With heavy, but peaceful hearts we announce that our family matriarch, Mae Salenbien (nee Marchand) passed at her home, surrounded by family on Monday, August 25, 2025 at the age of 91.
She has now been reunited with her beloved husband Ben Salenbien (1998). She will be forever loved by her children Marcel (Kari) Salenbien, Dave (Sue) Salenbien, Carole (Jack) Leclair, Julie (Brian) Lee, Dianne (Kirk) Hooker. “Mae always said she had the best kids in Dover, we think we had the best mom ever!” She was the cherished grandmother of 12 and great grandmother of 15.
Mae was the last surviving child of the late Theophile and Louise (Laprise) Marchand and has now joined her siblings Gloria (Camille) Reaume, Clara (Jack) Horn, Laura (Rene) Donais, Norbert (Shirley, surviving) Marchand and Henry (Yvonne, surviving) Marchand.
She dedicated her life to teaching and had a gift for connecting with children, especially her own, and later her cherished grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She had a love of reading and crosswords, and her home was always filled with warmth, laughter, and the comforting smell of her famous Christmas cookies, turkey pies, and pumpkin pies.
Family was at the center of everything she did, and she shared her love not only through her cooking but through the little lessons she left us with like her unforgettable rule that no one should take a piece of bubble gum without first asking if everyone else wanted one.
She will be remembered for her kindness, her humor, her wisdom, and above all, her love for her family. Though she will be deeply missed, her spirit will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.
Family and friends are invited to gather to celebrate her Funeral Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church on Thursday, September 4, 2025 at 11am. Mae will be laid to rest at Maple Leaf Cemetery during a private family ceremony. Funeral arrangements are under the care of the Haycock-Cavanagh Funeral Home, 409 Nelson Street in Wallaceburg (519-627-3231).
If you wish to make a donation in his memory, please consider The Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation or The Ronald McDonald House Foundation. Cherished stories and tributes may be left for the family at www.CavanaghFuneralHome.ca.
