Volunteer Mary C. 'Maureen' Michaud

Mary Cusick "Maureen" Michaud, 78, a former board chairwoman of Fairfax County organizations serving the homeless and needy, died June 18 at Inova Fairfax Hospital. She had a heart arrhythmia.

Mrs. Michaud had served since 1986 on the board of Central Fairfax Services, a private, nonprofit agency, and was a former chairwoman. She also was a former chairwoman of Shelter House, a private, nonprofit organization in Falls Church that provides temporary housing and support services to homeless families.

She was a founding member and former chairwoman of the Fairfax Organization of Christians and Jews United in Service.

Until her death, she served on the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board's behavior management committee. She was a volunteer with Arc of Northern Virginia, an advocacy and service organization for people with developmental disabilities. Severe mental retardation was diagnosed in her daughter Jeanne Michaud of Fairfax.

During her volunteer career, she testified before Virginia and Fairfax government committees on behalf of the disabled, the homeless and survivors of domestic violence.

Mrs. Michaud was a native of North Adams, Mass., and a 1950 graduate of Ursuline College in Cleveland. She received a master's degree in elementary education from Cleveland's Case Western Reserve University in 1954 and taught elementary school in Ohio and Indiana before moving to Fairfax in 1963.

She was a Democratic Party volunteer and had been a precinct captain in the Fairfax Villa neighborhood for the past 27 years.

She was a member of St. Leo's Catholic Church in Fairfax, where she taught religious education classes. She participated in the Christian Family Movement in the 1960s and 1970s.

Besides her daughter, survivors include her husband of 47 years, Norbert Michaud of Fairfax; four other daughters, Clare Talbert of Fairfax, Monica Gardner and Marcella Michaud, both of Arlington County, and Louise Michaud of Shanghai; four sons, Robert Michaud of Shanghai, Thomas Michaud of Chantilly, David Michaud of Virginia Beach and Peter Michaud of Phoenix; four brothers; two sisters; and 13 grandchildren.