Memorials: Remembering those who have passed

Olivia R. Marcoux, 92 passed away on June 26,2017 in Seattle, WA.   Olivia was born in Fall River, MA on January 9, 1925 to the late Catherine and Manuel Rocha.  She lived in Portsmouth, RI for forty years with her husband, Norman R. Marcoux (d. 2013) before health issues forced them to relocate to Seattle.  Norman’s career as a mathematics teacher at the Portsmouth Abbey School provided her with opportunities to participate in a number of the School’s social events including pouring at the High Teas that were held for all visitors at the conclusion of home football games.

Following her graduation from Durfee High School, she worked as a sales associate for Lake Jewelers in Fall River until the birth of her first daughter, Catherine.  Within two years, she was blessed with the birth of her second daughter, Elizabeth and spent many years as a devoted homemaker and active volunteer.

Olivia joined the Portsmouth Garden Club in 1965, served as their longest-term Treasurer with a forty-year tenure, and was appointed an Honorary Member in 2001.  She was a member of the Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs and served as their Treasurer for a two year period in the early 1980s.  Olivia was a longtime member of the Friends of Saint Anne’s Hospital and served on the Committee to organize the annual Candlelight Ball.  She was a weekly volunteer in the Hospital gift shop and a member of the Bowling League for many years.  A fortuitous employment opportunity with the Preservation Society of Newport began in 1974 at the Green Animals Topiary Garden which was located across the street from her Cory’s Lane home and continued to Norman’s retirement in 1991. Her passions included reading, dancing, gardens (as long as she did not have to weed them), playing Samba with relatives and Bridge with friends made through the Portsmouth Garden Club, and sightseeing. Drives along the ocean either in Newport or Seattle were favorite destinations especially when they ended with a stop for an ice cream cone. 

She is survived by her two daughters:  Catherine and her husband, Lloyd Dodwell of Ramsey, NJ and Elizabeth Marcoux and her husband, David Rudig of Seattle, WA.  She is also survived by two granddaughters, Jennifer Dodwell Fung and her husband, Dr. Jerome Fung of Waltham, MA and Emily Dodwell of Jersey City, NJ.

A Mass of Christian burial will take place at the Church of St. Gregory the Great, Portsmouth Abbey School, Cory’s Lane, Portsmouth, RI on Saturday, July 22 at 10:30 a.m.  Following the Mass, burial will take place alongside her husband at the Portsmouth Abbey Cemetery.  As a tribute, memorial donations to Providence Hospice of Seattle (2811 S. 102^nd St., Suite #220, Tukwila, WA 98168) or the Norman R. Marcoux Book Fund to benefit the St. Thomas More Library at Portsmouth Abbey School would be appreciated.  Contributions to the book fund can be sent to the attention of Matthew Walter, Portsmouth Abbey School, 285 Cory’s Lane, Portsmouth, RI  02871.

The Marcoux family is in the care of the Memorial Funeral Homes of Newport.

Cecile Howard (passed May 5, 2015)

Cecile Howard, age 72, of Portsmouth died peacefully surrounded by her family on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at Sakonnet Bay Manor in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Cecile was born October 23, 1942 in Fall River, Massachusetts, and grew up in Tiverton. She is the daughter of the late Bernard Hugh and Kathleen Rita (Synnott) Quigley. She graduated high school from Sacred Heart Academy in Fall River and received a Bachelor's degree in English at St. Joseph's College in Maryland. She completed graduate courses in Library Science at Rhode Island College.

Cecile is survived by four children: Greg Howard of Carlisle, PA; Julie Wendover and her husband Jonathan Wendover of Red Hook, NY; Beth Howard of Brooklyn, NY; and Tim Howard and his wife Brooke Watkins of Brooklyn, NY. She is also survived by four grandchildren: Casey Roth, Christopher “Joey” Clark, Elizabeth Clark, and Leah Clark, all of Red Hook, NY. Cecile is also survived by her brother Bernard Quigley and his wife Jane of Haverhill, New Hampshire.

Cecile was a loving mother, grandmother, and a friend to many. She was well-loved by all who knew her. Cecile always put other people before herself, and encouraged her children and everyone she met to strive to achieve their individual passions. She had a wonderful sense of humor and enjoyed all that life had to offer her.

Cecile worked as a teacher and librarian before becoming a real estate broker. She enjoyed assisting individuals and their families through the transition of selling and purchasing homes in New York's Hudson Valley for over twenty years. Cecile returned to her hometown area and moved to Portsmouth, RI in 2009. She became an active member of the Portsmouth community and was involved in the Portsmouth Garden Club, the Portsmouth Library Book Group, and organized reunions with her local high school classmates. She was a well-loved parishioner at St. Barnabus Church, and her faith was evident to all who knew her.

Funeral services will be held on Friday May 8th at 10:00am from the funeral home, followed by the a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am at St. Barnabas Church, 1697 East Main Road, Portsmouth. Burial will follow at St. Patrick's Cemetery, Fall River.

Memorial donations may be made to Breast Cancer Action at bcaction.org.