Patrick was born on October 29, 1930 in Winterville, ME, the son of Joseph and Rose Ann (Raymond) Pelletier. The eighth of thirteen children, he grew up working with his father in the woods surrounding St Froid Lake in northern Aroostook County.
He served his country well as a US Army Infantryman during the Korean War, earning the Korean Service Medal and six Bronze Service Stars, and again later as a Tank Commander in the US Army National Guard.
Upon returning from Korea, Patrick quickly caught the eye of the love of his life, Eileen McGowan, in the mailroom of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Co. in East Hartford CT. They married on May 15, 1954 and together celebrated 63 years of marriage before Eileen passed away on May 8, 2017.
Patrick raised his family as an always independent and self-employed logging contractor. He was a hard worker, loved the outdoors and was a particularly skillful fisherman. He instilled a strong work ethic and the love of the outdoors in all his children, with regular family weekend jaunts of picnics, gold panning, and trout fishing in the woods, lakes and streams of Oxford County. He especially loved traveling to remote areas in his pickup camper with Eileen, taking several extended cross-country trips across the US and Canada, following retirement. He was also a member of the American Legion Post 24 in Rumford and the Knights of Columbus
Patrick was a devoted family man and is survived by his six children: Steve Pelletier and his wife, Mary, of Topsham, ME; Patty Pelletier of Tyler, TX; Sheila McMillan of Oxford, ME; Gail Zeringue of Lafayette, LA; Clayton Pelletier and his partner, Tammy Waugh, of Rumford, ME; and Tom and Kelly Pelletier, of Mexico, ME, as well as 24 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a brother, Richard Pelletier of Andover, ME.
His presence, life perspective, and stubborn independence, along with his 4 PM social hour, will be forever missed.
The family would like to thank the Androscoggin Home Health Care Hospice, and particularly Tammy Bean, RN, as well as Tammy Waugh, for their invaluable care and assistance during Dad’s final days.
Private Graveside Services will be held at Maine Veteran’s Cemetery in Augusta.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Peru Food Pantry - one of Patrick’s favorite charities. Please make checks payable to the United Baptist Church of Peru at 98 Main Street, PO Box 22, Peru, ME 04290. Please include “Servant’s Heart Food Pantry” on the memo line.
