AUBURN/LEICESTER – Elodie-Anne “Lodie” (Hachey) Richard, 99 1/2 years old, formerly of the Cherry
Valley section of Leicester, died May 11th.,after a short illness. She
leaves two sons; Ernie and his wife Linda of Westborough, Mark and his wife
Wendy of Leesburg Virginia, daughters; Pauline Marois and her husband
Arthur of Auburn, and Suzanne Lahti and her husband David of
Shrewsbury, ten grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren and one great-
great-granddaughter. She was predeceased by her husband of 57 years,
Joseph W. Richard in 1999; and the heartbreak of three sons; Norman in
1971, Rene in 2002, and Paul in 2014. Additionally, three brothers; Jude,
Gerry, and Ernest, and a sister Annie whom she loved and missed dearly.
She was born November 19, 1923, in Rogersville, New Brunswick, Canada
the daughter of the late George J. Hachey and Agnes M. Doiron. At the age of
two, her family immigrated to Jay (Livermore Falls) Maine where she grew up
and married Joe on April 11, 1942, and moved to Worcester. In 1953 the
family moved to Cherry Valley when they finished building the house on Boyd
Street after a three-year construction project. She worked many hours
sanding and painting to finish the house and making it her home for 58 years;
and to the chagrin of her children washing all the walls seasonally saying, “It
makes the house smell fresh.” She enjoyed visiting and corresponding with
her many cousins of which she had 72!
She loved to bake and was well known by the children in the neighborhood for
her cookies and donuts. Seldom was a meal served without an extra neighborhood
kid sitting at her kitchen table. She took pride in being the ‘hostess with the
mostest’ and was mortified if a meal wasn't finished and there were no leftovers.
She was an integral part of St. Joseph /St. Pius X Parish in Leicester. She
was well known for running the grocery booth for many years at the annual
Harvest Festival. She had an infectious smile, laughter, and spirit. She
remained active in the parish well into her 90's, volunteering at the food pantry
and thrift store into her mid 90’s. She was given the honorary title of "Mother
of the Church" in 2017, a title she cherished.
Lodie retired from Millbrook Distributors in 1992 after 26 years of service as
the Manager of the Housewares Department. She was loved by many there
and mentored many young men and women working there as a part-time high
school/college student. When a student worker would gripe about the work
she would say, “Good! Stay in school so you can get a better job.” At the end
of a long day when the orders were almost finished, she would often sing on
the PA system “Where going to make it after all,” to the tune of the Mary Tyler
More show.
She was also very active in the Leicester senior community. In 2018 she was
elected the "Queen of the Prom". She was also well known for her costumes
often winning the Halloween dress up contest at the senior center.
Lodie's funeral will be held on Tuesday, May 16th from the MORIN FUNERAL HOME, 1131 Main St., Leicester with a Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. in St. Pius X Church, 1161 Main St., Leicester. A calling hour will precede the services from 9:45 to 10:45 am. in the funeral home. Burial will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Leicester. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made St. Joseph/St. Pius X Parish, or its' Food Pantry, 759 Main St., Leicester, 01524.