Theresa Ann Pouliot

Theresa Ann Pouliot loved a good joke and she had an infectious laugh to go with it. Her hearty chuckle and bright smile could fill a whole room.
Born on March 15, 1926, she was the daughter of the late Henry Pariseau and Margaret Connelly. She was a graduate of Manchester High School West and lived in the Queen City for most of her life.
It was at that same high school where she met the love of her life, Marcel J. Pouliot Sr. They were married in 1945, while he was still in the service, and they spent the next 61 years together as devoted husband and wife. He affectionately called her Teese. They raised their two boys, Marcel Jr. and Paul, with much love, and instilled in them the importance of hard work and generosity.
Theresa worked for several independent grocers in Manchester, for many years. She retired from Grand Union, formerly Champagne's Supermarket, in 1986. During her time at Champagne's, she was an associate in the meat department and although she was many years their senior, she kept up with all the teenagers who worked there. Her son, Marcel, recalled how she used to come home and retell the jokes the boys told her at the store. He said he would burst out laughing. Some jokes were clean, others not so much.
Theresa was not only a stellar mother, she was a fantastic grandmother. Their two-story house on the West Side was full of life. When her son Marcel and her daughter-in-law, Mary-Jeanne, lived with them for a short time, she would bang on the radiator when they left, signaling it was time for her two eldest grandkids to come upstairs for playtime and snacks. Yes, she was that type of Nana. The really fun and sassy one.
Her five other grandchildren fondly remember date nights, when she and Marcel Sr. would take them out to dinner and let them pick absolutely anything off the menu. From lobster to filet mignon, nothing was off-limits. Other nights at their house involved homemade fried dough and the latest episode of Solid Gold.
Theresa was a fierce survivor. She beat breast cancer in her 40's and went on to live another 50 years. In that time, she was a tireless caretaker to her husband, Marcel, after he suffered a stroke, and welcomed 13 great-grandchildren into her life.
She was empathetic but tough. Theresa told it like it was. No sugarcoating, but she had a heart the size of Texas. Her door was always open to anyone in need. She was a very active member of St. Patrick's Church, and as a devout Catholic, she never missed her morning and nightly prayers. She was also a member of the Women's Guild and CYO.
Her family was absolutely the most important thing to her and spending time with her grandchildren brought her true joy. Above all else, Theresa will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend.
When she wasn't busy being the matriarch of the family, she loved a good game of poker and a tasty Manhattan.
Theresa, 94, of Manchester, died January 13, 2021, at Rockingham County Nursing Center, surrounded by her loving family.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Marcel J. Pouliot Sr., in 2006.
Surviving family members include her two sons, Marcel J. Pouliot, Jr. and wife Mary-Jeanne of Goffstown and Paul T. Pouliot and wife Linda of Bullard, Texas; seven grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was also predeceased by her two sisters, Mary Grady and Geraldine Cross; and two brothers, Henry and Wilfred Pariseau.
SERVICES: Calling hours with strict social distancing and masks will take place from 5 pm to 7 pm on Tuesday at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St., corner of North St., Manchester, NH 03104. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 am on Wednesday at St. Lawrence Church, 1 E. Union St., Goffstown, NH 03045. Committal Prayers to follow in the mausoleum at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, 474 Goffstown Rd., Manchester, NH 03102. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Alzheimer's Foundation NH Chapter, 166 S. River Rd., Bedford, NH 03110.