There will be an empty stool at the counter at Roland’s Restaurant in Nashua. Adrien Charles Larochelle, who loved nothing more than a warm breakfast and a passionate talk “en français” about hockey and politics, died peacefully on Nov. 18, 2020. He was 92.
Adrien was the son of the late Jean Baptiste Larochelle and Adelemire Gagne and was born in St Lazare, Quebec, Canada. He was raised in Coaticook, Quebec, with 14 brothers and sisters, to whom he remained devoted all their lives. He was the last survivor of the siblings.
Adrien was married for nearly half a century to Cecile Marguerite, who died in 2007. The two met in his hometown where he worked as a cook at a local diner and often passed Cecile sitting on her porch on his way to work. Adrien spent his early years toting cross-cut saws as a lumberman in the logging camps of southern Quebec and northern New England, eventually assuming the role of cook to his fellow lumberman. Later in life he whipped-up the same hearty fare for his family, including chicken rice soup, tourtière and strawberry rhubarb pudding cake. It was always evident that he was used to cooking for large groups of hardworking lumber jacks as pies and loaves came in the dozens, and soup in gallons. Needless to say, scrumptious leftovers abound at the Larochelle home.
Adrien spent most of his working years with Nashua Fiberglass, Imperial Products and Ingersoll/Rand, where he was a foreman and fiberglass technician. He was a steadfast Montreal Canadian fan and got so involved in the televised games, his neighbors could often hear him cheering on the skaters, or haranguing the refs. He loved caring for his yard and garden. His tomato and basil plants were the stuff of legend, and he never passed up a chance to wield a chain saw to trim the errant branch or tree encroaching on his domain.
Adrien was a soft-spoken man, small in stature and mighty in spirit. Above all, he cherished the time spent with his close family. He leaves his daughter, Lisa Guidi and her husband Brian of Nashua, a son, Yves Larochelle and his wife Dee of Burlington Maine, two grandchildren, Nathaniel Guidi and Mandy Hopkins and her husband Jeremy; a great-granddaughter, Hadley and numerous beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.
Au revoir Adrien. Jusqu'à ce que nous nous revoyions.
Services for Adrien Charles Larochelle (January 22, 1928 - November 18, 2020) were held at 10:00am on Saturday, September 18th at St. Aloysius of Gonzaga, 48 West Hollis St, Nashua NH with an interment following at Woodlawn Cemetery, 101 Kinsley St, Nashua NH.
A recording of the church service is available at https://fb.me/e/13k5M6JDk and a recording of the interment ceremony is available at https://fb.watch/85Nlb0Xmf1/
In lieu of flowers, please consider planting a tree as a living tribute to Adrien: https://www.alivingtribute.org/
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https://www.mem.com/memorysharing/728f42cc-2cae-443f-b222-1946ff426795?lang=en
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