Jean P. Pelletier, a Veteran of both WW II and Korea passed away, after a long illness, at the Cedar Glen Nursing Facility in Danvers on Monday morning, December 3, 2007. He was 89 years old. Jean was born, raised, and educated in Salem. He was the son of the late Odias and Delia Pelletier. In the beginning of WW II he supported the war effort by working at Bethlehem Steel Company in Quincy as a Marine Machinist. He was very proud to have worked on the construction of the Battleship USS Massachusetts. He joined the Army as a member of Company A of the 49th Armored Infantry Battalion spending 13 months in Germany, Holland and France. He returned to Salem and opened North Shore Market with his brother-in-law. He was called back to serve in the Army during the Korean War. He was the recipient of the Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal, National Defense Medal, and the Korean War Medal. He was very proud of his service to his country.
Jean owned North Shore Dredging from 1958 to 1978. He had extensive knowledge of the waters surrounding Salem. Dredging, hauling cargo, building piers were just some of the types of projects he worked on. Jean was a member of the Salem Knights of Columbus and was extremely active in Salem politics. He was a strong supporter of the Shaughnessy Hospital and served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Family was a very important part of Jean’s life. He was always there to support or help anyone in his family and took great pride in their accomplishments. He was married to his wife Alma (Caron) Pelletier for 66 years. He was the proud father of Elaine & her husband Robert Zuccaro of Burlington, Jack Pelletier & his wife Jeannine of Rowley, formerly of Danvers, and Philip Pelletier & his wife Nancy of Salem. He was the brother of Emile of Peabody, Armand of Salem, the late Irene Higgins, Maurice, and Roger Pelletier. He was the devoted grandfather of Karen Sullivan of Burlington, Donna Buchmann of Nantucket, John Pelletier of Danvers, Kevin Pelletier of Topsfield, Leslie Tkaczek of Newburyport, Emily Korriku of Salem, Michael Pelletier of Swampscott, and Anna Pelletier of Salem. He was also survived by 12 great grandchildren.
Funeral from the Levesque Funeral Home, 163 Lafayette St.,(Rt. 114/1A) Salem on Thursday, December 6 at 10 a.m. Followed a funeral mass in St. Anne’s Church, 292 Jefferson Ave, Salem at 11 a.m. Visiting hours Wednesday 4-8 p.m. Interment in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem. Memorials in Jean’s name may be made to the Salvation Army, 147 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116-5197. Former owner of North Shore Market and North Shore Dredging. Veteran of WW II and Korean War. For obituary and directions see www.levesquefunerals.com