Lorraine DuQuette

Lorraine C. (Robillard) DuQuette, 99, of East Hartford, loving wife for 50 years of the late Charles F. DuQuette, died peacefully in her sleep at her home on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Born in North Grosvenordale, CT on August 31, 1927, she was the daughter of the late Eugene Alfred Robillard and Merilda (Hamel) Robillard. Lorraine attended Hartford Public High School before going to work at Connecticut Mutual Insurance Company in Hartford. She would later earn her GED and attend Manchester Community College. Jo lived her life with curiosity and a remarkable interest and awareness of the world around her. She went out of her way to get to know others, forming friendships wherever she went. Jo especially loved to dance. Her mother claimed she danced before she walked and her husband always said that she danced her way into his heart. She loved tap, square, ballroom and swing dancing, and won second place in a statewide ballroom dance competition. Other beloved pursuits included hiking, yoga, walking, and cross-country skiing. She enjoyed playing setback and cribbage with family and friends and was a devoted UConn Women’s Basketball fan, never missing a game and always writing down the final score. The EH Senior Center became her home away from home. She regularly went to the gym, played cards and BINGO, and enjoyed lunch and music with her many friends.

A loving mother and grandmother, Lorraine will be forever missed by her three children, Dr. Mary W. DuQuette and her husband Thomas F. Sapien of San Diego, CA, and Joan A. DuQuette and her partner Arlene Tessman of Middletown, John N. DuQuette of Union City, NJ; and her five adored grandchildren, Rachael Aresco and her partner Benjamin Rathjen of Escondido, CA, Teresa Sapien of New York City, NY, Hilary Aresco and her husband Kazuma Saita of Maui, HI, Francis Sapien and his fiancée Samantha Foppe of Indianapolis, IN and Theo DuQuette of Hoboken, NJ. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. In addition to her husband and parents, Lorraine was sadly predeceased by her beloved son, Charles H. DuQuette; three brothers, Robert Robillard, Laurent Robillard and Eugene Robillard, and three sisters, Solange LeDuc, Gertrude D’Arcy and Theresa Robillard.

Calling hours will be Monday, October 19 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. concluding with a Chapel Prayer Service at 11:30 a.m. at the D’Esopo-East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter Street, East Hartford. Burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery, East Hartford. In lieu of flowers, donations in Lorraine’s memory may be made to Intercommunity Health Care, 281 Main Street, East Hartford, CT 06118 or online at https://www.intercommunityct.org/

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