Loretta A. (Marinelli) Bourque, 98, of New Bedford passed away in the arms of her loving daughter on Tuesday August 28, 2018 after a brief illness. She was the wife of the late Albert L. Bourque.
A daughter of the late Carmine and Grace (Donato) Marinelli, she was a lifelong resident of the South End of New Bedford, where she was a communicant of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at St. James Church. She graduated with honors from New Bedford High School in 1938.
Mrs. Bourque was formerly employed as an office supervisor at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School until her retirement in 1980.
She was active in many church and community organizations including the New Bedford Jaycettes, the South End Civic Association, the Cove Street Neighborhood Association, the St. Vincent dePaul Society, and the Solanus Casey Food Pantry. She had been honored as the Massachusetts Crime Watch Senior Citizen of the Year, the Standard-Times Woman of the Year, and recently as the Voc-Tech Career Achievement Award recipient. In 2011, she had also been honored by the City of New Bedford at the dedication of the Loretta Bourque Park on Ruth Street in the heart of her beloved South End neighborhood.
She is survived by two children, Bradford K. Bourque and his wife Claudette of New Bedford, and Pamela G, Moreau and her companion Russ Olivera of Dartmouth; her siblings, John A. Marinelli of New Bedford and Grace Bourgault of Florida; four grandchildren, Logan Bourque, Dr. Danielle Neves and her husband Mike, Eric Moreau, and Nolan Bourque; eight great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She was the sister of the late Mary Thomas, Rose Houbre, and Charles Marinelli.
Her Funeral will be held on Saturday September 1, 2018 at 8 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, followed by her Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at St. James Church at 9 AM. Burial will be private. Visiting hours will be on Friday August 31, 2018 from 4-7 PM. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.