Therese Riche

Therese Riche was born on July 14, 1962 in Lascahobas, Haiti by Joseph Larochel Valmont and Cleomene Valmont as the only daughter amongst her parents' four kids. She completed primary and secondary school at St. Esprit Elementary School and St. Gabrièl filles de Marie, respectively in Lascahobas, Haiti. She then went on to obtain her Brevet Supérieur degree in teaching at Ecole Nationale Carolyn Chevreau in Port Au Prince, Haiti. After completing her education in the nation’s capital, she returned to her home town of Lascahobas to work as a prestigious kindergarten teacher at her alma mater St. Gabrièl from 1987 to 1990.

In the year prior to beginning her career as a teacher, Therese married her husband Luckner Riche on September 13, 1986 in their beloved hometown Lascahobas. Four years later, Therese came to America soon after her husband and they started a family in Brooklyn, New York. Therese gave birth to their first son Luc Riche in 1991 and to their second son Douby Riche in 1992. After spending four years in Brooklyn, they moved to Queens, New York where they would spend the next 13 years before moving to Long Island, New York.

Therese started working in the United States as a clerk at a CAM money transfer facility on Church Ave in Brooklyn, NY. She then worked various jobs such as a home health aide, certified nursing assistant, and bus matron before becoming a school bus driver for nearly 20 years. In addition to her regular work hours, she spent her early years in America working as an entrepreneurial beautician. Therese had a strong passion in beauty which led to her completing cosmetology school and converting portions of her home in Rosedale, Queens into a mini salon; out of which, she also sold lancome products.  Many women throughout the community would come to her to get their hair styled and/or to purchase beauty products in addition to clothes.

One of her hallmark’s is being a matriarch of her family. She helped migrate both of her parents and all of her brothers from Haiti to the United States. Amidst working hard to provide opportunities for her family, Therese made sure to prioritize her faith. She was a longtime member of St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church since 1997, where she was a member of the Lumiere Du Monde choir in addition to being a eucharistic minister, co-founder/co-animatrice of the prayer group Petit Manman Marie De Elmont, and member of the Auxiliary Legion of Mary. Therese also supported Sts. Joachim & Anne Roman Catholic Church in Hollis, Queens through her participation in their concerts and prayer lines through the group Foyer D’amour.

In 2017 Therese was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, which ultimately became Stage IV with metastization to her major organs. In spite of her diagnosis, Therese made sure to live her life to the fullest. She thoroughly enjoyed being on the dance floor, having a joyous time with family and friends. Line dances were her hallmark, with her favorites being the electric slide, cha cha slide, and jerusalema. After over a 6 year battle with cancer, Therese passed away on February 20th, 2024 surrounded by her immediate family.

She is survived by her mother: Cleomene Valmont. Her husband: Luckner Riche. Her sons: Luc Riche and Douby Riche. Her brothers: Lemoine Valmont, Beleck Valmont, and Pierre Valmont. Her nephew: Shelton Valmont. Her nieces: Sunchise Valmont and Belinda Valmont. Her grandchildren: Carter Antwan Riche, Aleena Rose Riche, Evie Jade Riche.

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