Lucille Dupre

While growing up, Mom helped do the farm chores, including plowing behind a team of horses. She actually preferred this over some of the chores in the house. Mom has always had a garden and flowers. In recent years, the garden was just a few tomato plants and the flowers are in front of the house. My mom graduated from high school, even though it meant spending the winters with her Grandma Brisson in White Bear. She earned money by helping the biology teacher feed the animals, including a large tarantula. Mom could have gone to college and was offered a scholarship to St. Cloud State, but she was already engaged to my dad, and it would have been difficult for her to go away.   Mom and Dad got married a year after she graduated from high school. They lived in Minneapolis, while Dad worked at a machine shop. Although I was born in Forest Lake maternity home and stayed at Grandma Lutz’s for a while afterward, my parents lived in Minneapolis for about two years until my dad enlisted in the Navy during World War II. After that, my mom and I stayed with my Grandpa and Grandma Lutz until Dad came back two years later when I was four. My brother was born after Dad came home. Since housing was short after the war, the house we rented was a converted dance hall. I slept on the stage. My main memory of this place was Mom taking a broom to rats the size of small dogs; she was terrified they would attack Gary, who was a baby at the time. She also had to haul milk cans of hot water to wash clothes. One of these spilled on her foot one day and she wound up with severe burns. Also, in spite of vaccinations, both Gary and I wound up with whooping cough, because of direct contact with a boy who had it.  Then, Dad met Chet Maser, who lived in Hinckley, and they started a machine shop and farm implement business, which they ran for 35 years. Mom did the bookkeeping for his business, as well as for Lawrence Irons’ heavy equipment business. After approximately nine years in Hinckley, Mom missed her relatives in Hugo and White Bear area, so the family moved south to Forest Lake, where Mom got a secretarial job for Berggren Electric in Forest Lake. She worked there about 30 years; all the electricians loved my mom, for she was always friendly and efficient. Her income sent me through St. Cloud State, for which I will always be extremely grateful. Even while she was a secretary, she had thought about going to college to become a teacher, but at that time, she would have had to spend too much time on campus and could not afford it.   After I got married and had the first grandchild, Mom was the best grandma ever. She had toys at her house and played fun games with Michelle when she stayed over night. When Gary got married and had two daughters, Grace and Anna, Mom had fun sleepovers for them too, even though she was quite a bit older then when Michelle was born. Mom loved being a grandparent.  After both she and Dad retired, they traveled in their camper or mini motor home to Arizona and Texas, as well as to Canada to fish and pick blueberries. Many times, they traveled with Uncle Art and Aunt Ilene. They had many adventures together.

Mom took care of both of my grandmas. Grandma Lutz stayed with us for several years, during which time Mom took extremely good care of her. Even when Grandma Lutz was in the nursing home, Mom continued to oversee her care. With Grandma Dupre, Mom oversaw her care at the assisted living facility and brought her to appointments.

Mom and Dad were regular parishioners at St. Peter’s Catholic Church; Mom helped with the funeral lunches for several years. Mom was quietly religious and had her own prayers she said for others. She especially liked the Rosary when she was younger.  These last few years have not been kind to either of my parents. Mom had a hysterectomy for a large benign tumor in 2003, but continued to live with Dad at home. Dad had different cancers, plus arthritis and other ailments. Dad passed away from cancer on May 31, 2005. Mom’s memory had been failing for several years and after Dad died, she went to Fairview Meadows Memory Care Unit. After a six month stay there, she was hospitalized briefly for a stomach ailment. Meadows did not have the staff to take care of her, so she moved to Cerenity Care Center in December 2005, where she remained ever since. In my heart, I know I will never approach the goodness my mom showed to all. Mom showed so much kindness to all she met and she had many friends and relatives who continued to maintain contact through the years.