Rita Marie (Lepage) Heroux

Rita Marie Lepage Heroux departed this life Sunday, June 30, 2019 at the age of 97. She leaves behind a legacy of charm, graciousness, tenacity and determination, all qualities which she instilled in her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. No one who met her or spoke with her for even a moment could leave the encounter without being bedazzled by her charming French accent.  Rita was born in the village of Saint Guillaume d’ Upton in Quebec, Canada, June 11, 1922, the sixth of eight children born to Alfred and Leonie (Beauchamp) Lepage.  She lived happily among family and friends in the villages of the Laurentian mountains, graduating from Catholic schools there.  Always an adventurous spirit, she met her late husband, Paul A. Heroux, while skiing at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada, shortly after World War II ended.  They married October 6, 1947, and were lifelong in their commitment for 51 years. Following her husband’s economic opportunity, the couple immigrated to the United States when Rita was age 32, with two young children in tow.  Although her English was spotty, and they were strangers in a foreign land, Rita’s graciousness and determination won over the hearts and minds of so many in their new community in Buffalo, New York.  In 1958, with one more child in tow and three years after the Ohio Turnpike made Streetsboro a viable suburb of Cleveland, her husband accepted a job with Chrysler and the family moved once again, this time for good. Rita quickly became part of her faith community, first at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Aurora and later as a founding member of St Joan of Arc Parish in Streetsboro.  She served in the Altar & Rosary Society, was a Eucharistic Minister, participated in rummage sales, cheerfully worked Bingo and served her church in any capacity she could.  She continued to enjoy adventure – taking her growing family on camping outings in the states and in Canada, socializing with their “Suburbanite” group friends, and skiing in Canada, France, Austria and Germany with their Chrysler Pentastar ski club members.  Family vacations to visit siblings and cousins and other relatives on both sides of their families became annual traditions, and Rita ensured their children spoke both French and English.  Rita enjoyed decoupage, cake-decorating, quilting, good wine and great laughter.  It is her infectious laugh that will be best remembered by so many of those who knew her. As she grew stronger in her Catholic faith, she also came to believe that there are many paths to God.  Her son Michel followed her path within the Catholic church, while her other children found different expressions of their faith.  Her daughter Ginette remembers her mother saying to her, in her gracious way, “we all believe in the same God, but we’re getting there on different buses.”  She was a good, faithful, strong woman. Rita outlived her parents, her seven siblings, and her husband Paul who passed away on January 1, 1999.  She is survived by her sons Michel Heroux of Streetsboro, Paul Heroux (Richard Poole) of St Petersburg, FL; Daniel Heroux (Yvonne) of Annapolis, MD, and her daughter Ginette Campbell-Heroux (Catherine) also in St Petersburg, FL; her grandchildren Ginette Heroux Harvey, Peter Heroux (Lauren), Nicholas Heroux (Helen) and Daniel Heroux (Michelle); great-grandchildren Brooke and Brandon Harvey, Sophia Heroux, Alex and Addison Heroux and Autumn Heroux. She is also survived by sisters-in-law Josette (Heroux) Roy and Lucie Heroux in Quebec City, Quebec and many beloved nieces and nephews in Canada. Special appreciation & gratitude to the staff & personnel of Crossroads Hospice and The Gardens at Liberty Park for the love, attention & care given to our mother.  Calling hours will be held Friday, July 5th, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Shorts Spicer Crislip Funeral Home in Streetsboro with Mass of Christian Burial to be officiated by Father Christopher Luoni at 10:30 a.m. at St Joan of Arc Church, Streetsboro, on Saturday, July 6th. (PLEASE MEET AT THE CHURCH) Cremation will follow with final burial services in Val-Morin, Quebec, Canada at a future date.

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