Lorraine P Leveille

Lorraine Leveille, of Springvale, Maine, passed away peacefully at the Lodges, on October 28, 2022 at the age of 87. Lorraine was born on November 27, 1934, in Springvale, Maine to George and Cecile (Pilon) Tardiff. She grew up in Springvale and attended Springvale schools. She had violin lessons but would tell of not liking them and going to the corner store and buying ice cream with her lesson money instead. When her family moved to 11A, she had a horse whom she would ride bareback and would tell of how she would have to duck and hold on tight coming out of the barn so she wouldn’t hit her head on the doorway. When she was a young adult, she moved to Nashua, NH, in search of work with her cousin. While being there, she found a job and love. She met Gerard Sigouin and they married in May of 1957. But her heart was still in Maine as she longed to be back with family. As with all young married couples, she longed for a home, a family and all that entails. Time was marching on and nothing was happening family wise, but Lorraine would have her prayers answered as they moved back to her hometown of Sanford in 1965. And as far as family goes, they started paperwork to foster, then adopt. They got a call in 1967. A little girl was born in March. Mid May, when Debra was 2 ½ months old, she came to live with them. They were in love. A piece of property was purchased and plans to build a home were in the works. Everything was falling into place, until October of 1969. Jerry (Gerard) became sick and passed the following month. She was 35, a widower and now a single mother. Plans, hopes and dreams were dashed. She purchased a mobile home in 1970 and now had to find other income. She started babysitting to make ends meet. Time marched on and during this period, she met another widower and they started going dancing. This is when she met Ralph. They dated and married in April of 1974. Her daughter Debra was now in school and Lorraine acquired a job(s) in the textile mills of Sanford. Camping around several states, vacationing and family & friend gatherings became the norm for them. She was all about family and including everyone. Sometimes she could be feisty and strong-willed, but with the circumstances in her life, she did the best she could do with what she was given. She persevered and became an overcomer. What she instilled was a love of travel, a love of people and her faith. She was raised Catholic and made sure that weekly attendance was first and foremost. Saturday mass at 4:00, in which arrival at 3:15 to get a good parking spot was the norm, as well as visits to her parents after church for supper, Hee Haw, Lawrence Welk and card playing. First communion, Confirmation, Confession-were also a part of her vocabulary and she was firm in passing these to Debra. She loved the organ and set up lessons for Debra to play. This led to her playing at Notre Dame masses. She was proud of her accomplishing this. “That’s my daughter”, she would tell people. Generous with her daughter and with family. A smile, a laugh, family gatherings, visiting people on whim. Years later, friends of Debra’s would tell of them just showing up to visit, as well as family surprise visits. It’s a trait nowadays that’s lost, but such a value to have. Marriage of her daughter to Troy was a blessed, large event. Lorraine had the skills to put gatherings together, but never was utilized enough. This was seen as the first date of the wedding was set for the following year, only to be changed to the present year. Lorraine accomplished everything. She was a go-getter and liked to be in control. This is understandable as her life seemed to have seasons of uncertainty and unknowns. Their son-in-law was a Merchant Marine and was gone 6-7 months per year. Lorraine and Ralph were a huge help to their daughter and her home during that time. Her first grandchild was born in 1992 and they were smitten. The love of a grandparent expands with each child born. The evidence of this was seen time and time again. They were always involved and so proud. The 2nd grandson was born in 1997. Lorraine had retired from years of working in the mills of Sanford and it couldn’t have come at a better time. They were seen frequenting Old Orchard Beach as this 2nd grandchild tried to come early and Debra had to be on bedrest. With Troy being “away”, they were right by her side helping and trading off with Debra’s in-laws. Both Nick & Jack were the apples of their eyes. Sports, plays, school events, babysitting. They did it all. She loved them much. In 2007, when Troy and Debra had to share that they were moving out of state, it was the hardest conversation to tell. All that she knew was now going to be 600+ miles away. They soon learned to embrace and value the time spent together, as it was few and far in between. A chuckle could be heard as when they did visit Maine and would go to extended family for a visit, a phone call was in order to find out when they would return “home”. “That’s gotta be Aunt Lorraine”. And it was. The lack of this call was apparent when changes started happening in her health. Thankfully they had their faithful little dog Minnie to help the time go by. That dog was their pride and joy. They had always had pets throughout their lifetime, but this dog was the cream of the crop. She could be seen in the car at Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone, Ted’s Fried Clams for french fries, as well as popsicles and bullseye candy at home. It was known, but even more evident when a 12 hour trip back to Maine from Virginia with their grandson Nick, took 18+ hours because Minnie had to go out every ½ hour. Minnie was a pill, but they loved her and it was devastating when she passed at only 10 years old. In 2016, Lorraine started to show decline in her health with sporadic signs of dementia. Her husband did as much as he could and cared for her with the help of a visiting nurse service until 2018. She moved to the Lodges in Springvale and stayed there until her passing. She was a proud woman and independent, taking care of things herself and her way (all her life) and the same was true at the Lodges as it was a rarity that she ever asked for help. 2020 “happened” and Ralph couldn’t visit. This took a toll on both of them. Even when he did visit later, she couldn’t remember his name, but knew he was “hers”. In 2021, Ralph joined her at The Lodges and they were finally together. His decline happened fast. But the most amazing God wink happened 2 days before his passing. She was wheeled into his room by her daughter and friend, MaryAnn and Lorraine knew who he was, who she was, and who her immediate family was in the picture by his bed. It was the sweetest, most cherished moment as this had not happened in a couple of years. Her daughter Debra, friend MaryAnn and sister Rita were present when she took her last breath. Even though she is no longer here on earth with us, we have hope that we will see her again. Although our hearts might be heavy, we will celebrate her life and find comfort that she is in heaven. She is survived by daughter Debra Ammons, her husband Troy, and grandchildren, Nicholas of Springtown, TX and Jack of Virginia Beach, VA, sister Rita Normand of Springvale, sister-in-law Therese Tardiff of Sanford and brother-in-law Bruce Farwell of Springvale, sisters-in-law Rachel Catsoulis (Harry) of W. Yarmouth, MA, Rita Penney of Lakeland, FL, Joanne Barr (Bob) of Ocala, FL, brother-in-law Edward (Kathy) of Sanford, several nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was predeceased by her 1st husband Gerard Sigouin, 2nd husband Raoul, parents George and Cecile Tardiff, brother Robert Tardiff, sister Doris Farwell, brother-in-law Robert Normand and nephew Richard Bourassa. Visitation will be held from 8:30 to 9:30 AM on Saturday, November 5th at the Carll-Heald & Black Funeral Home located at 580 Main Street in Springvale. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:00 AM at Holy Family Church located on North Avenue in Sanford. Interment will be held follow the funeral at Notre Dame Cemetery in Springvale. After the conclusion of the funeral and burial, relatives and friends will gather back at Carll-Heald & Black Funeral Home for a memorial luncheon. Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale.