Joseph “Curly” Lucien Rodrigue of Rocky Hill, formerly of Wethersfield, beloved husband of the late Jeanne J. (Shippee) Rodrigue passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on June 8, 2019. Born in Augusta, Maine on February 27, 1923. He was the son of the late Albert and Leontine (Pepin) Rodrigue. Curley moved to Connecticut when he was 5 years old and attended Saint Anne’s school in Hartford. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on November 11, 1942 at the age of 19 and was a Military Aerial Engineer and earning the rank of Sergeant. In addition, Curley served in the European Theater as AA Air Crew Chief on C-47’s, transporting supplies, including 5-gallon cans of gasoline to American Troops in Germany and returning to France with wounded French soldiers. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal and 3 Bronze Stars and was honorably discharged from the service on November 16, 1945. Curley met his beautiful wife, the love of his life and married her on July 12, 1947. He was a Furniture Upholster for several years and then went on to work at Colt Firearms in Hartford as a gunsmith in the Custom Gun Shop until retiring in 1985. Curley lived in Hartford, then in Wethersfield for 35 years and then moved to Rocky Hill in 2003. He loved to fish and play golf. In addition to his wife Jeanne, he was blessed with two much loved daughters and a son-in-law, Suzanne and husband Edward F. Coughlin, who was more of a son than son-in-law. Two adored granddaughters, Aimee Falcigno and husband Anthony and Lisa Wise and husband Timothy as well as four delightful great-grandchildren, Andrew and Alexander Falcigno and Matthew and Katherine Wise. He is also survived by his sister, Rita Pepin, sister-in-law, Jacqueline Corcoran and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his blessed daughter, Pamela Jeanne, brother-in-law, Donald Pepin and sister-in-law, Jillian LaRoche. He was fortunate enough to have many longtime friends, who shared joys and sorrow throughout the years and together with their children made up a wonderful extended family. Gratefulness to his Health Aide Caregiver, Bridget who gave him excellent care and compassion and treated him as if he was her own father and acknowledgement to Pauline his nurse who treated him for a short time but extended compassion and top-notch treatment.
Funeral services will leave at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, June 15th, from the D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Boulevard, Wethersfield for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St Josephine Bakhita Parish (St. James Church), 767 Elm Street, Rocky Hill. Burial with military honors will follow at Mount St. Benedict Cemetery, Bloomfield. The family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, from 6-8 at the funeral chapel. Memorial donations may be made in memory of Curley’s deceased daughter Pamela Jeanne Rodrigue to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101-9929. For online expressions of sympathy to the family, please visit www.desopofuneralchapel.com.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18