SANFORD, Maine — Theresa A. Lahue, 88, of Sanford passed away on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice in Scarborough, Maine, after a short illness.
She was born on March 11, 1931, in Bristol, Vt., a daughter of the late Benjamin V. and Melinda (Provoncha) Cousino. She grew up in Monkton, Vt., and went to schools in Monkton and Bristol. At the age of 16, she left home to seek employment. She moved to Middlebury, Vt., and worked at a number of jobs, including kitchen staff at Middlebury College. During that time she met Maurice Lahue, who was attending college there after he left the army in 1945. They married on July 25, 1949, in Middlebury.
Finding employment in the Bristol area was difficult during this time period. In late 1952, Theresa and Maurice followed some of her brothers to Meriden, Conn., where Maurice hired on with the American Cyanamid Corp. and Theresa and Maurice started their family. In late 1962, the company moved them to Sanford, Maine, where they raised their family on Maple Street.
Although Theresa was mostly a stay-at-home mother, there were times when an extra income was needed. She worked for a number of years at Aleta’s dress factory and the shoe shop (after Aleta’s closed). When Maurice retired from Cyro Industries, in 1988, they moved to E. Lebanon, Maine, where they lived for many years. In order to stay active, Theresa went to work at Christo’s Restaurant. In the early 2000s, due to the onset of a long illness, Maurice had to move to the Veterans Home in Scarborough (where he died in 2011). Theresa then moved from E. Lebanon to an apartment in Springvale. She spent the rest of her life in apartments and assisted-living facilities in the Sanford and Springvale area.
Although Theresa didn’t have a long school education, she was a voracious reader. Her extensive vocabulary made her an excellent crossword puzzle solver and she was just about unbeatable in Scrabble. She also loved to socialize with family, friends and relatives. Her extensive study of both past and present current events enabled her to bring a unique spark to any conversation. She was always a good source of wisdom for her family and friends. She was an accomplished seamstress who made many clothes for her children through the years. She was also an excellent quilt maker. She and Maurice belonged to a square dancing group in Southern Maine for a number of years.
Theresa was a communicant at St. Ignatius Parish, Sanford, where she was a Eucharistic Minister. Throughout the years she supported a strong Christian foundation for her family.
Along with her parents and her husband, Maurice, she was predeceased by her oldest daughter, Anne, and her brothers: Ralph, Clement, Melvin, Glen and John Cousino.
Theresa is survived by her daughters, Sheryl Reynolds and her husband Michael, and Catherine Jourdain, all of Sanford; her sons, James Lahue of Texas and Philip Lahue and his wife, Carolyn, of New York; her grandchildren: Hollie Hasty, Scott Reynolds, Samantha Wilcox, Jessica Voerg and Michelle Loupe; her great-grandchildren, Ryleigh Wilcox, Alfie Loupe, Chase and Kelcie Hasty; and her sister Anna Schellhardt and her husband, Virgil, of Florida.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish, Holy Family Church, located on North Avenue in Sanford. Following the services she will be buried next to her husband at the Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Springvale.
Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale.
To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit blackfuneralhomes.com.