Madeleine J. (Marineau) Houle, 88, died Sunday, November 3, 2013 after a period of declining health. Most recently, she had been a resident of the Holy Cross Health Center. She was born September 30, 1925, in Manchester, N.H., daughter of Alfred and Marie (Girard) Marineau. She was a 1943 graduate of Ste. Marie High School, married Fernand Houle in 1946, and raised a family of six children.
For Madeleine and Fern, the Catholic faith and Church were centerpieces of their lives. In their youth, they were active in Ste. Marie’s Jeunesse Ouvriere Catholique (JOC). They were active parishioners of the former St. George Catholic Church, particularly its Prayer Group. They were members of the Pius X Secular Institute, active in the Cursillo movement, and were founding members of the Sarto Foundation. Madeleine was later a parishioner of St. Pius X parish where she was a member of the Ladies Guild, the Women of Mary, and the Consolers. She had been a member of the Catholic War Veterans Auxiliary and was also a member of the Holy Cross Associates.
Following Fern’s death in 1981, Madeleine, along with her son David, carried on the mantle of More-Heat, Inc. a small, family-owned heating oil dealership, until 1986.
She especially wanted you to know that she was a devoted fan of the Puritan Backroom restaurant.
Madeleine is survived by her sons Capt. Normand Houle, USN (ret.) and his wife Angelica of New Castle; David Houle and his wife Catherine, Gilbert Houle and his wife Theresa, all of Manchester; her daughters Lorraine Ducas and her husband Eugene of Manchester, Marie Hebert and her husband Marc of Alton Bay, Victoria Silver and her husband Jeffrey of Hooksett; 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; her brother Bernard Marineau and his wife Annette, her sister Sr. Florence Marineau of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, Sherbrooke, Quebec; her sisters-in-law Yvonne Houle and Claire Duhaime; and numerous nieces, nephews and good friends. She was predeceased by her sister Rita Lesmerises in 2001.
A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated on Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at St. Pius X Church, 575 Candia Rd., Manchester. Burial was at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Goffstown Rd.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Development Fund of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, 377 Island Pond Rd., Manchester, NH 03109; St. Pius X Parish, 575 Candia Rd., Manchester, NH 03109; or the Boy Scouts of America, Daniel Webster Council, 571 Holt Ave., Manchester, NH 03109.