Marie Therese Emiliene Vaillant - Obituary

arie Therese Vaillant ("Memere"), 89, of Pickerington, OH and previously of Oxon Hill and Fort Washington, MD, passed away on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Marie was born on December 24, 1930 in Woonsocket, RI to the late Antonio and Georgette (nee Cournoyer) Lebrun. Marie met her husband, Normand, in Woonsocket and they moved to Maryland, settling in Oxon Hill where they would raise their family. Marie lived in Oxon Hill and Fort Washington for 54 years and was very active in the St. Columba Parish. She attended mass daily and served as a eucharistic minister and a member of the Sodality. She was also a member of the local Red Hats Society. Marie attended bio-aerobics and jazzercise classes at the YMCA and the Tucker Road Community Center for many years, and she continued with YMCA classes after moving to Ohio in 2016 to live with her daughter. Marie was kind to everyone and never spoke a harsh word. Keeping in touch with friends and family through cards and letters brought her great joy. Above all, Marie was a servant to God and a loving mother and grandmother. We will always remember her welcoming smile and her endless energy and enthusiasm. Marie was preceded in death by her brother, Marc Lebrun, and her husband, Normand Vaillant. She is survived by her son, Marc (Brenda) Vaillant; daughter, Jackie (Bob) Neilon; and four grandchildren, Kevin (Amber) Neilon, Brian (Jen) Neilon, Laura Neilon, and Nicholas Vaillant. A memorial gathering will be held on Friday June 19 from 9:00 to 10:15am at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 6160 Oxon Hill Rd., Oxon Hill, MD followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am at St. Columba Catholic Church in Oxon Hill. Interment (private) will take place at Resurrection Cemetery. Online condolences may be offered using the Memory Wall link at the top of this page.