accomplish anything. During her teaching career, she had a similar impact on many of her students. Her career as an educator spanned over 30 years, during which she taught in Freemont, Clarkville, Glaslyn and Capasin, and served as principal in Livelong. She was so proud of her students and their achievements – many of whom went on to very successful lives and careers. She treasured knowing that she had worked with them to help achieve these successes. It was while she was at Normal School in 1951 that Theresa met and became good friends with Thérèse Thibault from Fairholme Saskatchewan. Thérèse Thibault had a handsome single cousin by the name of Arthur Dorval. Theresa was introduced to Art and two years later they married. Theresa and Art had a happy marriage that lasted 60 years until Art passed away in 2014. Theresa had an artistic side and an amazing ability to work with her hands. She was gifted at painting, cross-stitching, sewing, knitting, sand art, crocheting and pottery. In 1955 she was fortunate to have the possibility of honing her artistic talents at the University of Saskatchewan summer school at Emma Lake. She has left a treasure trove of her art. Theresa also liked to bake, especially buns and bread, and she liked to share this excellent baking with family and friends. For years she could be seen at the Saturday market in Livelong and at Gordie’s auction in Glaslyn selling her excellent baking. Theresa could be fastidious about the upkeep of her home. Bernadette remembers one time when Theresa and Art hosted a staff party at their house until late into the night. After all of the guests had left, Theresa insisted on cleaning the house from top to bottom – including vacuuming, dusting and washing all of the dishes, prior to leaving early the next morning for their Christmas holiday in Hawaii. When questioned about it, Theresa said “We can’t come home to a dirty house”. As the eldest daughter in the Tétreault family, Theresa went to extraordinary efforts to help the family establish close ties. Every few years, she would organize a Tétreault and Dorval reunion. This tradition lives on in her memory. Theresa also took up golfing in her retirement and loved to go for a round of golf with the Evergreen Acres ladies. She was often the one who organized and hosted the golf tournaments. Theresa was an extremely giving person. She was very proud of her family – her daughters, Bernadette and Raymonde, their spouses Grant and Kevin, and her five grandchildren – Brock, Anique, Riley, Tatjhanna and Walker were all very important to her. The respect that Theresa’s family had for her was evidenced by the fact she was also godmother to nine of her relatives, including Birdena Nyholt, Victor Dorval, Danette Rowley, Philip Tétreault, Jacqueline Rocheleau, Paul Poulin, Marcel Tétreault, myself and Charlene Manseau. In fact, she was only 9 ½ years old when she became god mother to her younger brother Philip. Art and Theresa’s hard work allowed them to achieve some financial success and, prior to her illness, to enjoy a wonderful retirement during which they had an opportunity to travel, including many memorable trips to Yuma, Arizona. Theresa loved to travel and, over the course of her life, had an opportunity to visit many places - on her own, with her students, with Art and with her girls and family. She visited Paris in 1974, studied in Quimper, France in the summer of 1978 and went to many other places. When she travelled, she loved to eat what the locals ate, attend a Catholic Church in that country and chat with the local people that she met. Theresa also loved living at Turtle Lake. She loved the peacefulness and enjoyed feeding their pet deers, squirrels and birds. But mostly they enjoyed and appreciated their neighbours. She and Art spoke often about how lucky they were to have neighbours who were also such good friends. These last few years have been difficult for Theresa and her family, as she descended into the grips of dementia. Throughout this time, though, she was surrounded by the love and support of her family. We take comfort in knowing that she is now at peace, in heaven with her beloved husband Art. And we will remember the intelligent, hard-working, decent, inspiring, dignified and loving person that she was. Que ton âme repose en paix, ma chère tante Thérèse.