Written by Toni Lavigne-Conway | Special to the Valley Gazette
BARRY’S BAY – Born in 1929 to Henri J. Chapeskie of Sherwood Township and Rose Burchat of Wilno, Lorraine Teresa Briggs was destined to live a life of great strength and determination.
One of seven children, she had a busy childhood. Her sons Chris and John recall that, “she loved to tell the story of how she and her brother Andy would have to get up early enough to take the family’s cattle to pasture from their home in town (where the current Church Street flowers is on the main street) up the hill to where St. John Bosco is today, before the school day started at St. Joe’s. At the end of the day, it was back to get the cows and bring them home.”
Her father was a visionary and as Reeve, he intended to do what he could to see the town prosper and grow. It seems part of this plan was to ensure the town folk had access to healthcare close to home, and he set about doing his part to make that happen, including having some of his children educated in the healthcare field. Son Andy was groomed to be a doctor, and Lorraine, it seems, would make an excellent pharmacist. He even had the foresight to acquire property on the main street that would serve to be a good location for a pharmacy when she was ready.
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