It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Douglas (Doug) M. Beaulieu Sr. at his home in Westport on Saturday May 27 , 2023 after courageously fighting an illness for 10 years. He was 79.
Doug was born in Westport on September 12, 1943 and spent most of his life working and raising his family there. He is survived by his wife, Fran, children Paula Tripp (Ron) of Fall River, Cynthia and Kimberly of Westport and Douglas Jr. (Beth) of Sunbury, Ohio. He is also survived by his father, Edmond, and siblings Joseph and sisters Ellen, Linda and Mary. He will be forever adored by his eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his mother Etta (Pettingill) and siblings Edmond, Bruce, Barry and Sally along with his step-mother Helen.
Doug and Fran married on August 3, 1963 and together they would have celebrated their 60th Anniversary later this year. After attending Westport High School, Doug established himself as a renowned builder and crafted many homes around Westport and Southeastern New England. This included the house that meant the most to him in 1972 – his own – and all of the others around him on Primrose Lane.
Over the years Doug worked as a finish carpenter and woodworker at Falmouth Marine, Walter Furman’s Cabinet Shop and various companies in and around Greater Boston. He worked on many projects at Harvard University, MIT and Boston College and earned a reputation as “the best stair builder at Harvard.”
Doug grew up working on cars at his father’s auto repair shop and his curiosity of all things mechanical never left him. He even co-piloted Doug Jr.'s rally car for a season and was an avid RV’er. He has owned and customized two RVs and a travel trailer. He and his family traveled across the United States and Canada in them on epic road trips.
Doug’s true love of woodworking, furniture making, and boat building came second only to the love he had for his family. A proud testament to this commitment was when he and Fran made the courageous decision to raise their daughter Cindy (who lives with disabilities) at home during a time when it was uncommon to do so. Together they successfully navigated this path with love, patience and dignity while raising their three other children to be Cindy’s biggest fans.
Memorial service to which relatives and friends are invited will be Saturday, June 10, 2023 at the Potter Funeral Home at 11:00 A.M.
Memorial visitation will be Friday from 5-8 P.M.
Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Community Connections, Inc., 1082 Davol St., Fall River, MA 02720.