Joseph William Laliberte

J. William (Bill) Laliberte, 89, of Portland, died on August 21,2013. A lifelong tinkerer, inventor, and jokester, Bill was born at home in Southbridge, MA, the son of Cyril, and Catherine M. Laliberte. The family moved back and forth from Southbridge to Sioux Falls, South Dakota during the Depression, finally settling back in Southbridge after his mother died when he was nine years old. After high school, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, and served in the South Pacific Theater as an airplane mechanic.

After his service, he graduated from Franklin Technical College in Boston and began a series of jobs as an electrician/engineer. He married Pauline Richard from Southbridge in 1948, and began working as the Plant Engineer for Nissen Baking Company in Worcester MA in the 1950s. He moved his family to Maine in 1966 to work in the Nissen plant in Portland. Once in Maine he was able to indulge his passion for sailing, owning a series of increasingly larger boats and becoming an active member of the Centerboard Yacht Club and the Casco Bay Power Squadron. During the off season, he made maple syrup on his "farm" in central Maine. Both passions provided opportunities to indulge his love for inventing, as he refined and improved and redesigned countless pieces of equipment and procedures.

After his retirement he developed his love of history, becoming a docent for the Portland Observatory and doing hundreds of hours of research for Greater Portland Landmarks. He was honored to be the docent for the special Fourth of July Observatory Fireworks tour several times.

Bill was predeceased by his parents, his wife, and his sister Mary. He leaves a daughter, Ann, of Westbrook, son William (Billy) and daughter in law Susan, and grandsons Woody and Patrick of Windham, daughter Patrice and son in law Doug Fox and children Ben, John, Silas and Risa of Unity, ME, and son John (Jack) and daughter in law Kate Herlihy and children Benin, Kelynn, and Maighread of Norway, ME. He leaves his brother Robert from Montana, sister Joan from South Carolina, and brothers Bruce and Phil from Florida as well as many nieces and nephews.

Friends and family are invited to a time of visitation on Friday August 23,2013 4-7 p.m. at Jones, Rich and Hutchins 199 Woodfords Street Portland, Maine. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Saturday August 24, 2013 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Stevens Avenue in Portland. Interment will immediately follow at Evergreen Cemetery. On-Line condolences can be given to the family at www.jonesrichandhutchins.com.

Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider donating in memory of Bill to Greater Portland Landmarks 93 High Street, Portland Maine 04102.