Obituary of Doris C. Bourque

Doris Cecile Bourque of Manchester CT, 89, lived an extraordinary life.   Her philosophy was centered on the teaching of St. Augustine who said, “It is no great thing to live long, nor even to live forever; but it is a great thing to live well.” 

Doris lived well, devoted to her family, faith, profession and community, using her talents to the fullest.  She was smart, independent, an optimist and achiever who never shrank from her civic duty – completely dedicated to the many people and lives she touched through her professional work and spiritual devotion.

Doris was born on March 17, 1930, the daughter of Antonio and Cecile Dubois, and sister to Leo Dubois.  As a teenager, she attended Mount Saint Joseph’s Academy, a place that cultivated an intellectual curiosity that remained throughout the rest of her life. 

“The object of my life,” Doris once wrote, "has been the raising of five wonderful children… and caring for our home…  Taking care of them, treating each one as an individual, and learning through them has been very enriching.”  With love and devotion, she nurtured her family, eventually becoming the proud matriarch of an entire clan with the addition of 14 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.  While raising her family, Doris also cared for her father and brother when they fell ill and was a constant companion and caretaker to her mother who lived to 100 years of age.  

After raising her family, Doris enrolled in Manchester Community College to obtain the education her father had always wanted her to pursue.  It took her twelve years to complete her studies, but she graduated with two Associates degrees in accounting and in business administration with a real estate option.  Later, she served MCC’s Alumni Association for 14 years, eight of them as its President, bringing new ideas and energy to the campus.  In 2000, she received the Volunteer of the Year Award in recognition of her efforts.

Doris became a real estate agent in 1975 and helped more than 900 people buy and sell homes as a member of the Re/ Max East of the River team of real estate agents.  In recognition of her success, she earned Realtor Associate of the Year awards from the Manchester Board of Realtors and Connecticut Association of Realtors.  She was sales champion of the Eastern Region, ERA Real Estate in 1987 and later received the president’s award from Re/Max of New England.  Finally, she was honored with Re/Max’s “Hall of Fame” award which recognized a total of $1 million in commissions received since joining the agency.  During this time, she also found time to serve her community on the building committee for the town of Manchester and on the Manchester Board of Realtors.

Throughout her life, Doris remained committed to her faith.  She wrote, “Without a deep faith, it seems to me, life could become burdensome and tedious.”  She nurtured her faith with prayer, reading and service.  She served on the parish council at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish and The Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry located in Hartford, CT, was active in the Voice of the Faithful, and assisted hundreds of families with funeral services.

During her sixties, Doris was running her thriving real estate practice and had traveled all over the world, by herself and with friends through the MCC Alumni Association.  She had developed a rich intellectual life, immersed in the writings of Thomas Merton and exploring eastern philosophies of wellness and feng shui.  She loved to sit on her back deck in the summer, surrounded by flowers and the birds, reading and listening to music.  In the winter, her den was warmed by roaring fires in her fireplace.  Holidays were always large and boisterous affairs celebrated by her growing family.

Doris passed away on December 10^th after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.  She leaves behind her five children and their spouses: Michael and Barbara Bourque, “Bonnie” Barbara Bourque and Steven McKane, Nancy J Kelley, Laurie Wardwell and Mary and Thomas Young, together with her whole tribe of grandchildren and great grandchildren as previously described.

Funeral services will be held at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Hartford on Monday, December 16^th located at 265 Church Street, Hartford CT at 10:00am. Burial will follow in Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery, Bloomfield.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Medical Aid to Haiti, a mission that her son has been instrumental in nurturing, bringing medical aid to people most at risk in a very poor land, at:

Medical Aid to Haiti

80 South Main Street

C/O Filomeno and Company

West Hartford CT 06107

http://medicalaidtohaiti.org

John F. Tierney Funeral Home has care of arrangements and for condolences online please visit www.tierneyfuneralhome.com