Eddie M. Blais, 97, formerly of Prospect St. Woonsocket and Edward Ave. in North Smithfield, died Wednesday January 4, 2017 at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence. He was the loving husband of the late Marcelle E. (Mattan) Blais.
Born on April 23, 1919 in Manville he was educated in local schools.
His military service began in October 1940 when one could join the National Guard’s 243rd Coastal Artillery Corps for a 1 year hitch in conscription service. He was honorably discharged on October 4, 1941 with the rank of Corporal, just two months shy of the United States entry into WWII in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
With America joining the war Mr. Blais was recalled to active duty on March 5, 1942. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on February 4th 1943 and assigned to the 622 AAA Air Wing Battalion in England. There he assisted in the defense of the air bases of the B-17, B-26 and P-47 aircraft. In 1944 he landed at Omaha Beach on the coast of Normandy, France on D-day+7, June 12, 1944. In August 1944 he was assigned to General Patton’s 80th Infantry Division of the 3rd Army and served throughout the Normandy-Northern France-Central Europe-Rhineland and Ardennes Campaigns. He served as an anti-aircraft unit commander and while in the service penned a number of articles of interest to servicemen. Mr. Blais was present for the “Attack on the Moselle”. It was the largest concentration of artillery during WWII and involved breaking across the Moselle River from Nancy, France to Metz, Germany. At the end of the war in Europe in May of 1945 he was detailed to Austria. He would be honorably discharged with the rank of Captain.
Mr. Blais earned a Bachelor of Science degree and later his MBA at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He went on to do his post-graduate work at Brown University in applied psychology and human relations. He was also a graduate of the Dale Carnegie School Public Speaking and Human Relations.
Mr. Blais was an instructor in Purchasing and Materials Management at Brown University for 10 years. He lectured at the Universities of MIT, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire for a number of business groups and school career days.
He was a life member of the RI Purchasing Management Association, National Association of Purchasing Managers, and International Purchasing Managers Association.
On March 4, 1975 he was awarded a Lifetime Certified Purchasing Managers Certificate by the National Association of Purchasing Management’s Inc. and in 1981 he received the Arnot Hirst Award (tantamount to Man of the Year) from the Rhode Island Purchasing Management Association.
He retired on January 31, 1987 from CJ Fox Company in Providence where he was Director of Purchasing for over 20 years. He had previously been employed for 12 years at Reliance Molded Plastics and also Uniroyal both in Woonsocket for 12 years in management positions.
Mr. Blais was a writer for 10 years during which time he wrote articles for Purchasing Magazine about business trends. Additionally he served on the board of directors of the RI Purchasing Management Association. He was also the past chairman of Professional Development at Val-Tec, a member of university and college and international buyers group. He was a notary public for 32 years. He was appointed to the advisory panel of McGraw-Hill’s monthly publication Modern Plastics in 1979.
Mr. Blais was a life member of the following veteran’s organizations: American Legion Post # 0056, VFW Post # 11519 in Woonsocket and the 80th Division Veteran’s Association. He was also a member of the Morning Star Lodge # 13 A.F&A.M., the B.P.O.E. Lodge # 850 in Woonsocket, the AARP, St Joseph Senior Citizen’s Club, and the Club Richelieu.
He is survived by a brother Normand Blais and his wife, Dottie, of Johnston and was the brother of the late Albert and Gerard Blais and Jeannette Levesque. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews and their families.
His funeral service will be Monday at noon in the Menard-Lacouture Funeral Home, 127 Carrington Ave. Woonsocket. Burial with military honors will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Cumberland. Visiting hours are Monday morning from 11:15 am to noon prior to services. In lieu of flowers and in honor of Eddie’s service to our country memorial donations may be made to the Rhode Island Veterans Home, 480 Metacom Ave. Bristol, RI. 02809.
www.menardfuneralhome.com