Sister Laurette DeChamplain SUSC

Sister Laurette DeChamplain (Sr. Albina Marie) SUSC died at Clifton Nursing Center, Somerset, MA at the age of one-hundred and three. She was the oldest living Holy Union Sister in the United States. Born in Taunton, MA on September 24, 1922, Sister Laurette was the daughter of the late Henry and Albina (Marrotte) DeChamplain.

In addition to her Holy Union Sisters, she is survived by her sister Rena Marvel. She was predeceased by her sister Doris and nephew and niece, Karl and Marlene Marvel.

Sister Laurette entered the Holy Union Sisters on September 8, 1940, and pronounced her final vows on August 15, 1948. Sister Laurette was a graduate of Taunton High School. She attended the Sacred Heart School of Education and earned a B.A. in History from Catholic University, Washington, and an M.A. in French from Rivier College, New Hampshire. Sr. Laurette’s teaching ministry spanned over fifty years, beginning in junior high classes. She was a high school French and history teacher at the Academy of the Sacred Hearts, Fall River and the Holy Union Preparatory School, Tiverton, RI. She taught French and served as a parttime administrator at Holy Family High School, New Bedford. Her last years in the classroom were at Coyle and Cassidy High School, Taunton where she taught French from 1981 to 1994. In addition to her teaching duties, she served as the official scorer for the girls’ softball team. In 1994 she joined the support staff in the Coyle and Cassidy Development Office and worked there until she retired in 2007. Although not an alumna, Sr. Laurette received the Coyle and Cassidy Alumni Alliance Service Award in 2005 in recognition of her significant contribution to the success of the school. She received National Defense Education Act grants for summer study at New York University and the University of Tours, France. For several summers she led her students on cultural tours of France. She served as a translator at several international meetings of Holy Union Sisters both in the United States and Europe and volunteered to teach English to Holy Union Sisters in the formation community in Cameroon. She taught French culture and civilization in a summer program for sisters at the College of Notre Dame, Baltimore.

Sister Laurette joined the Holy Union Sisters Community at River Falls Senior Living, Fall River, formerly The Landmark, in 2008 and resided there until a decline in health in 2021 necessitated a move to Clifton Nursing Center in Somerset. There she celebrated several milestones: her 101st, 102nd and 103rd birthdays, and most recently her eighty-fifth anniversary as a Holy Union Sister.

Sister Laurette’s Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Jude the Apostle Parish, 249 Whittenton St. Taunton on December 5 at 11 o’clock. It will be preceded by a visitation at 9:30 and memorial prayer at 10:30. Burial will follow at St. Francis Cemetery, Glebe Street, Taunton. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Riendeau-Mulvey Funeral Home. Donations in Sister Laurette’s memory may be made to The Holy Union Sisters’ Mission Advancement Office, 205 Bedford Street Fall River MA 02720. For directions or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.r-mfh.com

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