POTSDAM— Calling hours for Erma I. Rabideau, 97, a resident of 337 Stockholm-Knapp Station Road, Potsdam, will be held on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, from 4-7 p.m. at the Buck Funeral Home in Norwood. Pastor Lee Sweeney will offer prayers at 7 p.m. Burial will be held in the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, next to her late husband, Harold “Pete” Rabideau, at a later date. Mrs. Rabideau passed away peacefully early Sunday morning, March 12, 2023, at her home surrounded by her loving family.
Erma is survived by her children, Jacqueline Jennings, New Smyrna Beach, FL; Damon and Barbara Reed, The Villages, FL; Denise and Sonny Mellott, Edgewater, FL; Tena Allen, Daytona Beach, FL; Joanne Rabideau, NC; Mary and Patrick McNulty, Norfolk; Celeste and Dale Planty, Norwood; Carl "Mac" and Marie Reed, West Minster, MD; Jeannie and Scott Williams, Stockholm, and Lena and Larry Montuori, Dagsboro, DE; several beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren as well as several nieces and nephews. Erma was pre-deceased by her parents, her step-father, Ernest McClellan; her late husbands, Carl Reed, and Harold C. “Pete” Rabideau; a son, Daniel Reed; two grand-daughters, Layla Shenski, and Azlynne Williams, three sisters, Ruth Thurston, Louise Drean and Leta Seymour, as well as her son-in-law’s Carl, Robin, Dave, Frank, Greg, Danny, Lynn, and Bruce.
Born in Parishville, NY, on May 10, 1925, to the late Daniel and Mable Shatraw Preston, Erma attended Parishville-Hopkinton Central School and later married Carl Reed, which ended in divorce. Erma married her high school sweetheart Harold “Pete” Rabideau on September 6, 1968, in Annapolis, MD.
Erma was a devoted homemaker, raising her eleven children and watching many of her grandchildren throughout the years. At one time, she worked at the Tru-Stitch Sewing Factory in Bombay. Erma enjoyed knitting, doing puzzles, watching her game shows, and playing scratch in her free time. Erma, however, found her most enjoyment came from spending time with her family and friends. Memorial donations in Erma’s memory can be made to the Ronald McDonald House, and memories and condolences may be shared online at www.buckfuneralhome.com . The Buck Funeral Home in Norwood is serving the family of Erma I. Rabideau.