When Sister Blanche entered eternal life on March 26, 2020 at 94 years of age, Covid-19 dictated our comings and goings to a very large extent. While funeral services were held for Sr. Blanche, the number in attendance was extremely limited and, of course, elderly family members could not even think about traveling from other states to Connecticut.
However, times are changing, Covid is slowly decreasing, many have been vaccinated and it is indeed time to resume somewhat normal and ordinary life activities.
It was in that spirit and attitude that the Province Team decided to give Sr. Blanche the send-off she well deserved and a memorial mass on Blanche’s birthday, June 17th, was planned at the Provincial Administrative Center.
So it was that members of the Thibault family traveled from Maine to Putnam to join with a large number of Sisters, Associates and friends physically present or through ZOOM.to honor the gift that Blanche was to the DHS and to each person who had the chance to get to know her, especially the young children she loved and served for so many years.
The celebrant and homilist was Rev. Laurence LaPointe while the eulogy was presented by Sr. Bonnie Morrow who knew Blanche well enough to bring out the real character of Blanche while mixing lighter stories and events with the more serious side of our honoree. Musical accompaniment was provided by Sr. Mariette Moan, ASCJ a long time friend of the Daughters.
There was plenty of time after the liturgy for all to gather informally to share more stories about Blanche and to soak in the lovely photo display of various stages of Blanche’s life. The only thing missing from the celebration was the singing of Happy Birthday which, it has been rumored, was in the head and hearts of everyone present. Perhaps the next time you visit Sister’s final resting place at St. Mary Cemetery in Putnam, you could remember to hum a few bars of that beloved song. If you listen carefully, you may just hear an echo whizzing by your ears.
Blanche, we remember you and we are grateful.
Sister Blanche’s obituary may be found archived on our web site. You may want to check it out for more details about her life’s journey.
