A funeral Mass for Mary Lou Thivierge was celebrated at St. Augustine Church in Signal Mountain on June 30. Father John Dowling, pastor of St. Augustine, served as the celebrant for the Mass, which was attended by the Thivierge family.
Mrs. Thivierge was born in Gladstone, Mich., and spent her early years in the Upper Peninsula. She graduated from St. Mary’s Spring Academy in Fond du Lac, Wis., in 1943; Rosary College in Chicago in 1947; and Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School in Chicago in 1951.
Her first employment was as a secretary with the CIA in Washington, D.C., followed by two years in Salonica, Greece.
Mrs. Thivierge married Arthur Thivierge, a grade school sweetheart, in 1956. They had four children: Justin, Julie, Ann, and Neal. The family had an exciting and adventurous 30 years living and working in Asia and Africa, beginning in Afghanistan in 1963. Other countries included Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Sudan, and Kenya.
In 1993, Mr. and Mrs. Thivierge returned to the United States and retired to Alexian Village in Signal Mountain. They enjoyed extensive travel and tent camping throughout the United States.
Beginning in 1998, Mr. and Mrs. Thivierge were commissioned as Comboni Missionaries to work in South Africa for two years. They subsequently completed missions for Mary-knoll in China and in Thailand. Upon returning to the United States in the early 2000s, Mr. and Mrs. Thivierge co-founded and spent eight years operating the Riversville Foundation college scholarship program for underserved youth.
The couple celebrated 67 years of marriage in May. Mrs. Thivierge is survived by her husband, four children, her eight grandchildren, and her great-grandsons.
The Thivierge family wishes to sincerely thank the Alexian Village Health and Rehabilitation unit staff and Hearth Hospice for their kind and compassionate care.
