Obituary of Nicole Deschambault

Nicole Claire Delvaux Deschambault, 76, died March 2, 2009 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. She lived in Jacksonville with her daughter and son-in-law, Chantal and Brian Harrington, and their four children, Brian, Nicolas, Matthew, and Adam. She also had three sons: Alain and Marc Deschambault of St. Louis, MO and Eric Deschambault of Fredericksburg, VA. She was blessed with thirteen grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She was born in 1932 and grew up in the Belgian Congo. Widowed early in her marriage, she later married Rolland Deschambault of the U.S. State Department and raised her children in Algiers, Greece, and Turkey before settling in the U.S., first outside of Washington, D.C. and later in Florida. Nicole was a quiet woman of remarkable strength, determination, and stamina. While her children were teenagers, she earned a second degree from Marymount College. A retired pediatric intensive care nurse, she spent most of her career tending to premature babies at Shand's Hospital in Gainesville. Nicole loved gardening and landscaping and was skilled at sewing, knitting, crocheting, lace-making, embroidery, and painting. She had a soft spot for animals and doted on her pets. She attended Holy Spirit and Resurrection Catholic Church and made a number of pilgrimages to Marian shrines. A devoted mother, daughter, and wife, she was generous with her time and resources. She was involved with her children and grandchildren, cared for her own mother for years, and nursed her husband through Lou Gehrig's disease. Her final years were enriched by the constant presence of family and blessed by the care of many dedicated nurses; Rebecca, Sally, Cheryl, Imelda, and Cynthia. Family will receive friends, Thursday, March 5, 2009 from 6-8:00 p.m. at Arlington Park Funeral Home, 6920 Lone Star Road, Jacksonville, Florida. Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, March 6, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. at Resurrection Catholic Church, 3383 University Boulevard North, Jacksonville, Florida. Interment will follow at Arlington Park Cemetery. If preferred, donations may be made to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida.