NADEAU, FLORENCE M. (TESSIER)
passed away peacefully on March 14, 2020, in the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Muriel and William Dion who, along with Flo’s daughter Madeleine Dorsey and her granddaughter Karen Dion, were her primary caregivers. A lifetime Fall River resident, Flo had celebrated her 93rd birthday on February 18.
Flo was the widow of the late Leo W. Nadeau, with whom she enjoyed 72 years of marriage. They were the parents of five children: Marcel Nadeau of Rehoboth (wife Shelly); Michelle Kelly of Fall River (husband William); Muriel Dion of Fall River (husband William); Monique Currier of Newport, RI (husband Steve); and Madeleine Dorsey of Taunton (husband David); eight grandchildren: Shannon Nadeau, Nicole Matos, Jacqueline Wright, Karen Dion, Marcel Nadeau, Jr., Kathryn Barnes, Caitlyn Dorsey, and the late Kevin Dion; and ten great-grandchildren: Jacob, Max, Ava, Addyson, Alex, Ava, Austin, Allie, Jace, and Katielynn.
Flo was the daughter of the late Ella (Roi) and the late Aldam Tessier. She was also the sister of the late Normand Tessier and the late Yvette (Tessier) Mackie. She is survived by her brother, Aldam “Pete” Tessier, of Somerset, MA.
Flo grew up in the Maplewood section of Fall River where she spent many carefree summer days of her youth at “Girls’ Beach” along the shore of the South Watuppa Pond and many happy winter afternoons ice skating along that same shore. A graduate of the former St. Jean the Baptist School, she also attended the former Dominican Academy.
In addition to raising her children, Flo was employed at a number of Fall River garment shops, the last of which was Kravif Manufacturing on Alden Street. Flo’s skills as a seamstress and garment worker were highly prized, and especially in her early days, she would frequently receive a call from an owner or manager, pleading for her to come to the shop, even if just for the afternoon.
However, the center of Flo’s life was her family—her late husband Leo, their children and their spouses, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren. But it was more than that. The home that Flo kept was always a place of hospitality, joy, laughter, and inclusion. To Flo, friends of her children and their spouses—and their spouses’ families and friends—and her grandchildren and her neighbors were just part of her extended family. Whether it was a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years celebration or an ordinary day, Flo made you welcome. Always.
Flo certainly embodied this Beatitude, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” Unless you were the recipient of or witnessed it, you were unaware of the caretaking Flo did beyond her husband and children because she didn’t talk about it. That was not her way. But for 15 years, she cared for Leo’s oldest brother, Edeas, in their home, with frequent extended stays from her father-in-law. And for several years, Leo’s older brother Armand and nephew Roland spent long stretches in their home, enthusiastically following the Bruins and Red Sox with Leo in the parlor on 50 Earle Street.
It’s simple. As a mother, a sister or sister-in-law, a mother-in-law, a Memere, and a Grand-Memere, Flo was treasured, and she will be profoundly missed.
Her funeral arrangements are being handled by South Coast Funeral Home, 1555 Pleasant Street, Fall River, MA 02723, with interment in the Mausoleum of the Notre Dame Cemetery in Fall River. A memorial service honoring Flo’s life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Flo’s memory to The Fly Foundation: Financial Lift for Young Adults with Cancer, PO Box 2528, Fall River, MA 02722, theflyfoundation.org.