Rita (Desjardins) Lemlin, 94, died October 29, 2017 peacefully at the home of her daughter Julianne and son-in-law Roland Dufresne in Rochester, MA where she lived for the past eight years supported by her devoted caregivers.
Born in New Bedford in 1923, the daughter of the late Ludger S. and Alma (Desmarais) Desjardins, Rita joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from New Bedford High School and served as a W.A.V.E. during World War II. She worked for the Veteran’s Administration for 30 years, and enjoyed gardening, cooking, knitting, and opera. Her clam chowder and stuffed quahogs were her specialties. She was an enthusiastic traveler, having visited England, Ireland, Portugal, Japan, Holland, and Italy. She was the widow of Norman Lemlin of Lemlin’s Hardware, who died tragically in a car accident in 1953 at age 34.
She is survived by her four devoted children: Robert Lemlin and his wife Megumi of Fairfield, IA, Jacqueline Lemlin of Rochester, MA, Julianne Lemlin-Dufresne and her husband Roland Dufresne of Rochester, MA, and Jeanne Curtin and her husband Ed Curtin of Great Barrington, MA, and their extended families. She was the loving grandmother of Christian Almeida and his wife Fiona, Matthew Almeida and his fiancée Debbie Freier, Susanne Michel and her husband Keith, Daniel Lemlin Curtin, and Emma and Sara Lemlin.
She was the sister of the late Wilfred Desjardins, Roland Desjardins, Alfred Desjardins and Evelyn Paton.
Our family would like to thank Community Nurse Hospice for the wonderful care and support they provided our family.
Her Funeral Service will be held on Friday at 10 am in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. Visiting hours will be held on Thursday from 4-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Community Nurse Home Care, P.O. Box 751, Fairhaven, MA 02719. For directions and guestbook. please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
