Kenneth Paul Desautels

It is with great sadness that the Desautels family announces the death of Kenneth Paul Desautels (68). He passed unexpectedly on June 12, 2021 in Sarasota, Florida. Kenny was the youngest of 11 children and was born and raised in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont where he grew up ‘playing ball’ with his brother Jerry and all of the neighborhood kids where his athletic abilities started to shine. He attended Rice Memorial High School and Burlington High School where he was a standout athlete and later went to college at Lyndon State and the University of Vermont. He enjoyed a very successful career with Forest Pharmaceuticals that expanded over 28 years starting in Vermont then on to Maryland and finally Sarasota, FL where he lived for the past 22 years. After retirement, he started helping his wife Françoise run her real estate business, but what he loved most was spending time on the soccer field watching his cherished daughter Gabriella play soccer. Over the years, every chance he had, he would go up to the fields at Braden River, Premier Sports, West Florida Flames Brandon and the University of Tampa to cheer her on: He was her #1 fan and #1 Soccer Dad. He also loved to play and watch sports and had come to enjoy is new hometown teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Rays. He was also very active in his Sunrise group which brought him much comfort and pleasure. His kind and generous heart and his “wicked” sense of humor along with his quick wit will truly be missed.

Kenny is survived by Françoise, his beloved wife of 23 years, their treasured daughter, Gabriella, his brother, Jerry Desautels and wife Sherie of Colchester, VT, and three sisters Marion Charbonneau of Burlington, VT, Kathleen Hayes and husband Daniel of FL and Patricia Maynard and husband George of FL; his brother in-law François Borel and wife Lara of Vauvenargues, France; his adopted son Eric and grandsons Eric Jr, his wife Tori and their son Jaxson, Troy and Emily and many cousins, nieces, nephews and many friends as well as in-laws of his predeceased brothers, Lois (Desautels) McGuire, Dianne (Loyer) Desautels, Rhonda (Blair) Desautels and father-in-law Henri Borel of Warren, VT and Villeneuve-les-Avignon, France.

He was predeceased by his parents Mildred (Calder) and Conrad Sr. Desautels; two sisters, Barbara Pauline Desautels and Anne Marie Leggett; four brothers Conrad Jr., Eugene, Wayne and Jack Desautels, and nephews, Allan Charbonneau and Thomas Leggett; niece Janet (Desautels) Kehoe and brothers in-law Robert Charbonneau and Arnold Leggett and mother-in-law Rosie Borel.

The family will hold a memorial service at a later date in his honor.