Therese Dandurand

Therese Dandurand, our rock, passed away in the presence of her loving family in Westford, Vermont on March 14, 2024. In the last months of her life, she was cared for by the many people who loved her and received amazing care from her son Michael and wife Colleen as they brought her into their home until her passing.     

Born in St Hilaire, Quebec, Canada on November 4, 1929, Therese was the third of 10 children. Growing up on a farm as the eldest daughter, she learned early on how to be self-sufficient along with helping to lovingly care for her siblings. Therese married Gerard  Dandurand on September 19, 1953 and moved to Graniteville, VT.  She worked alongside her husband in his Monument Drafting business for over 40 years, while tending to her own growing family, and to her vegetable and flower gardens. Together they modeled self-sufficiency in every aspect of life and cultivated an entrepreneurial spirit. They built their dream home on the shores of Lake Champlain in Milton where she continued to maintain her beautiful gardens. Occasionally, she would spend warm summer days water skiing, though she never quite mastered how to swim. In retirement Therese found joy through the many seasons in Vermont, often spending time outdoors gardening or golfing, and in the cold winter you could find Therese and Gerard cross-country skiing or in a slow meander down their favorite ski trail, the Toll Road at Stowe. She spent the last 20 years on Pearl St in Essex Junction where she exercised regularly, did Tai Chi and many puzzles, and played (and often won) Rummikub with her friends and loving grandchildren.  

In her later years, the color and creativity found in her gardening came through both on her special occasion cards, with personalized drawings for family and friends, as well as in the kitchen. She was famous for canned vegetables, soups and stews, as well as her tourtieres (Canadian meat pie), the most eagerly awaited gift at Christmas.

Therese leaves behind a legacy of love that will forever be cherished by her surviving family: Her daughter Monique Crete and partner Scott Maille, sons Paul Dandurand, Michael Dandurand and his wife Colleen, Roger Dandurand and his wife Sue; seven grandchildren Ryan Crete and his wife Suany, Nathan Crete and his wife Mia, Spencer Dandurand, Zachary Dandurand and his wife Taylor, Megan Dandurand, Bryce Dandurand and Ben Dandurand; 4 great-grandchildren Piper, Rowen, and Penelope Crete, and Oliver Dandurand; as well as siblings Yvon Bernard, Jacques Bernard, Marcel Bernard, Claire Peladeau, Denise Bernard and Albert Bernard.  She was predeceased by her husband Gerard Dandurand in 2016, parents, Alexis Bernard and Roseanna Pion, and her siblings Jean-Paul Bernard, Gerard Bernard and Yvonne Bernard.   

The family would like to thank Peggy Danyow and Howard Kirby, who provided help in so many ways.  We are thankful to the University of Vermont Medical and Home Health teams, Hospice nurses, specifically Sandra Harms, Ashleigh Cushing, Julie Jacob and Julia Bleau who cared so lovingly for Therese in the last weeks of her life.  
     
In the tapestry of life that Therese wove with love and creativity her memory will forever bloom like the flowers she so tenderly nurtured. May she rest in peace knowing that she touched the hearts of many with her wit and strength.   
   

A funeral mass will be celebrated on May 3, at the Holy Family Church at 10am in Essex.  A celebration will also be held in Canada for close family on April 20, 2pm at the McMasterville Salon Funeraire Demers. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to UVM Home Health and Hospice.