rita letendre was born the eldest of seven children to anne-marie ledoux and héliodore letendre in drummondville, quebec. despite héliodore working as a mechanic and obtaining trucking contracts when possible, life for them was difficult and the family lived in poverty. following a serious injury to one of her fingers in 1931, rita was sent to live with her maternal grandmother in saint-francois-du-lac. there, she thrived in a more relaxed atmosphere where she could play, read, pick flowers, take boat rides and more importantly, escape her turbulent home life. the planned visit was to last for a year but continued until she was old enough to attend school. at school, rita was fascinated, this being her first opportunity to be stimulated intellectually.