Decorated WWII serviceman aboard USS Kearney
Published in the July 13, 2016 edition
LYNNFIELD — Gerard “Jerry” R. LeTourneau, 90, of Lynnfield passed away peacefully the morning of July 3, 2016. Born and raised in Manchester, N.H., he was the son of the late Alphonse and Cecile (Beland) LeTourneau.
He was the devoted husband of Phyllis LeTourneau of Lynnfield, the loving father to Kathrine LeTourneau and her partner, Kathleen McGerigle; Deborah Bastable and her husband, Philip, of Hanover, and Jerine Martin and her husband, Scott, of Lynnfield. He was also the proud grandfather of Cheryn Byron of Hingham, Lindsay Bastable of South Boston and Brandon Lemieux of Lynnfield and the beaming great-grandfather of Emery and Callan Byron. He is also survived by his sister, Candice Bacon, of Plainville, Conn.
Jerry was a decorated serviceman who served in WWII on the destroyer USS Kearney, both in the Atlantic and Pacific, and proudly displayed the ship’s hull number, DD432, as his license plate.
He was an extremely hard worker, providing a wonderful life for his family. Despite working six days a week as his children were growing, he spent Sunday, his only day off, with them doing “Dad” things. He owned an auto repair business in Cambridge until he “retired” in 1982. However, retirement wasn’t for Jerry so he soon took a job as a maintenance supervisor for CRES Development in Wakefield where he continued working until age 88.
He was a master at fixing anything mechanical and electrical, read to learn new things, and always delighted in playing trivia. He had a soft spot for dogs and was so proud of his Weimaraner, Champion Sir Archibald (Archie), who won Best of Breed at the Westminster Dog Show.
Jerry, aka Pa, was a kind and generous man who will be remembered for his warm personality, quick wit, infectious smile and twinkling blue eyes.
Visitation for relatives and friends was held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Sunday immediately followed by a brief service in the funeral home. His interment was held at the V.A. National Cemetery of Massachusetts in Bourne on Monday.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Jerry’s memory to the MSPCA via their donation page at https://www.mspca.org/donate-now/tribute-honor-and-memorial-giving/ or MSPCA-Angell Headquarters, 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston MA 02130.
