Born March 10, 1922, Chap attended and graduated from the Tupper Lake Central School system where he excelled in math, science, and sports. Shortly after that, he served his county with the US Army in the South Pacific, and was honorably discharged at the end of Word War II, achieving the rank of Technical Sergeant, specializing in communications.

Under the GI Bill, he continued his education attending St. Lawrence University and Canton ATC where he received his degree in Electrical Engineering. During his college years, he established his own business, Phil’s Radio and TV, which he successfully ran for almost 50 years.

It was also during that time, that Chap married Ruth “Midge” McGillis, also of Tupper Lake, on November 5, 1955. It was a marriage that would last a lifetime. They had one daughter, Christal (LaBrie) Russell, and one son, Philip Edward LaBrie.

Chap loved life and enjoyed every minute of it. He always loved being around family and friends. A natural statesman, he was dubbed “The Mayor of Stetson Road”.

He loved to bowl, where he did everything from dropping a bowling ball on his big toe, to rolling a 299 game, and he loved golf, where he did everything from running himself over with a golf cart, to scoring two holes-in-one. Chap also loved to play ping-pong and greatly enjoyed operating his Hamm Radio equipment. His call sign was K2DUE.

Earlier this year, the LaBrie family had the honor of attending a McGillis Family Reunion put on by the Jim Pryor family. He had a great time there and was one of the last ones to leave.

Chap was truly a one of a kind, just ask anyone who knew him. There will never be another one like him.  Chappy really did have a wonderful life and he really did live happily ever after.

Surviving members of his family, along with his wife, daughter, and son, are his son-in-law, Craig Russell of Morrisonville, a grandson, Matthew Craig Russell, also of Morrisonville, his wife, Kelsi, and several in-laws, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Calling hours will be Thursday, September 29, from 7PM to 9PM at the Stuart-Fortune-Keough Funeral Home. A mass of Christian Burial will be take place on Friday, September 30, 2010, at St. Alphonsus church starting at 11AM. After the burial, a reception will follow at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

On June 19, 1941, Natalie was married to Real (Ray) J. Bourdage by the Reverend E. O. Herveux in the chapel near  St. Alphonsus Church in Tupper Lake, NY. After their three children were all in school Natalie joined the staff at the A+P grocery store. Countless local families remember Natalie as a cashier with a perpetual smile who was always helpful and caring. She retired from the A&P after twenty-five years as a devoted employee.

 Natalie was an avid golfer and continued to walk the local course swinging a club well into her eighties. She was known for her excellent putting and eagle eye abilities to track the ball (for everyone!)  In her younger years she was a member of the six woman team and truly loved joining the other gals playing in the Twilight League.  She and Ray also joined a local bowling team and although Natalie bowled for the fun of it, her ability to focus on the game resulted in some very high scores.  Over the years she was a loyal fan of Ray’s clarinet and saxophone playing at the local Waukesha Restaurant.  She loved to dance, and cherished the times when Ray could leave the bandstand for a trip around the dance floor with her.  She was still dancing this past year to jazz bands playing at the assisted living community.

As a  devoted mother she  attended  all of her children’s events at school, and it was here where she developed a love of sports as she watched her two sons and daughter competing or cheerleading. She  cheered them and their team on with genuine excitement and enthusiasm . She continued  watching many sports  events  live, or on television,  well into her twilight years.

 Natalie was high energy and could always be found either cleaning and dusting, baking, or outside working in her yard. She enjoyed helping others when they could no longer do their own shopping or cleaning.

