Theresa M. Rivard

Theresa M. Rivard, 97, of Springvale, passed away peacefully on November 17, 2023. Theresa was born in Sanford on June 3, 1926, to Napoleon and Alice (Michaud) LaRochelle. Theresa grew up in Sanford and worked in the Goodall Mills as a young woman. She met Jerry (Gerard) shortly after he returned from the war, and the two fell in love. They were married in 1948, and as their family size grew, they built a home on Jerry's family farm in Springvale. Throughout the years, the farming operations included raising chickens, vegetables, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Theresa was an ace in the kitchen, putting all the harvests to table, always providing plenty to support the ever growing family. Today, Rivard Farm is well known in Southern Maine for berry picking. From the early 1980's and up through the present day, many visitors would frequent the farm's pick-your-own operations, and came to know Theresa and Jerry very well as they worked at the farm stand or seen waving to greet their customers from the farm porch. As part of Jerry and Theresa's wishes, Rivard Farm was recently preserved as a Forever Farm, in partnership with Maine Farmland Trust, ensuring the agricultural farm land is conserved in perpetuity. When Theresa was not busy raising their eight children and managing family activities, she enjoyed creating wholesome meals and tasty baked goods. Her favorite recipe was blueberry muffins. Theresa enjoyed reading, knitting, jigsaw puzzles, preserving food, traveling and hiking. As part of their travels, Jerry and Theresa took several trips to Florida and to the West Coast. They also hiked many trails in the White Mountains with their children and Jerry's brother and sister-in-law, Ronald and Rita Rivard. In her later years, Theresa loved family gatherings and visits from her many grandchildren and great grandchildren. The light in her eyes shown bright when they were around, and she loved being surround by all of them. Theresa was a woman of faith and would often say that she had a long list of those she prayed for each night. Her greatest love was for her husband Jerry, who she shared 74 loving years with until his passing in November of 2022. The family is grateful that the two have been reunited. She is survived by her sister Dorothy Glaude; her children Peter and Irene (Rivard) Martin, Frank and Annette (Rivard) Austin, Steven and Arline (Rivard) Hartley, Roland and Michele Rivard, James and Diane (Rivard) Stuart and Linda Rivard and Rick Wright; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; 16 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren, all who will miss her joy, kindness and hugs. She was predeceased by her parents Napoleon and Alice; her husband Gerard Rivard; her brothers Joseph (Duke) LaRochelle, Leo LaRochelle, and Donald LaRochelle, her sisters Yvette Cote and Jeanne Dupuis; and her daughters Doris Wood and Susan Rivard. A funeral service will be held at St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Sanford, on December 9, at 11:00 am, followed by a celebration of Theresa’s life at Local 130 (Keepin It Local) in Shapleigh from 12:00-3:00pm. Donations in Mrs. Rivard’s name can be made to the Maine Farmland Trust in Belfast, Maine.