CHICOPEE ~ Armand L. St. Marie, 93, a longtime resident of the Sandy Hill section of Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. He passed into Eternal Life at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke surrounded by the care and comfort of his loving family, his wonderful caregivers and his comrades-at-arms. He was born at home on Hilton Street in Chicopee on June 13, 1925, a beloved son of the late Leo A. and Noelia (Dube) St. Marie. He was raised in Chicopee, graduated from Cathedral High School and was a lifelong resident of the city. He served his country in the United States Navy during World War II aboard the USS Hornet and attained the rank of Radioman Second Class. He received the American Theatre Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation and the World War II Victory Medal. He reenlisted during the Korean War and served until his discharge in 1952. Following his discharge, he was employed for over 30 years at the former Fisk Tire and Rubber Company, which was later Uniroyal, in Chicopee. He later worked as a Security Guard for the H.P. Hood Company in Agawam and at Cabotville in Chicopee. He was a member of the Aldenville American Legion Post 337, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans. Most of all, he was a quiet man who loved his family and his many friends. He leaves his beloved wife and best friend of 70 years, Loretta R. (Belgarde) St. Marie; his two loving children, Linda J. Bienvenue and her husband, Philip, of Pittsboro, NC and Brian W. St. Marie and his wife, Andrea, of Lexington Park, MD; his four cherished grandchildren, Alisha Bienvenue and her partner, Jason Banville, Kiera Gilbert and her husband, David Gilbert, Sabrina Jackson and her husband, Mark Jackson, and Tara Hanneman and her husband, Chris Hanneman; his five cherished great-grandchildren, Gabriel and Eve Gilbert, Isabelle Jackson, and Chloe and Sadie Hanneman; his dear sister-in-law, Lucille St. Marie of Holyoke; and his many dear nephews, nieces, cousins, friends; and extended members of the St. Marie and Belgarde families. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his loving son, Kenneth L. St. Marie; his dear brother, Leonard “Red” St. Marie; and his dear sister, Irene Garfield. His Funeral will be held on Monday morning, August 27, 2018 beginning at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels, (413-532-9806), 13 Dale Street, Chicopee, MA 01020, (funeral home will open at 9:30 a.m.) which will be followed by a Prayer Service at 10:30 a.m. His Burial with United States Navy Military Honors will follow the Prayer Service at Sainte Rose Cemetery, 49 Olsen Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. His family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday, August 26, 2018 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The parking lot and main entrance are located in the rear of the funeral home at 20 Lafayette Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. For those who prefer, his family requests that memorial donations be made in his memory to the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, 110 Cherry Street, Holyoke, MA 01040. For more details, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com
