Joannie Rochette bids farewell to mother

Joannie Rochette attends the funeral of her mother Therese Guevremont-Rochette in Berthierville, Que., Thursday, March 4, 2010. (Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

It was an emotional day in Berthierville Thursday as hundreds of mourners came out to pay their respects to the family of Therese Guevremont-Rochette, mother of Canadian Olympic figure skater Joannie Rochette.

Rochette, the Olympic bronze medalist whose determination in the face of adversity in Vancouver last month inspired a nation, lost her mother on Feb. 22 to a massive heart attack, hours after she arrived in Vancouver to watch her daughter compete.

Guevremont-Rochette was 55.

For almost three weeks, Rochette put aside her personal pain to become an Olympic medalist. But Thursday, back amongst her loved ones, she was simply a daughter, mourning the loss of the most important person in her life.

"(Joannie) demonstrates such courage, such perseverance. She gets that from somewhere," said mourner Jean-Marie Lampron in Berthierville, about 75 kilometres northeast of Quebec.

Rochette referred to her mother as her toughest critic and her biggest supporter, and dedicated her bronze-medal performance to her mother.

Rochette, 24, earned Canada's first medal in the women's singles event since Elizabeth Manley won silver at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

Her courageous performance made international headlines, and she was a co-recipient of the Vancouver 2010 Terry Fox Award by the Vancouver Organizing Committee.