Armand W. Gagnon
Manchester– Armand W. Gagnon, 78, died at his home on December 5, 2006 after a four year illness.
Born in Cambridge Mass. on September 15, 1928, he was the son of the late John Baptiste and Blanche (Cyr) Gagnon.
He married his true love, Irene Juneau, on December 2, 1950. They were married for 47 years. He was a Master Sargeant in the Army National Guard.
He leaves behind 5 children: Jeannette Gagnon, of Warwick R.I., Marian Gagnon, of Charlestown R.I., John Gagnon of Manchester, Robert Gagnon, of Raymond, Dave Gagnon of Exeter, R.I., 3 grandchildren: Genna Gagnon of Charlestown, R.I., and Jillian and Amanda Gagnon of Manchester. He also is survived by 3 sisters: Cecilia Lacasse, of Manchester, Jeannette St. Laurent, of Epping, and Doris Stacy, of Candia.
It was in Manchester, that Armand and Irene would spend the rest of their lives raising five children and where Armand would leave a rich imprint in the history of the Mills in Manchester. A self educated man, Armand worked at Chicopee Mills in Manchester for 32 years, beginning in the card room and working his way up to management. He later brought his textile expertise to Chemfab where he worked as Plant Manager. There he led a team in the development of a one of a kind fiberglass-graphite hybrid fabric for NASA used to line the bay of the Space Shuttle. He retired from Chemfab in 1993.
When not spending time with his family and friends, Armand could be found in the great outdoors. He was an avid outdoorsman; he loved fishing, hiking, and hunting. His hunting trips, in particular, took him all over the world, including Africa, New Zealand, and Turkey. He was a proud member of the Appalacian Club, having taken his family on numerous hikes. To be able to hike, camp, hunt or fish with Armand was to come away with a new appreciation for nature. He had a strong community spirit and was involved in the efforts to build a second little league park on the city's west side to allow all the children who wanted to play ball a spot to play. He was an active member of St. Patrick’s Church, the Precious Blood League of 1000 Men and most recently was proud of his return to the classroom taking classes offered to Senior Citizens where he presented the Merrimack River’s role in the mills history. He was a wonderful role model for his children and grandchildren and spent many hours on the sidelines of sporting events and theater plays cheering on his family.
SERVICES: Calling hours will be Friday 2 to 4 & 7 to 9 at the J.N. Boufford & Sons Funeral Home, 110 Bridge St..
A mass of christian burial will be celebrated Saturday at 10 am in St. Patrick Church, Coolidge Ave.. Burial will follow in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.