Thelma Jessie Matilda Longard was born in Tantallon, Nova Scotia, on June 26, 1922 to Harvey and Minnie (Levy) Longard. She had one sister, Irma. Her parents separated and she and her mother movd to Oshawa, Ontario, where she had a hard childhood. She graduated from Oshawa Missionary College in 1942.
In January 1949, she began her studies in elementary education at Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Mass. There she met Reginial Lenbert Cheney, a ministerial student from Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. She graduated in 1952, and went to Victoria, British Columbia, to teach grades 1-6. In 1954 she moved to Fresno, California, where she taught third grade.
She and Reg continued to write, as she taught and he began ministry as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor (after graduating from AUC in 1953). She returned east, and on August 21, 1955, they were married in Bath, Maine. They spent their honeymoon on Lake Webb, in Weld, Maine. Reg was pastoring in Portland, Maine, and the following year he was transferred to Rutland, Vermont. Here she gave birth to a son, Gerald Ray Cheney, in 1956 and a daughter, Carol Joy Cheney, in 1958.
Their years in ministry took them throughout Northern New England, and to Pennsylvania and Canada.
Rutland, VT (1956-1960)
Bangor, ME (1960-1962)
St. John, NB (1962-1964)
Moncton, NB (1964-1965)
Washington, PA (1965-1967)
Warminster, PA (1967-1968)
Norridgewock, ME (1968-1975)
Keene, NH (1975-1983)
Jay, ME (1983-1988)
Each place Thelma taught vegetarian cooking classes, children’s Sabbath School, Vacation Bible School, and the church’s scouting programs, Adventurers and Pathfinders.
In 1986 Thelma became a US citizen, but continued to enjoy trips back home to Nova Scotia as she was able.
In 1988 they returned to Rutland, VT, where Reg retired in 1993. There they made their retirement home, but kept busy with the same activities, volunteering in church, hiking on beautiful days in the area mountains, and for Thelma, gardening and painting. Visits from grandchildren, Andrew and Aimee Cork, were frequent.
Reg and Thelma celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2005.
Reg passed away on April 13, 2012, and was buried in Cheney Hill Cemetery in Rutland Town, Vermont. In the fall of 2016 Thelma went to Cape Coral, FL, and in the summer of 2017 she moved to Houston, TX, to be near her daughter, Joy, and family. She resided at the Paragon Senior Care until her final illness. She died in her sleep on November 7, 2018.
She is survived her sister, Irma Bouilier, of Tantallon, Nova Scotia, son, Gerald Ray Cheney, of Santa Fe, NM, daughter, Carol Joy (Cheney) Cork, of Houston, TX, grandchildren Andrew Brendan Cork and Aimee-Joy Marie (Cork) Hearn, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, December 29, at Spring Creek Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2190 Spring Creek Drive, Spring, TX. Next Spring there will be another memorial service at the Rutland Seventh-day Adventist Church, Rutland, VT, followed by interment in Cheney Hill Cemetery, Rutland Town.
Services
Memorial Service
Sat. Dec. 29, 2018
2:00 pm
Spring Creek Seventh-day Adventist Church
2190 Spring Creek Dr.
Spring , TX 77373.
Spring Creek Seventh-day Adventist Church
Spring , TX 77373.
Spring , TX 77373.
Thelma Jessie Matilda Longard was born in Tantallon, Nova Scotia, on June 26, 1922 to Harvey and Minnie (Levy) Longard. She had one sister, Irma. Her parents separated and she and her mother movd to Oshawa, Ontario, where she had a hard childhood. She graduated from Oshawa Missionary College in 1942.
In January 1949, she began her studies in elementary education at Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Mass. There she met Reginial Lenbert Cheney, a ministerial student from Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. She graduated in 1952, and went to Victoria, British Columbia, to teach grades 1-6. In 1954 she moved to Fresno, California, where she taught third grade.
She and Reg continued to write, as she taught and he began ministry as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor (after graduating from AUC in 1953). She returned east, and on August 21, 1955, they were married in Bath, Maine. They spent their honeymoon on Lake Webb, in Weld, Maine. Reg was pastoring in Portland, Maine, and the following year he was transferred to Rutland, Vermont. Here she gave birth to a son, Gerald Ray Cheney, in 1956 and a daughter, Carol Joy Cheney, in 1958.
Their years in ministry took them throughout Northern New England, and to Pennsylvania and Canada.
Rutland, VT (1956-1960)
Bangor, ME (1960-1962)
St. John, NB (1962-1964)
Moncton, NB (1964-1965)
Washington, PA (1965-1967)
Warminster, PA (1967-1968)
Norridgewock, ME (1968-1975)
Keene, NH (1975-1983)
Jay, ME (1983-1988)
Each place Thelma taught vegetarian cooking classes, children’s Sabbath School, Vacation Bible School, and the church’s scouting programs, Adventurers and Pathfinders.
In 1986 Thelma became a US citizen, but continued to enjoy trips back home to Nova Scotia as she was able.
In 1988 they returned to Rutland, VT, where Reg retired in 1993. There they made their retirement home, but kept busy with the same activities, volunteering in church, hiking on beautiful days in the area mountains, and for Thelma, gardening and painting. Visits from grandchildren, Andrew and Aimee Cork, were frequent.
Reg and Thelma celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2005.
Reg passed away on April 13, 2012, and was buried in Cheney Hill Cemetery in Rutland Town, Vermont. In the fall of 2016 Thelma went to Cape Coral, FL, and in the summer of 2017 she moved to Houston, TX, to be near her daughter, Joy, and family. She resided at the Paragon Senior Care until her final illness. She died in her sleep on November 7, 2018.
She is survived her sister, Irma Bouilier, of Tantallon, Nova Scotia, son, Gerald Ray Cheney, of Santa Fe, NM, daughter, Carol Joy (Cheney) Cork, of Houston, TX, grandchildren Andrew Brendan Cork and Aimee-Joy Marie (Cork) Hearn, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, December 29, at Spring Creek Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2190 Spring Creek Drive, Spring, TX. Next Spring there will be another memorial service at the Rutland Seventh-day Adventist Church, Rutland, VT, followed by interment in Cheney Hill Cemetery, Rutland Town.
Guest Book