Omer Emile Pelletier of Walpole, formerly of Millis, passed away Friday night Oct. 24th at home surrounded by his loving family. Omer suffered a stroke on Oct. 5th and wasn’t able to recover from its effects. Up until his stroke he was active, engaging in his many interests and living independently.
Omer was the former owner/proprietor of Mimi’s Variety in Walpole from 1970 to 1992. He went on to build and sell two other businesses, Mimi’s II News in Dedham and East Walpole News in East Walpole.
Omer was born in Walpole on Nov. 24th 1926, the eldest of Emile and Marie Pelletier’s nine children. The family home was located at 70 Lake Ave. Omer grew up in the midst of the Great Depression. To earn money and help out the family he started working at a young age. Some of the jobs he had were cutting and storing ice on Clarks Pond, setting up candlepins in the bowling alley and caddying at the golf course. At 16 he started working at Kendall Mills while still attending high school. In high school he was a member of the band playing the clarinet. He graduated from Walpole H.S. in 1944.
After graduation Omer joined the U.S. Navy while the country was still fighting in WWll, but he didn’t see any action. He was stationed in Oklahoma, training to be an aerial photographer when the war ended.
It was in Oklahoma where Omer would meet his future wife, Lenola Deal of Rocky Comfort, Missouri. After graduating high school she worked as a waitress at Ike’s Chile Parlor in Tulsa. Omer became fond of chili as he would use every weekend pass to travel to Tulsa to see his sweetie. Omer was discharged from the Navy in Boston in July of 1946. Soon after, he traveled back to Missouri to marry Lenola on Aug. 24th 1946. He brought his young bride back east where he was able to get his old job back at Kendalls. They lived in Boston and Walpole before buying a home in 1948 in Millis where they lived for the next 25 years raising 7 children.
After the 5th child, to make ends meet, Omer picked up a second job, working at Star Market in Wellesley. For many years Omer would leave home in the morning to work at Star Market. In the afternoon he’d stop by the house for a quick meal before traveling onto Kendalls to work the night shift.
In 1970 while on one of his shift break rituals of walking across the common to buy a newspaper and candy bar, Omer learned that the owner, Mimi Silvi was selling his corner variety store. Omer convinced his wife that it was a good opportunity. They took on a 2nd mortgage and bought the place, Mimi’s Variety. He quit his job at Star Market and eventually his job at Kendall. He continued working hard and long hours but now it was for himself. Lenola, a hard worker herself, matched his efforts.
Making a Mom & Pop business profitable was difficult especially considering the competition from chain convenient stores. Omer had to make some smart business decisions. He expanded by knocking down the wall to the adjacent store that was vacant. He’d get deals and pass the savings onto his customers. He would price some items below his wholesale cost drawing in customers while hoping they would purchase other items. He built up a large and eclectic inventory. Omer hated disappointing a customer by saying he was out of or didn’t carry whatever they looking for so he built up a very large inventory that included a lot of little things and a little of everything. In 1972 he made a key decision for the stores survival and draw in more customers. That year Massachusetts formed the State Lottery Commission and Omer signed up to be one of its first agents. He was also wise in keeping plenty of money on hand to payoff winners. With cash in hand he hoped they would re-invest in another bet or buy something in the store.
As a store owner Omer suffered some setbacks. In the tumultuous years of the early 70’s there were numerous break-ins and it was a frequent occurrence finding the storefront windows smashed. In a 1977 a devastating fire destroyed the entire contents of the store. A loss of inventory worth five times more than the insurance covered. Omer endured and persevered just as he did on the morning following the Blizzard of ’78 when he walked a mile in the snow to open the store and serve customers who couldn’t travel anywhere else to shop.
In 1991 Omer saw the plans for the Downtown Revitalization Project and realized he would be losing the parking spots in front of the store. Also Walpole C0-Op was planning to erect a fence that would block car access to the alley beside the store. Expecting a huge loss of business Omer decided to sell. Coincidently he was given the opportunity to re-start a bankrupt store in Dedham. So it was an easy decision to sell and devote more of his time to the new business. Omer called the store in Dedham Mimi’s ll News. He grew the business so that it was busier and more prosperous than the store in Walpole. He sold the Dedham store to his daughter Susan. He stayed on and worked there until she sold it in 2006.
But Omer couldn’t stay retired long. He missed running a store and serving customers. In 2007 he started from scratch a new store, East Walpole News. Although it was small he grew that business into a success. He sold this store in 2011 and retired for good.
Throughout his life Omer was physically active. He was a very good candlepin bowler and horseshoe thrower. In the summer he was in two Horseshoe Leagues, one at the Walpole VFW and the other at the Medfield American Legion. During the winter he would participate in the Norwood Bowling League. Both activities he continued playing up to the age of 86.
Omer was a member of the Walpole VFW #5188. He was a former Secretary-Treasurer of the Textile Workers Union of America, local #642
For 62 years Omer was the beloved husband of Lenola “Lee” (Deal) Pelletier who passed away Jan. 16th 2008. He is survived by his children Marie Chabot and her husband Paul of GA, Karen Munroe and her late husband Charles of GA, Linda Pelletier of Attleboro, Susan Tsimortos of Bourne, James Pelletier of VT and his wife Mary Ellen, David Pelletier and his wife Lisa of TX, and Dawn Nee and her husband Tim of Walpole. Proud Grandfather of Tammy Foley, Joe Dmytryck, Derek and Keith Munroe, Sam and Stephanie Tsimortos, Michael Lee, Megan Johnson, Timothy, Ryan, Alysee, Erica, and Madison Pelletier, Michael, Andrew, and Daniel Nee. Great-grandfather of seven. Loyal Brother of Helen Boufard, Rose Straehl, Theresa Smith, Claire, Roland, and Francis Pelletier as well as the late Raymond Pelletier and Florence Simoni. Uncle to many nieces and nephews.
His funeral will be held Friday Oct. 31 from the Ginley Funeral Home, 892 Main St., Walpole at 9:15 a.m. followed by a funeral mass in Blessed Sacrament Church at 10. Visiting hours will be on Thursday 4-8. Interment will be in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Millis. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to Wounded Warrior Project P.O. Box 758517 Topeka, Kansas 66675