In her hundredth year and following fitting celebrations and special visits from family and friends to mark the milestone anniversary of her birth on February 23, Doris Hachey passed away peacefully at Chaleur Regional Hospital on the morning of August 30, 2023, with her daughters at her side. She lived an extraordinary and healthy long life always looking forward to tomorrow, and what was next.

Born in La Collette, she was the eldest daughter of Medrick Gaudet and Madeleine (née Robichaud) Gaudet. After the passing of her father, her mother remarried twice and Doris found herself in a family where she was the eldest of two brothers (Edmond and Medrick), a half-brother (Isidore), and four step sisters(Marie, Evelyn, Evangeline and Rose) who she outlived. Her youngest half-sister, Antoinette Hanas of London, Ontario, mourns the loss of her beloved elder sister.

She was to live through extraordinary change over the century in which she lived, first through many moves as her family grew in depression years, and then as a young working woman pioneering the new technology of telephone exchanges in small communities in New Brunswick. In 1955, she married Louis Joseph Hachey (who predeceased her in 1978). In Bathurst, she and her husband raised a family of five children born in four years, participating fully in the life of the community and the Holy Family Church from their home on O’Neil Drive, where she lived for more than 60 years.

The true matriarch of her family, she will always be remembered for her inquisitive, well-informed curious mind and someone who put the needs of others ahead of herself. She played bridge well and socialized with a large group of fellow players over many years. She was a woman of strong values, a good sense of humour and her own mind who maintained her dignity even as her health weakened. A great listener, she was friends to many in the community and continued to make friends in her later years when she moved to La Residence Prestige, where she was well looked after by staff and had many friends.

She kept in close touch with her children and grandchildren - and they with her - as she kept up with their lives and the developments of a rapidly changing world. She loved them and was loved more in return.

She was sadly predeceased by her son Paul in 2008 and leaves to mourn her surviving children and their spouses: Louise (David), Jean-Marc (Richard), Pierre (Maureen), Marie-Claire (Don), and her daughter-in-law Debbie. She will also forever be remembered as “MéMère” by her grandchildren and their spouses/partners: Matthew (Dawn), Katherine, Jilliane (Dan), Jayden (Heidi), Kayla (Nathan), Jacob, Joab (Kiera), Natasha, Dylan (Jillian), Shawn (Kristina), Andrea (Mike), and Brett (Lyne) as well as her great grandchildren: Cooper, Jack, Ruby, Everly, Josef, Ollie, Lily, Finn, Emmylou and Luca and more to follow. She also was well loved and will be well remembered by many nieces and nephews and their families, particularly the Hanas family in Ontario.

Do not weep for I have not gone. I am the memory that dwells in the heart of those that knew me.

You can shed tears that she is gone. Or you can smile because she has lived.

The funeral will be held at 11 am on Tuesday, September 5th at Holy Family Church. All are welcome. A reception will follow downstairs.

Remembrances may be made to charity of your choice.

Arrangements are in the care of Elhatton’s Funeral Home (www.elhatton.com) Bathurst.