Millinocket - Theresa Juliette (Jackson) Cyr of Millinocket, Maine passed away at 90, after a short illness, on January 7th, 2022.
She was born in Allagash, Maine on July 11th, 1931 to Marie Anne (Cyr) and Charles L. Jackson. Life in the Allagash at the time was filled with sometimes austere, but very joyous memories. Her mother was a school teacher and her father was a landowner and lumberman. When she was young, Theresa would oftentimes accompany her father on the long drive from Allagash to deliver ash logs to Old Town Canoe. She loved the woods and the water and of course the feeds of fiddleheads, deer meat and trout! She also loved picking blueberries and raspberries, and when her children were old enough, made a point to take us berry picking every year. In 9th grade Theresa made the daily trip by bus to Fort Kent from the Allagash to attend school… a ride of 30 miles one way! At the age of 16 she moved to Fort Kent to live with her Uncle George’s family and excelled in high school, graduating Salutatorian in 1950.
In 1951, Ma met and married the love of her life Ludger Cyr in Millinocket. As he was working on the road for a company specializing in boilermaking and high steel, they lived in various communities for a few years, while he constructed high schools and town halls. In Bath, Me. their 1st daughter was born, and after settling back in Millinocket, they continued to add 7 more children to the mix.
Ma was a wonderful mother and provider and raising eight kids must have been a daunting task, but she made it her priority. She was sure that a big meal was served every dinner, every day, along with clean clothes and a clean house! A very artistic person and a voracious reader, it wasn’t uncommon to observe her finishing up a painting or a book.
A communicant of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, she and Ludgie would attend weekly Mass with all eight children in tow. On Sunday afternoon it would be normal for a drive and picnic to Baxter State Park or Chesuncook Lake or even Campobello Island in Lubec. Traveling with the family was their passion and a yearly trip to Connecticut to visit cousins or East Boston to visit a favorite aunt or even Quebec City or some other far away destination, was always looked forward to. More times than not, passers-by and gas station attendants would be pleasantly surprised to see 8 little heads pop up from the station wagon seats.
Theresa was predeceased by her husband Ludger and her son Michael and daughter Roberta and her parents and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
She is survived by her daughter Paula Umel and Skip, sons Patrick and Sharon, Mark, John, Martin and Tatiana, Scott and Jean Marie, her sister Polly and special friend Bee Bard and 17 beautiful grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Due to Covid concerns, funeral services will be private. A spring interment is planned at Millinocket Cemetery and the date will be announced later.