Proud WWII Navy veteran who enjoyed traveling and gardening
SAUGUS — Louis Omer Pelletier, 96, of Saugus, formerly of North Reading and Wakefield, died on April 21, 2022 at Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital in Woburn, where he received excellent care from the skilled and compassionate medical staff.
Born and raised in Salem, he was the son of Louis and Eva (Currier) Pelletier who immigrated from the Quebec province of Canada. He grew up in a French-Canadian community in the Castle Hill neighborhood, surrounded by his two sisters, five brothers, and extended family, and attended St. Anne Parish and school. At a young age, he joined his father and brothers working at A.C. Leather Company until he enlisted in the United States Naval Service to protect our country in WWII. He was proud to serve from 1943 to 1945 as Coxswain on the U.S.S. Mount Rushmore in the Pacific theater, most notably during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. It was meaningful to him to visit Mount Rushmore later in life. He returned to work in the leather shop, and later began working in the Burlington School Department, retiring in 1991 as Head Custodian at the Marshall Simonds Middle School after 24 years of service, followed by a 31-year retirement.
During his many years living in Wakefield, he was an active member of the Wakefield Elks where he served as Exalted Ruler twice, enjoyed many close friendships, and engaged in community service. He worked very hard to support his family and he loved to spend time with them, repair and remodel his home, garden, travel, socialize, dance, sing, bowl, golf, camp, fish, and eat, especially chop suey sandwiches at Salem Willows and ice cream at Richardson’s. He was an avid Red Sox fan, so happy to witness their World Series wins in recent years, and kept abreast of current affairs in The Boston Globe daily. He supported many veterans’ organizations, attended the dedication of the WWII memorial in Washington, D.C., and visited the WWII National Museum in New Orleans where a brick has been installed in his honor. He was a devout Catholic, attending St. Joseph Parish in Wakefield and St. Theresa Parish in North Reading.
Louis is survived by his partner, Laraine Tringale. He was predeceased by his wife June (Cooke) Pelletier and his wife Evelyn (Horne) Pelletier. He was the cherished father of Marie Jenkins and her husband, Jack, of Medford; Anne Parker and her husband, Ronald, of Framingham; Christopher Griffin and his fiancé, Melissa, of North Reading; Karen Langille and her husband, Daniel, of Reading; Kevin Griffin and his wife, Paula, of North Adams; Deborah Scione and her husband, James, of Malden; and Sheila DiCiccio of Mashpee.
Louis was the adored and adoring Papa of 13 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild: Katelyn, Addison, Harrison, Melissa, Dezeree, Alex, Vanessa, Jade, Jennifer, Meghan, Dani, Matthew, Nicole, Danielle, James, Tonitia, Rebecca, Brandon, Katherine, Joseph, Andrew, Arianna, Alyssa, Aubree, James, Kendall, Layla, Cayden, Devlin, and Abigail. He was the beloved brother, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin, and friend to many.
His funeral Mass was celebrated in St. Theresa’s Church, North Reading, on Wednesday, April 27. Visitation for relatives and friends at the McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield was held on Tuesday, April 26. Interment, Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Elks National Foundation-Scholarship Committee at 2750 N. Lakeview Ave, Chicago, IL 60614-2256 or online at www.elks.org and click on “Elks National Foundation;” or the Veterans of Foreign Wars at VFW Processing Center, PO Box 8958, Topeka, KS 66608-8958 or online at www.vfw.org. 
