Carmen Marguerite Girard

07/24/2007

Carmen Marguerite Girard, 88, of 30 Church St., died Tuesday at North Adams Regional Hospital after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 5, 1919, the eldest child of Placide and Beatrice Rochon Laframboise, she grew up and was educated there, and was a graduate of the University of Montreal St. Justine Hospital for Children School of Nursing in 1942. Primarily a homemaker, she worked as a private duty nurse in Montreal and New York City until 1945. From the early 1970s she was an accomplished pastry chef, creating dozens of wedding and anniversary cakes as gifts for generations of family and friends. She was an ardent student of history and genealogy, who researched her paternal family history in the area. The high point of this lifelong interest was her last memorable trip in 2004 to attend the 300th anniversary commemoration of the Deerfield massacre on Feb. 29, 1704, when her direct ancestors, the children of Thomas French were captured and force-marched to the Montreal area. Mrs. Girard was active in community and church areas. She was a Boy Scouts of America Troop 31 Committee Treasurer for 40 years and a Trustee of the Cheshire Library Association for over 40 years, serving as president for 20 years. She was a communicant of St. Mary of the Assumption Church, and served her parish as a teacher of Christian Doctrine in the 1950s and 60s. She was an active member of the annual Christmas bazaars in the 50s and 60s, and a longtime assistant to the parish housekeeper. Mrs. Girard married her husband, John Arthur Girard in Montreal on Oct. 17, 1945, and moved to Cheshire in Jan. 1946. Mr. Girard died Oct. 9, 1985. She leaves two sons, John A. "Jack" Girard, Jr. of Cheshire with whom she lived, and Michael J. Girard of Windsor Locks, Conn.; and her youngest sister, Anita Doucet of Laval, Q.C., Canada. FUNERAL NOTICE -- Services for Carmen Marguerite Girard, who died Tuesday, July 24, 2007, will be held on Saturday at 9:15 a.m. from DERY-CHESHIRE FUNERAL HOME, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, celebrated by the Rev. David R. Raymond, pastor. Burial will follow in Cheshire Cemetery. Calling hours will be Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Mrs. Girard may be made to the Cheshire Library or to St. Mary of the Assumption Church, or to the Alzheimer's Association in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box 445, Cheshire. Mrs. Girard also leaves her dear friend and sister-in-law, Marthe (Leopold Laframboise; daughter-in-law, Virginia (wife of Michael), and four generations of nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sister, Marcelle Jones; and her brothers, Andre, Claude, Gerald, and Leopold. The family of Carmen Girard would like to extend its sincere gratitude for their excellent care to the nurses and staff of Baxter Wing Alzheimer's Unit at Sweet Brook in Williamstown, where she resided for the past 16 months.

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