Marcel L. Desrosiers

Mac had a strong work ethic. At age 5, he served as a lookout for his bootlegger father. He continued working in both paid and unpaid positions well into his nineties. Mac was also smart, so much so that in elementary school, the nuns decided he could skip the third grade. When he did not know the answer to a question later in life, he would use skipping the third grade as an excuse.

Mac was, in a quiet way, a true and brave patriot. He volunteered for service in the Navy at age 17 during World War II. He was a Gunner’s Mate Second Class on a Landing Ship, Tanks (LST) in the Mediterranean during the Allied invasions of Italy and Southern France. He credited the powerful guns of the British Navy for his hearing loss and the Veterans Administration for good hearing aids.

Thanks to the GI Bill, Mac was the first in his family to attend college. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His late wife, Mary, was also a member of the Class of 1950. Ever the romantic, Mac proposed by telegram, and the two married on April 1, 1951. Mac soon went off to the Korean War. Known as the Original April Fools, Mac and Mary were married for over 70 years until Mary’s death on October 21, 2021.

In addition to his decorated service during World War II and the Korean War, Mac was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. He also served in Japan, Germany, and Korea, helping to secure long-term peace by repairing war damage and building sports fields, swimming pools, recreation facilities, roads and bridges. He cared for the soldiers under his command, many of whom, like Mac, experienced poverty during childhood.

Mac ended his lengthy military career on assignment to the Defense Intelligence Agency. Moving to the civilian sector, he used his skills as an engineer working for FEMA and several government contractors. He oversaw, among other things, asbestos abatement at the White House. Mac didn’t talk about his war experience or his work. If asked what he did for a living, he might respond that he was a Russian spy.

When he gave up working for pay, Mac went to work helping others. He delivered Meals on Wheels for over 20 years, treating himself to pancakes at IHOP afterward. He taught elementary students about pulleys and levers, helped high school students learn about catapults and trebuchets, served as a consulting engineer on several Eagle Scout projects, and judged Odyssey of the Mind competitions. He also volunteered with charitable groups fixing donations of broken appliances, lamps, and furniture. After moving to Goodwin House Alexandria in 2021, Mac helped train a therapy dog to work with older people.

Mac loved the Boston Red Sox and apple pie with cheddar cheese. For those unfamiliar with that culinary delight, Mac would explain that apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze. Hate is a strong word, but he hated people who did not try to help their fellow man, and the New York Yankees.

Five children survive Mac: Donald Desrosiers (Barbara Kuckenbecker), Nancy Baer (George), Mary Jane Saunders (James), Peter Desrosiers (Lu), and Edward Desrosiers (Mary Catherine). Also surviving him are eleven grandchildren: Jennifer McGough (Christopher) William Desrosiers (Kate), Abbie Mulberg (Jonathan), Meredith Hanbury (Robert), Blair Allais (Luca), Jacqueline Owen (Cassidy), Michael Desrosiers (Lyndsey), Mary E. Desrosiers (Timothy Carroll), Sean Desrosiers (Alyssa), Casey Desrosiers (Luke Lafferty), and James Saunders, III. Mac’s eight great-grandchildren, Ava, Lila, Mary Theresa, Quinn, Macon “Mac,” Thomas, Peter Michael, and Marco, will miss him and the unlimited ice cream he kept in his freezer for their visits.

Funeral services and burial with military honors will take place at Fort Myer and Arlington National Cemetery at a future date.

Instead of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the Goodwin Living Foundation, 4800 Fillmore Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22311, www.goodwinliving.org.