Lucille Lafreniere

Lucille (Collette) LaFreniere, age 89 of Oakwood, ND passed away peacefully with family by her side Saturday, July 22, 2023, at All Season’s Senior Care Living of Cedar City, UT.  Lucille was born June 11, 1934 in Grafton, ND, the daughter of the late Elzear and Aurora (Demers) Collette.  She attended and graduated from St. Aloysius Academy in Oakwood.  She was united in marriage to the love of her life, Edgar LaFreniere, on September 21, 1953 and together they raised 5 children and farmed full time until 1997.  Along with being a homemaker, Lucille did the bookkeeping and other errands for the farm.

She enjoyed gardening, canning, baking and crafting.  She shared her love and teaching of crafts and other talents to family members with such passion and perfection.  She loved playing cards, dice, farkle, aggravation, puzzles, and the occasional outing to the casino.  She later opened a business “House of Lace” with her daughter Charlene.  During baseball season, you could find her cheering on the Twins from her living room.  Lucille was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Oakwood and Altar Society.  She made everyone feel at home with her kind, generous hospitality and their home was always open to everyone.

Lucille is survived by her children:  Wesley (Charlene) LaFreniere, Denver, CO; Charlene (Ray) Cole, Cedar City, UT; Bruce (Joanne) LaFreniere, Las Vegas, NV; Terry (Julie) LaFreniere, Grafton, ND; and Tammy LaFreniere, Cedar City, UT; 11 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; siblings: Bertha Campbell, Grafton, ND; Jane Pilon, Grafton, ND; Gladys Misialek, Grafton, ND; and Alice Mae (Jerome) LaHaise, Grand Forks, ND; several nieces and nephews also survive.  Lucille was preceded in death by her husband, Edgar LaFreniere; parents, Elzear and Aurora (Demers) Collette; stepmother, Leona (Grouette) Collette; sister, Adelaine (Collette) Schuster; and grandson, Christopher LaFreniere (Wesley’s son).

Mass of Christian burial will be Friday, August 4, 2023 at 10:00 am at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Oakwood, ND.  Visitation will be Friday for one hour prior to the service at the church.  Interment will be at the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery of Oakwood.