Roger N. Demanche

Born in New Bedford, son of the late Joseph and Catherine (Brochu) Demanche, he was a resident of Fairhaven for most of his life.

Roger attended first grade in Falmouth, as well as Sacred Hearts School and Fairhaven High School in Fairhaven. He was a U.S. Navy Veteran serving as an airplane mechanic in Pensacola, FL, during World War II. He also later served in the U.S. Air Force. Following the war, he earned his pilot’s license and co-owned a Cessna airplane at the New Bedford airport. He was a founding member of The Thomas P. Livesey Memorial Club of Fairhaven and is a member of the club’s Hall of Fame.

Roger learned the steamfitting trade from his father. He was a steamfitter for 32 years, retiring in 1977, and was a member of the former UA Local Union #644, now UA Local Union #51. He loved his work and was dedicated to his local union and organized labor. He worked on numerous schools and power generating stations in Massachusetts and New England.

After his retirement, Roger and his wife Edna loved to travel several times a week to meet their friends for ballroom and line dancing. He enjoyed talking with people and could almost always find some common area of connection with another person that would prompt a spirited conversation. He enjoyed meeting with his friends and the people who worked at the nearby restaurants and coffee shops he frequented or at the Fairhaven Council on Aging.

Neither he nor his wife were ones to put down or belittle others. They were proud of their sons and thought the world of their daughter-in-law and grandsons. They took great joy in having provided a home and direction for Danny Santos, late of New Zealand, during his teenage years.

Roger liked talking about local history and was good at providing background and context.

Survivors include two sons, Robert Demanche of Braintree and Fairhaven and Thomas A. Demanche and his wife Lynn of Mashpee; three grandsons, Matthew, Michael and Jeffrey all of Mashpee; three brothers, Paul, Joseph M. “Maury” and Robert B. Demanche, all of Fairhaven; a sister, Pauline Portelance, also of Fairhaven; and several nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late Armand O. Demanche.

His funeral will be held Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 8 AM from the WARING-SULLIVAN Home of Memorial Tribute at Fairlawn, 180 Washington St., Fairhaven, followed by his funeral mass at 9 AM in St. Mary’s Church, Main St., Fairhaven. Burial with Military Honors will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery, New Bedford. Visiting hours, Wednesday, 4-7 PM.