One of the eldest of the province has left us. Florine
Després, 108 years and 7 months old, passed away on Friday
June 3, 2022 at the Foyer
Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur in Dieppe. Born in
Cocagne in 1913, daughter of Joseph and Amanda (Sutton)
Després, she was the last living person of a family of 13
children.
Besides her parents, she was predeceased by five sisters:
infants Élise and Laura, Mélina, Laura and
Hélène, as well as seven brothers: infants
Zéphyrin and Yvon, Adélard, Armand, Lucien,
Albert and Gérard.
She is survived by her nephews and nieces as well as many
friends.
At the age of 17, she entered the convent where she took the
name of Sister Marie Lucienne. As she was gifted in music, her
community allowed her to continue her studies in this field. To do
this, she attended Mount Allison University in Sackville, Laval
University and the prestigious Vincent d’Indy School of Music in
Outremont, Québec, among others.
Her profession led her to teach piano, first at the
Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur convent in Saint Joseph,
Memramcook, in Grand Falls and then at the Collège
Notre-Dame-d’Acadie (N.D.A.) in Moncton.
In college, she, with another nun, founded the N.D.A. music
school. She led the famous N.D.A. girls choir for many years. She led
this choir to a very high degree of perfection, which earned her the
Lincoln Trophy five times.
After N.D.A. College closed, Sister Lucienne left the
community and became Florine Després again. She continued
to work in the world of music at the École normale in
Moncton and then in the Department of Music at the
Université de Moncton.
After retiring from teaching in 1981, she remained active as
an organist at Sainte-Bernadette and Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix churches in
Moncton and continued to give private piano lessons.
May the Résidence
Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur, then the Foyer
N.D.S.C., be thanked for having made life pleasant for Florine and for
the excellent care they gave her at the end of her
life.
In 1981, the Université de Moncton awarded her an
honorary doctorate and in 1984, Mount Allison University did the same.
Other recognitions were also given to her.
Family and friends are invited at Frenette Funeral and
Cremation Centre, 88 Church Street, Moncton (858-1900) where a
celebration of life will take place on Thursday June 9 at 4 pm.
Visiting hours are Thursday from 2 pm until time of funeral. Interment
will be at Our Lady of Calvary cemetery in Dieppe.
In memory of Florine, a contribution to the Fonds de bourse
Neil-Michaud (for music at the Université de Moncton) are
welcomed.
Words of comfort and donations may
be made at www.frenettefuneralhome.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Florine Despres 1913 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Moncton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick