Lorina Lafleur Gadoury, who has died at the age of 94, was a long time resident of Knowlton and the first woman sexton of St. Edouard’s church. 

Lorina Lafleur was born in Grand Remous near Gatineau, Quebec, She and her five sisters and four brothers were brought up on a farm. As a young woman she moved to Montreal and spent her working life there with her husband, Gerard Gadoury. The couple retired to Knowlton in 1999, in part to be close to her sister, Aline Carel. The couple was active in the community, in particular at the church. 

Gerard and Lorina shared the duties of sexton at St. Edouard, but when her husband died in 1999, she took over the duties on her own. Her duties included ironing the priest’s vestments and the lace cloth for the altar, and making sure the church was spotless for Sunday Mass. 

“Lorina was a hard worker. Everything in the church was spotless when she was there,” said Louise Wing, a parishioner and friend. She and her sister Aline also served Mass, a func- tion once reserved for young men. Lorina had an active social life, enjoyed golf and bridge. Lorina was honoured with the medal of merit from the local Bishop in 2019. 

“She was a very kind person and she would help anyone,” said Aline Carel. “I had five sisters. She was the last one.” Lorina married Édouard Boyer in 2001. He died in 2016. 

Lorina Lafleur Gadoury was born on April 29, 1927. She died on July 6, 2021. She is survived by her sister Aline, her two sons, Serge and Stéphane, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.