Therese Rita Hughes

Therese Rita Hughes of Warwick, Rhode Island passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 3rd at the venerable age of 98. She was the loving wife of William Francis Hughes for 47 years, a devoted mother to her four children, a loving grandmother to 11 and great-grandmother to 12. She was born on July 6th, 1927 to Camille and Yvonne (Vanasse) Arcand in West Warwick. Therese was a 1945 graduate of West Warwick High School. She graduated from Pembroke College at Brown University in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and worked as a lab technician at Rhode Island Hospital after graduation. She married Bill in 1952 and transitioned to the full time career of raising their four children. After her marriage, she spent time in upstate New York as an IBM wife, volunteering at Vassar Hospital. She also lived in Windsor, Connecticut and Winchester, Massachusetts before returning to Rhode Island in 1974. She lived in Warwick for 50 years. She was an active member of St. Catherine's Parish and the Kent County Brown Alumnae Club. She volunteered for many years at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Later in life, Therese returned to work as a librarian at Saint James School in West Warwick and Saint Mary Academy in East Providence. After retiring, she enjoyed gardening, birdwatching and babysitting her grandchildren. She had a lifelong love of music and played the piano well into her 90s. She delighted in giving the grandchildren and great-grandchildren their first piano lessons. She loved tiny tupperware containers and folding paper really small. Therese is survived by her daughter Kathleen (Vahan) Mikaelian of Scituate, Rhode Island; daughter-in-law Donna Hughes of Whitney Point, New York; 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, and sons John Michael Hughes, William Francis Hughes and Thomas Edward Hughes. Funeral will be held Monday, March 9th at 8:45 AM from the Winfield & Son's Funeral Home, 571 West Greenville Road, Scituate, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 AM in St. Joseph Church,144 Danielson Pike, Scituate. Burial to follow in Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery, Coventry, RI. Visitation will be held Sunday, March 8th from 12:00-2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to donate to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. https://rifoodbank.org/donate/ or a charity of your choice in memory of Therese.

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Therese Rita Hughes

March 3, 2026