| Notes |
- Tree fells Fairhaven grandma and graduating granddaughter
By David Rising, Standard-Times staff writer
Posted May 18, 1997 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 10, 2011 at 9:26 PM
FAIRHAVEN -- Florence Gamache spent most of her granddaughter?s graduation day in the hospital, recovering after a tree chopped down by Boston park workers crashed down on her head.
But yesterday the 62-year-old was up at 7 a.m., helping her 90-year-old mother get ready to go out.
?My head kills and there is a big bruise on my right arm, but I?m alive and well and very grateful,? she said from her Fairhaven home.
?It could have been much worse -- (Friday) night I was still pulling twigs out of my hair.?
She said her biggest regret was that her granddaughter?s graduation from Wheelock College was ruined.
?Our entire day was ruined yesterday, so we thought we would visit her today in Wareham where she lives,? she said.
The day had started off well. The whole family showed up in Boston to see Amy Gamache get her diploma.
After the ceremony, all eight were walking through the Fenway on their way to D?Angelo?s sub shop when they spotted a Metropolitan District Commission crew working in a gully.
?The area was not roped off and no one said ?Don?t go through here,? and there was a big group of us walking two by two,? said Mrs. Gamache.
?Then it all happened so quickly -- it landed on my head and my right shoulder, and down I went.?
Her son, Raymond Gamache, was in the back of the group and witnessed the incident.
?It came out of nowhere,? he said.
?She got clubbed in the head and shoulder with the tree, and her knees just buckled. She was knocked unconscious.?
Mr. Gamache said Amy, still in cap and gown, was also struck by the tree.
?It caught my daughter, too, and she kind of got pinned under the tree,? he said.
When Mr. Gamache saw his mother and daughter fall under the tree -- which was about 7 inches in diameter -- he ran forward and quickly lifted it off the pair, but said it took some time for anyone else to help.
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?I think people were pretty much in shock when it happened.?
Both women were rushed to Boston?s Beth Israel Hospital and treated for their wounds.
Doctors told Florence Gamache they thought her arm was broken, but upon further analysis found the bone only to be bruised. She also has a large lump on her head, and was diagnosed with a concussion.
Amy Gamache was treated for minor abrasions and a concussion.
Florence Gamache said she was glad that night to have her family with her at her home in Fairhaven.
?My husband and son are here, and my mother, so they kept a pretty close watch on me but, other than a severe head throbbing and arm throbbing, I?m well.?
She said she was not considering litigation, although she hoped if her own medical insurance did not cover the costs that the city of Boston would pick up the tab.
?I?m quite certain they would do that,? she said.
Mr. Gamache said his mother probably wouldn?t sue even ?if she was dying,? but that they would have a good case.
?They were completely negligent,? he said. ?They didn?t have anything barred off.?
Died:
- Florence's Obituary
FAIRHAVEN-Florence C. (Duchesneau) Gamache, 90, of Fairhaven passed away peacefully Friday, June 27, 2025, at Our Lady?s Haven in Fairhaven. She was the wife of the late Raymond L. Gamache, Sr.
Florence, a woman whose smile could brighten any room, passed away leaving a legacy of love, laughter, and devotion. Born in 1934, she was raised in Fairhaven as the daughter of the late Alban ?Duke? and Leona (Fleurent) Duchesneau. She was the beloved sister to her older sister Leona Blouin (deceased) and younger brother Bill (deceased). Her strong French-Canadian heritage was a source of great joy, and she cherished memories of time spent with her aunts, uncles, and cousins from both the Duchesneau and Fleurent families.
Florence attended Sacred Heart Academy and later worked at Morse Twist Drill. It was at that time that she met and later married Raymond Gamache. Together, they built a family, having seven children in eight years. Florence resided on Florence Street in Fairhaven for over 60 years, a beloved home she couldn't bear to leave.
In 1975, Florence re-entered the workforce, first at Fairhaven Pharmacy and then at Mike's Restaurant, where she was well-known as a hostess. Her greatest joy, however, came from her ever-expanding family. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She doted on her twenty-five grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren, showering them with clothes and toys on their birthdays and Christmases.
Florence was known for her kind-hearted, loving, thoughtful, and caring nature. She was intelligent, friendly, outgoing, sociable, loyal, generous, and fun-loving, with a laugh that was truly infectious. She was a classy and elegant woman who was always well-dressed. She enjoyed shopping, especially at Talbots, and loved hearing how beautiful she looked.
Florence is reunited with her beloved husband, Raymond Gamache, and her sons, Raymond Gamache Jr., John Gamache, and James Gamache, and grandchildren Amy Blood and Raymond Gamache III.
She is survived by her loving children: Matthew Gamache, Miriam Manley and her husband Ted, Martha Guillotte and her husband Ray, and Kristin Robidoux and her husband Carl. She also leaves behind her twenty-five grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.
Florence will be deeply missed by those whose lives she touched, including Patricia Cullen, Judy Lister, Ann Marie Gamache, Michelle Borges, Herb Valerio, and her nephews Joseph, Mark, and Paul Blouin. Her memory will be cherished by all who were fortunate enough to know her.
Calling hours are Tuesday from 5-7PM in the Fairhaven Funeral Home, 117 Main Street, Fairhaven. Her funeral will be Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 9AM from the funeral home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10AM in St. Joseph?s Church,
Fairhaven. Burial will follow in Riverside Cemetery, Fairhaven.
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1934 - 2025 (90 years)
