WOONSOCKET – Joseph L. B. Nadeau, a retired U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sergeant, died Friday at home. He was the husband of the late Dorothy C. Nadeau.
Born in Woonsocket on Oct. 31, 1934, he was a son of the late Leo Aime Nadeau and Anita (Boudreau) Nadeau.
He attended St. Joseph’s Elementary School and was a 1952 graduate of Mount St. Charles Academy.
Earning an Associate of Science degree from Dean Junior College in Franklin, MA, in 1978, Mr. Nadeau also attended Bryant College, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1983.
Following his career in the Air Force, he was a salesman for Sears at Walnut Hill Plaza for 20 years while operating his own real estate business, the Joe Nadeau & Sons Real Estate Agency from his home.
Mr. Nadeau joined the Air Force in 1952, undergoing Basic Training at Sampson Air Force Base in New York and attending Aircraft and Engine Mechanic School in Amarillo, Texas. He also attended Advanced Aircraft and Engine Mechanic School at Shepherd Air Force Base in Texas and worked on the F-86D jet fighter and the T-33 shooting star jet aircraft.
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he served with the 26th Air Defense BOMARC Missile Squadron at Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod and participated in the preparation of the squadron’s nuclear-tipped surface-to-air missiles for the defense of the East Coast during the Cuban Missile Crisis with the Soviet Union.
He continued to work with the BOMARC program while assigned to the 4751st Air Defense Missile Wing at Hurlbert Field, near the town of Mary Ester in Okaloosa County, Fla., serving with disaster control in the launch of BOMARCS for various anti-missile tests conducted into the early 1970s.
As part of his military training, he attended Non-Commissioned Officer’s Management Training in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Boeing Factory BOMARC Missile Training School in Seattle, Washington, the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy in Colorado Springs, Test Writing School in San Antonio, Texas in 1972, and First Sergeants School at Hamilton Air Force Base in California in 1973.
He served as First Sergeant of the 762nd Radar Squadron at North Truro Air Force Station, MA, until his retirement in 1974.
Mr. Nadeau and his family relocated to Woonsocket in 1974, returning to the East Woonsocket neighborhood in which he had grown up.
His years as a city youth watching local residents head off to fight in World War II and his own military service gave him a strong desire to honor those who have served their country both in times of war and peace.
He was an active member of the United Veterans Council (UVC) of Woonsocket and Post Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 11519. He was a past District 1 Commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Rhode Island. He organized and served as master of ceremonies for many veteran events in the City of Woonsocket, most recently the Sept. 11 observances at World War ll Veterans Memorial State Park. He was also working on the development of a Woonsocket Veterans Memorial along Davison Street as part of the Memorial Committee. He was named 2002 Veteran of the Year by the UVC of Woonsocket.
Among his military honors, he holds the Air Force Commendation Medal for outstanding service, the Meritorious Service Medal, Missile Maintenance awards with the 4751st in 1967 and 1968, the National Defense Service medal, the Good Conduct medal, and the United Nations Service medal. He served during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
He and his beloved wife, Dorothy, enjoyed their family in retirement and celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary in February, 2012. He had met and married Dorothy while serving at Dow Air Force Base near her home in Old Town, Maine, and she traveled with him throughout his career in the service. He wrote of her in 1973, saying “My love for you is strengthened by your radiance, the inner beauty of your person. I love you forever.”
He is survived by the couple’s five children and their families, Mark and Betty Nadeau of Woonsocket, Joseph and Linda Nadeau of Woonsocket, Eric Nadeau and Tina Santos of Woonsocket, Diane and Alex Lynch of Cumberland, and Paul Nadeau of Fort Mills, South Carolina, and his grandchildren, Ashley, Jamie, Ryan, Jonathan, Jeremy, Victoria, and Nicolas.
He was the brother of the late Maurice and Marcel Nadeau.
His funeral will be held Thursday at 9:30AM from the Fournier & Fournier Funeral Home, 99 Cumberland St, Woonsocket, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30AM in St. Joseph’s Church, Mendon Rd, Woonsocket. Burial with Military Honors will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Cumberland. Visiting hours will be Wednesday 4-7PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Heart Association or military service charity of your choice would be appreciated.