Martha M. Dion Ward

Martha St Roch Dion Ward, age 94, passed away quietly after a brief illness on Sept. 11. Until that time she had lived independently in her own home, a fact of which she was very proud. She was born in St. Hyacinthe, Province Quebec, Canada in 1914, the second of four children. She was predeceased by her brother Romeo St. Roch when he was a young man and her two younger sisters Carmen Corneau, of Nowich CT and Katy TX and Jeanne Lazure, of St. Hyacinthe PQ, Canada, who passed away just this past year. She graduated from Prince Academy and moved to the United States when she married "her little American boy," Norbert J. Dion, who was a Federal Mediator at the time of his death in 1970. They made their home in the Harford area, as did Mr. Dion's two brothers, Vincent and Francis and two sisters, Margaret Doucet and Claire Cashman, all of whom predeceased her. There were always lots of warm, fun family gatherings. After Mr. Dion's death Martha married Hugh F. Ward of Manchester, CT. They spent their retirement years driving cross country and through the northwestern section of Canada where her father had been a conductor on the Trans Canadian railway. It was one of her proudest achievements because in her younger years she was terrified to drive and didn't learn until she was 49 years old. Mr. Ward passed away in 1981. Martha had three children with her first husband. Her middle son, Robert Dion predeceased her in 1990. She leaves behind a loving family who will miss her deeply, including her son Richard Dion, and his wife Pamela of Simsbury and her daughter, Jacqueline Curry and her husband, Steve of Niantic. In her later years her grandchildren and then her great-grandchildren were the love of her life. They include Aimee David Romero and their twins, Michael and Samantha of Gilroy, CA; Suzanne Adam Leighton and their daughters, Abigail and Elizabeth of Simsbury, CT; Michael Michelle Dion and their children, Michael and Madison of East Haven, CT; Kerri John Bodrey and their daughter, Alyssa of Cordele, GA; Christine Curry of Yorktown Heights, NY; and Stephen Curry of Colonial Beach, VA. and her two "adopted" grandchildren, JP and Maggie Cassidy of West Hartford. During her life time she used her skills as a seamstress to make original articles of clothing for herself, family and friends and made numerous costumes for dance recitals and school plays throughout the years. She was a member of the IAM Retirees in East Hartford, District 26 and a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, Post 102 of Manchester. She spent a good deal of her time playing the organ for pleasure and was a member of the "Organizer" organ club of West Hartford. She was a faithful parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford for 41 years. Funeral services will be Monday departing the Molloy Funeral Home 906 Farmington Ave. West Hartford at 9:30 am with the celebration of her Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am in the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle. Burial will follow in Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery, Bloomfield. Friends and family may call from 4 pm to 6 pm on Sunday at the funeral home. Donations in her memory may be made to St. Thomas the Apostle Church 872 Farmington Ave. West Hartford, CT 06119. On line expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com

Martha M. Dion Ward

May 1, 1914 - September 11, 2008