Rita I. Emery

Rita I. Emery, 84, of Rochester, NH, died on Sunday, September 28, 2008 at Studley's Assisted Living Facility in Rochester.Rita was born in Canada on March 23, 1924 to Wilfred and Mathilda (Brochu) Gosselin. When she was 12 years old her family moved to Sanford where she would stay for the majority of her life. She was employed at the mills in Sanford for over 30 years, working for both the Goodall Mills and the Jagger Mills. She had been an active member of Curtis Lake Christian Church in Sanford.Rita was a very friendly and outgoing person who enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. She enjoyed knitting and would often make afghans, slippers, and mittens. She liked playing beano, cards, doing puzzles and playing Skip-Bo. Rita loved music and enjoyed many different musical genres. She was also an animal lover and was especially fond of her cat, "Kitty." Rita was a very simple person and appreciated the small things in life. She was a very strong woman and would never complain. She will be remembered as a devoted mother, grandmother and friend and will be dearly missed. The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff of the Studley's Assisted Living Facility and Seacoast Hospice for the care and compassion shown to Rita.Rita was predeceased by two sons, Ronald and Roland LaBrecque and five siblings. Surviving are two sons, Bernard LaBrecque, Jr. and his companion Nickey Allaire of Lebanon and Richard and Stephanie LaBrecque of Alfred; a daughter, Priscilla Hilton and her husband Gary of Lithia Springs, GA; a sister, Alice Gauthier of Sanford; her former spouse, Bernard LaBrecque, Sr.; three daughters-in-law, Ruby LaBrecque, Paulette LaBrecque and Pauline Fritz; 12 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.Visiting hours will be held at the Carll-Heald & Black Funeral Home, 580 Main Street, Springvale, on Wednesday, October 1st from 2:00 to 4:00 and 6:00 to 8:00 P.M with a funeral service taking place at 6:30 PM during the evening visitation. A gathering will take place at the funeral home on Thursday, October 2nd from 8:00 to 9:00 AM with burial following at the Evergreen Cemetery in Alfred.In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions be sent to the Animal Welfare Society, Inc., P.O. Box 43, West Kennebunk, ME 04094.To leave a message of condolence for the family, please click on the condolences tab to the left.