READFIELD – Theresa Robichaud LeClair Bennett passed away on Jan. 27, 2023, at the grand age of 96. She was the daughter of the late Evangelist John Robichaud and Evelyn Toulouse Robichaud, and sister to late Lorraine Robichaud and Raymond Robichaud. Theresa graduated from Cony High School and attended Gates Business School.

Upon reflection, her life was rather extraordinary. Theresa grew up in Augusta in a world without television where telephones were rare and French was more common than English. Saint Augustine and the Catholic church were a major part of Theresa’s life and education. As a child, she loved playing in her grandfather’s Bond Brook brickyard with her siblings.

In 1947 Theresa married Roland LeClair and moved to Hallowell. Roland and Theresa owned and managed a small general store that catered to workers in the nearby cotton mill. Learning to do the “books” for the store was a skill that would serve Theresa well. Roland and Theresa lived in an apartment above the store. When the cotton mill shut down, Theresa and Roland, along with daughters Lynda and Deborah, moved back to the Sand Hill area, reuniting with her large extended family. Once back in Augusta, Theresa took a job with the State of Maine Bureau of Statistics and later the IRS.

While at the IRS, Theresa supervised a room full of 40 women as they reviewed tax returns. In those days, professional women were rare. Importantly, the IRS job allowed Theresa to take summers off and move the family to her favorite place on Earth: their camp on Hersey Island. In 1971 Roland died but the tradition of spending summers on Hersey Island continued. Large gatherings of family and friends marked special occasions, of which there were many! Theresa was proud to captain her own boat and transported friends and family to and from “the island”.

In the 1980s, Theresa changed careers and went to work for the city of Augusta, eventually serving as City Auditor. Quite an achievement for a woman. Throughout her life, Theresa and her sister Lorraine were best friends. It was Lorraine that introduced Theresa to Bob Bennett. Bob and Theresa were married in 1986 and moved to their new home in Manchester.

Theresa stayed involved in the Augusta community well into her 90s. She worked part time for the Augusta parking district. She was a Lifetime member of the St. Michaels/St. Augustine Parish, the St. Agnes Circle of the Daughters of Isabella, the Maine Association of Retirees, City of Augusta and The American Legion and Cushnoc Senior Citizens. But her greatest joy was spoiling her great-grandchildren.

Theresa spent the last few months of her life at The Balsam House in Readfield. She very much appreciated her beautiful surrounding and the wonderful care she received.

Theresa wrote the following words about herself: “I loved to joke with family and friends. I loved the outdoors, especially my cottage on Cobbossee Lake. Most of all, I loved being a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.”

Theresa was predeceased by both her husbands, her sister Lorraine Robichaud, her brother Raymond Robichaud; her daughter Sharon LeClair Lessard and her daughter Lynda LeClair Gifford.

Surviving family include Wayne Gifford, Deborah (LeClair) and husband Randy Poulton, Paul Lessard and wife Peggy Lessard, and stepdaughter Barbara Bennett; grandchildren, Amanda Lessard and husband Frank Sprague, Alex Lessard, and wife Rebecca (Becky) Lessard, and Wade Poulton; great-grandchildren, Lucas Lessard, Mollie Lessard and Meriam Lessard.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, May 16 at 11 a.m. at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Northern Ave., Augusta. Burial and committal prayer will follow at the old Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Civic Center Dr., Augusta.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to:

Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice

15 Strawberry Ave.

Lewiston, ME, 04240

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