Armand E. Racicot, 83, of Hooksett, NH died June 27, 2014 in Goffstown, NH after a long illness.
He was born in Manchester September 25, 1930 the son of Arthur and Elzire “Elsie” (Jobin) Racicot.
During the Korean Conflict he served in the U.S. Air Force.
He worked for many years as a meat cutter and meat manager at Stop and Shop and also at Bunny’s Superette.
Armand enjoyed ballroom, disco, rounds, square dancing and jazz (jitterbug). In his teens he taught all his friends his smooth fancy jazz steps. He and his wife Irene had been members of the Queen City Promenaders and the Allemande Eights square dance clubs for many years.
He was also active in sports and had played baseball, softball, basketball and hockey. He was a member of the Hooksett Youth Athletic Association and had coached Junior League Basketball in Hooksett for many years. He also coached basketball at St. George’s Catholic Youth Organization in his younger years. He coached baseball for St. Raphael’s School, Babe Ruth League in Hooksett, and was a pitching coach for Jutras Post’s American Legion Ball Team in Manchester. As a coach, he was known for his patience, his skill and knowledge of the sport, and his quiet manner when working with his players. He was an excellent swimmer and had been a lifeguard in Manchester in his late teens. Armand taught half the neighborhood kids in Hooksett how to swim and dive in his backyard pool in Hooksett.
He also enjoyed gardening and playing horseshoes and bocce. He was an avid Red Sox and Celtics fan. He had a great bass voice and enjoyed singing with several churches including the High Point Concordia Chorus and the High Point Senior Singers in Brooksville, FL. In his retirement he enjoyed winters at High Point in Brooksville, FL
Armand was an easy going, quiet man. He had a dry sense of humor and enjoyed his little jokes. He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. He will be missed by his many friends and relatives who knew and loved him.
Family members include his wife of 59 years, Irene (Lemaire) Racicot of Hooksett; a son, Daniel Racicot and his wife, Michelle, of Pittsfield, NH two daughters, Denise Levesque and her husband, Raymond of Hooksett and Anita McMillen and her husband, Scott, also of Hooksett; eight grandchildren, Christopher Levesque of Winter Haven, FL, Aaron Levesque and his wife, Darcie, of Manchester, Nicole Levesque and her fiancee, Rick, of Merrimack, NH, Megan Racicot of Fort Collins, CO, Sara Racicot and Shannon Racicot of Pittsfield, NH, Ryan McMillen of Laconia, NH, and Alex McMillen of Somersworth, NH; a brother, George Racicot and his wife, Pauline “Polly” of Londonderry; two sisters in-law, Lucille Hawkins and Carmelle Bonsavage and her husband, William “Bill”. Many nieces and nephews. He also leaves his close friends in New Hampshire; Robert (Pat) Patrick (a close friends of 73 years) and his wife, Lillian, Jules “Joe” Belaski and Irene Morrissette, Bob Paris and his wife, Rita and Scott McMillen and Raymond Levesque who are not only his sons in-law but became his close and dearest friends. His Florida close friends include Beverly Loranger, Lorraine Loscalzo, Becky Shill, Arnie and Hildy Lauber, Wynell and Freeman Fox, Joan Barker and many others.
Armand was predeceased by two sisters, Angelique “Nancy” Laliberte and Yvonne Dobbie; three brother, Roland, Albert and Robert Racicot; a brother in-law, Wilbur “Bill” Hawkins.
The funeral was held on Monday, July 7, 2014 at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St., Manchester. Burial, with military honors followed in the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen.
Memorial donations may be made to the Hooksett Youth Athletic Association, PO Box 16019, Hooksett, NH 03106