Lawrence Merrill Lanoue of Cumberland, RI, died January 9, 2008 at the age of 93. Born in Brockton August 17, 1914, son of the late Edward and Nelida (Cote) Lanoue, he was a 1932 graduate of Brockton High School and lived most of his life in Brockton. He was the husband of Barbara (Ganz) Lanoue and was married for 59 years to the late Gertrude Rose (Smith) Lanoue.
In 1944, Merrill and his brother Clarence established Lanoue Brothers Shoes, a family shoe store located in downtown Brockton for many years. He later opened Merrill’s Shoe Center on Westgate Drive in Brockton, a store that is still being run by his son Richard and also owned and operated Merrill’s II, a branch store in E. Providence, RI.
Merrill was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce in Brockton in the 1960’s and 1970’s, on the Board of Directors of the Brockton Credit Union, past president and Chairman of the Brockton Orchestral Society, now the Brockton Symphony Orchestra. He was also a member of Sacred Heart Church and supporter of the Sacred Heart School with his wife Gertrude. They were past presidents of the Social Club, a fund raising club for the school. Merrill also served on the Board of Directors of Stonehill College. He was president of the New England Shoe Retailers Association during the 1980’s and was the organizations “Man of the Year” in 1990. Merrill had a lifelong interest in sports, especially Boston sports teams. He also had a love of classical and jazz music, and sitting down to a good game of cribbage. He had a more recent interest in birds, other wildlife and gardening.
Merrill is also survived by three daughters, Marilyn Johnson of Brockton, Ann Wood and her husband Craig of Barrington, RI and Jeanne Cobb and her husband Charles of Avon, CT, one son Richard Lanoue and his wife Brenda (Ippolito) of W. Bridgewater; eight grandchildren Denise Endow, Elaine Healy, Maureen Brusa Zappelini, Susan Galliher, Jennifer Jepsen, Christopher Cobb, Rachel Johnson and Edward Johnson, ten great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews; his sister-in-law Barbara "Teddy" Lanoue of Mashpee and three stepsons. He was the brother of the late Lionel and Clarence Lanoue, Gladys Belanger and Aloria Lanoue.
A celebration of his life will be held at the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street (Rte 123) Brockton Saturday 11 am to 2 pm with a Prayer Service at 1pm. Donations in Merrill’s name may be made to the Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc. PO Box 531313, Henderson, NV 89053 or the Brockton Symphony Orchestra, 156 West Elm Street, Brockton, MA 02301.