William R. Audette, 97, of Dartmouth, died at home March 17, 2014 St. Patrick's Day after a period of declining health. He was the husband of the late Rita A. (Desruisseau) Audette; they had been married for 69 years.
Born in Fairhaven, he was the son of the late William T. and Edith (Lanagan) Audette. Bill left school early to help his family, learning the meat cutting trade from his Lanagan uncles. After many years plying his trade at local shops, including Davidson's, he retired from Shaw's Supermarkets in 1983.
Bill enjoyed cheering for all the New England sports teams, especially the Patriots. Most of all he loved the comfort and help of his grandchildren.
He is survived by his son Paul W. Audette and his wife Elizabeth of Dartmouth; two sisters, Bernice Lilley and Doris Correia and her husband William; three granddaughters, Lynne Monaghan and her husband Antonio, Debra Sylvaria and her husband Ellsworth and Sandra Zatir and her husband George; seven great-grandchildren, Joel, Bryant, Alicia, Troy, Elizabeth, Melissa and Alex; three great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
He was the brother of the late Arthur "Bob" Audette, Muriel Howland, and Hazel Viveiros.
A heartfelt thank you to Community Nurse and Hospice for their excellent care and help. Also, a special thanks to Bill's friend and coworker Ken Dawicki for all those visits down Memory Lane.
His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday at 10 AM at St. Julie Billiart Church. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Thursday morning from 8:30-9:30 AM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, prior to the Funeral Mass. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Community Nurse & Hospice Care, P.O. Box 751, Fairhaven, MA 02719. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.