SOMERSET… Jerome W. Bouchard, age 88 of Somerset, Mass. went home to be in God’s care on April 21, 2017 with his loving family at his side at Country Gardens Health and Rehabilitation Center in Swansea, MA. He was happily married to Gertrude L. (Levesque) Bouchard for sixty-four and a half years and both had recently relocated to Country Gardens together. Jerry started his life’s journey on May 16, 1928 in Westport, Mass. having been adopted by Leo J. and Lauretta (Demarais) Bouchard. Jerry had a privileged childhood and attended Msrg. Prevost High School in Fall River in the 1940’s. As a young man, he especially enjoyed driving his favorite car, a 1929 Packard. He enjoyed visiting his Uncle Wilfrid’s cottage in Virginia during the summers. In 1949 through 1950 he began work as a Meatcutter at Landry’s Market. He met Gertrude through a mutual friend in the Brightman Street neighborhood in early 1950. They had been dating for six months when Gertrude decided to end their relationship to continue to pursue her life’s plan to enter the convent. The Korean War was going on and Jerry was so distraught with her decision that he joined the Air Force in June 1950. He was shipped to Fort Bragg in NC for basic training then to Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. He served at Lackland Airforce Base in San Antonio, Texas while awaiting orders. He was shipped overseas and stationed at the Royal Air Force/US Air Force’s Shepherd’s Grove, Stanton, Suffolk Air Station in England as a Meatcutter. He enjoyed his overseas assignment and had many good memories of his time there. His father died suddenly in August of 1951 while he was stationed in England. Family connections worked on a hardship discharge for him because he was the only son. In the meantime, Gertrude had decided to abandon her plan of being involved in the religious life. When Jerry was honorably discharged in February of 1952, the first thing he did was to find Gertrude. They were married seven months later, on September 6, 1952. In their early life together, he worked at Lehaie’s Market as a Meatcutter and Brightman St. Package Store as a clerk. In the mid 1950’s he began work at Brown and Sharpe in Providence RI in the tool and die department. In the late 1950’s he started working for Slade Laundry as a truck driver and continued that job for 30 years. After his retirement, he continued driving to the Newport Naval Bases for Slade Laundry with Gertrude at his side. He loved his job and made many friends along the way. They had their children in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1963. He and his family began on Palmer St. in Fall River but relocated to Somerset in 1969. He loved Somerset and enjoyed bringing up his family there. He was a good man who worked hard to support his family. All his children helped him on the Laundry “route” over the years and enjoyed that time with him. He and Gertrude enjoyed car trips, playing cards with relatives and dining out. He was a member of the Slade Laundry Bowling Team for many years and continued to enjoy watching bowling on TV after that. He was an avid Red Sox and Patriots fan and never missed watching a game. Throughout his life, he always loved spending time with his wife and family and traveled to California, North Carolina and New Jersey many times to spend time with them. Our family enjoyed many fall vacations in the Mohawk Trail region of Massachusetts. In his later years, he loved watching his grandson James play baseball and was there supporting him whenever he could. He also enjoyed doing puzzles with his friends at the hall at Eugene Murphy Village in Somerset. He was blessed for many years with good health and in 2007 he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. His faith pulled him through and his cancer was never terminal thanks to the caring staff of St. Anne’s Hudner Oncology. He continued to thrive despite having cardiac problems in March of 2016 and then breaking his arm in February of this year. He died of complications of pneumonia and was ready to go home to God and prepare the way for his wife. Besides his wife, he leaves a son David J. Bouchard and his wife, Denise (LaRue) along with granddaughter Nicole of Seekonk, MA., a daughter Denise M. Bouchard and partner Michael Moniz of North Dartmouth, MA, a son Donald P. Bouchard and his wife, Doreen (Entwhistle) along with grandson Andrew Bouchard, his wife Betsy and granddaughter Sarah J. (Bouchard) Parks and her husband Ned of Raleigh, NC., a daughter Darlene M. (Bouchard) Richards and her husband Bruce and devoted grandson James M. of Somerset, MA. and a daughter Donna J. Bouchard of Princeton, NJ and several nieces and nephews and cousins. He was the brother of the late Madeline (Bouchard) Dupre and the “special nephew and godson” of Wilfrid J. Desmarais, who was like a father to him.
The family would like to thank the staff of St. Anne’s Hudner Oncology, the caring staff at Country Gardens in Swansea, MA and the staff of Compassionate Care Hospice for making his final days more comfortable.
He was a communicant for forty-eight years and a Eucharistic Minister at St. Louis de France Church in Swansea, MA.
Funeral to which relatives and friends are invited will be held on Tuesday May 2 at 8:30 AM from South Coast Funeral Home, 1555 Pleasant Street, Fall River, followed by a Mass of Christian burial at 10 AM at St. Louis de France Church, 56 Buffington St, Swansea. Inurnment will be in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Somerset. Calling hours will be Sunday from 1-4PM.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 383 Main Ave., 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851 or online at this link: https://tribute.themmrf.org/jeromebouchard