STURBRIDGE – Anne Marie (Lemieux) Ricard, 81, of Sturbridge and a former longtime resident of Springfield was Called Safely Home on Thursday, April 19, 2012. She passed into Eternal Life at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield surrounded by the care and comfort of her loving family and her wonderful caregivers. She was born in Mont Louis, Quebec, Canada on July 30, 1930, a beloved daughter of the late Henri and Zoe (Lapointe) Lemieux. She was raised and educated in Mont Louis, Quebec, Canada where she graduated from L’Ecole Normal Marie Rivier. In 1952, she moved to Chicopee and later to Springfield where she raised her family. The last years of her life were spent in Sturbridge with her loving son, Raoul and daughter-in-law, Terri and their family. She was employed for over 20 years at Saint Patrick Rectory in Chicopee Falls where she was the chef and managed the household staff. She was an active parishioner and longtime volunteer for many church events at the former Saint Joseph Church in Springfield. While living in Sturbridge, she was a communicant of Saint Anne Church in Fiskdale, MA. She was a member of Le Cercle des Dames Francaises. She was a loving wife and mother who adored her family and showered them with her love and affection which was returned to her a thousand fold. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Raoul O. Ricard who was Called Home on April 7, 1990. She leaves her devoted children, Michelle Ricard and her husband, Claude Cote of Pointe-des-Cascades, Quebec, Canada, Raoul G. Ricard and his wife, Theresa, of Sturbridge, MA, Jean-Guy Ricard and his wife, Annette, of Unionville, OH, Diane L. Gates and her husband, Robert, of Ellington, CT and Alain H. Ricard and his wife, Jennifer, of Ludlow; her 10 cherished grandchildren, Daniel Ricard Robinson, Jason Robinson, Zoe Robinson Ricard, Benjamin Ricard and his wife, Tina, Jeffrey Ricard, Samantha Ricard, Rebecca Ricard, Amanda Ricard, Alexander Ricard and Janiece Ricard; her three cherished great-grandchildren, Jacob Cote Robinson, Maya Cote Robinson and Benjamin Ricard; her dear sister, Sister Alice Lemieux of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary in Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada; her dear brothers, Joseph Lemieux of Rimouski, Quebec, Canada and Gerard Lemieux and his wife, Annette of Mont Louis, Quebec, Canada; her dear sister-in-law, Laureanne Lemieux of Rimouski, Quebec, Canada; many dear nephews and nieces; and her dear cousin and best friend, Madeleine Gazaille of South Hadley. Besides her parents and husband, she was predeceased by nine siblings. Her funeral will be held on Tuesday morning, April 24, 2012 beginning at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Springfield Chapels, (413-737-1177), 7 Chapin Terrace, Springfield, MA 01107 (funeral home will open at 8 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in Sainte Rose de Lima Church, 600 Grattan Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her burial will follow the Mass at Saint Patrick Cemetery, Fuller Road, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday, April 23, 2012 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Her family has requested that memorial donations be made in her memory to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701. For our online obituary and guest book, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com