Juanita “Grandma” Bourque, 84, of Port Arthur, passed away Friday, May 21, 2010 at Oak Grove Nursing Home in Groves.

A memorial service will be held at 6:30 pm Monday, May 24, 2010 in the chapel of Broussard’s in Nederland with Deacon Dallas Broussard officiating. A gathering of family and friends will begin at 5 pm

until time of service Monday, May 24, 2010 at the mortuary.

Grandma was born August 12, 1925 in Port Arthur, Texas to Ophelia and Lynch Thomas. She was a lifelong homemaker, super mom and grandmother. She moved to Brussels, Belgium in 1966 where she lived for 15 years and enjoyed fine cuisine, shopping and sightseeing with her family and friends. She followed her sons around the country and world supporting them in hockey and race horse jockeying. She volunteered for recitals and traveled with her daughter. After returning to Texas, she and her husband Malcolm retired to Crystal Beach for many years before returning to Port Arthur. She was a wonderful, active and caring grandmother that participated in all her grandchildren’s events and was simply known to everyone as “Grandma”. Grandma kept score books at local baseball games and was even given a surprise award for all her volunteer efforts at the Little League park. She loved bringing all her grandchildren on summer vacations and enjoyed spending long days at the casino with her friends and family. As life came to a close, she spent her time sitting on her porch enjoying the warm weather, taking care of all her plants and spending time with her beloved Chihuahua, Nipper. Grandma touched everyone’s life and always made a difference.

She is survived by her sons, Timothy Wayne Bourque of Port Arthur and Jeffery “Scooter” Bourque and his wife Charlene of Lumberton; grandchildren, Murielle Bourque of Belgium, Brannon and Kalynn Bourque of Lumberton, Natascha Leidensdorf and Christian Vogel, Jeremy Leidensdorf and Lisa Craven all of Houston; sister, Patsy Thomas Jorgenson of Nederland; brothers, Pat Thomas of Vidor and Harold Thomas and his wife Debbie of Houston, many nieces and nephews, and everyone that called her Grandma. She was preceded in death by her husband, Malcolm J. Bourque and her daughter, Linda Leidensdorf. Grandma will be especially missed by her faithful four legged companion Nipper.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society 755 S. 11th Street Suite 212 Beaumont, Texas 77701.