None of her talents ever exceeded her culinary abilities. She was best known for her Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey dinners, which no one else could replicate. We all thank her for her tireless efforts to serve us a feast at every meal and for always being the loving, giving and spiritual core of our family. She was very close to her family, including her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Natalie is survived by her three children, Phillip Bourdage and his wife Bonnie of Penfield, NY,  Gerald Bourdage and his wife Margaret of Pulaski, NY,  and Cynthia Bisson and her husband James of Piercefield, NY, her grandchildren Lisa (George) Young and Lisa’s mother Judith Soucy, Kristoffer (Tabitha) McMonagle, Nicole Bourdage, Kristin (Donald) Reninger ,  and Brian Bourdage, her great-grandchildren Megan, Brittany and Juliana Young;  Colin, Brianna, Landon and Aiden McMonagle, plus cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband, Ray, in 1991, her parents, sisters  Leonore Brunette, Florence Cote, Mary Darling, Wilma Jasper, and  Helen Baird, brothers Gene Boyer and Kenneth Boyer, and her dear  friend Eldee Martineau.

Along with her sister, Mary Donnelly Sheehan, and her brother, Francis Donnelly, she co-founded Donnelly’s Ice Cream in 1954.  The very machine they originally purchased is still in use today.  Rita spent many summer days chopping up bananas and preparing various berries or nuts to help create the flavors of that now famous ice cream!   As anyone who dropped by can attest, a visitor was always treated to the flavor of the day.  Rita herself ate her last cone on September 3^rd, the last “real” food she ever had.   

Rita was very devoted to the Catholic Church and a daily communicant as long as her health allowed.  She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America, Third Order of St. Francis, a Eucharistic minister, a fixture at St. Bernard’s for most of her life, and seen in the front pew of St. Alphonsus for many years. When she could no longer attend daily Mass, she watched EWTN for hours.  She had a real devotion to Brother Andre for interceding on her behalf when she was a youngster, and continued to support his cause for sainthood and St. Joseph’s Oratory.  She counted the Carmelite Sisters and the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement as some of her dearest friends.  She loved and was loved by all the priests and sisters who knew her.

Rita also enjoyed reading, nature, painting, music of all kinds, and conversations with her family and friends.  The dairy greenhouse thrived under the green thumbs of her and her sister. Every fall, she dressed up the classrooms of the other teachers in the family as she shared her geraniums. Rita truly enjoyed children for her whole lifetime.  Even at age 92 she played with the pre-schoolers at Family Matters in Tupper Lake. Just this summer she delighted in balloon volleyball with some family little ones. She also enjoyed travel; visiting Ireland, Rome, England, Greece, and making  many trips to Florida. More recently she did lots of camping with Pat and Darlene and their family, right up through this August.

In the past months, she charmed her friends at Hospice.  Whether it was “conducting” as Chaplain Jeff sang, patting caregiver Brenda or social worker Ryan, or giving a little peck on the cheek to a volunteer or her nurses, she exuded gentleness and gratitude.

In addition to her parents, Rita was pre-deceased by her brother, Francis, her sister Mary Donnelly Sheehan, a niece, Ellen Donnelly and a niece-in-law, Karen Donnelly.  She is survived by her 6 nieces and nephews and their spouses: Peter Donnelly, Martin and Nita Donnelly all of Saranac Lake, Mary Elizabeth and Clyde Black, and Patrick and Darlene Donnelly all of Tupper Lake, and Margaret and John DeForest and John Donnelly all of Brockport, 11 great-nieces and nephews,  and 13 great-great nieces and nephews.  In addition, she leaves behind many, many friends that stretch from Ireland to Canada and throughout the U.S. that she held close to her heart.

            Rita was truly a gentle, humble woman, who not only practiced her religion faithfully, but lived out that faith vitally on a daily basis; quietly, unassumingly and graciously helping anyone and anyway she could.

Calling hours will be held at Stuart, Fortune, Keough Funeral Home in Tupper Lake on Sunday, September19^th from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00. A  Rite of Christian Burial will be held at St. Alphonsus in Tupper Lake with Monsignor John Murphy officiating on Monday, September 20^th, at 10:00 AM with burial following at St. Bernard’s Cemetery in Saranac Lake.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent in Rita’s name to the Carmelite Monastery