Lt. Colonel Leo Gaston Ouellet, US Army, retired, of Berlin, NH passed away on Saturday July 12, 2014 at the Androscoggin Valley Hospital. He was born August 6, 1924 in Lebanon, NH and the son of Emile and Leonise (Boutin) Ouellet. Colonel Ouellet was a combat veteran of WWII where he served in the Army Air Corps. with the 12th Air Force in Europe as a Bombardier/Navigator. He graduated from Berlin High School in 1942 and joined the Air Force right after that and retired from the National Guard in 1979 with 37 years continuous service as commander of the 2nd Howitzer Battalion, 197th Field Artillery with Headquarters in Berlin. He also graduated from the Artillery School with a Prefit 5 (Nuclear); the Adjutant General School and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He was awarded the Air Medal for Combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, two Army Commendation Medals, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon with three Battle Stars, the Defense Medal, Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal and a number of other Army and National Guard Ribbons. He was a member of the Academic Board of NH Military Academy and a member of Governor Thompson’s military staff. His other achievements include the Mayor of Berlin for a total of 8 years, he created BEDCO with funds from the Governor’s office. He was instrumental in building the Cleveland Bridge, a member of the Governor’s Nuclear Waste Commission, was Chairman of the Berlin Planning Board for 4 years, first chairman for 5 years of the Berlin Zoning Board. He owned and operated Simon Davis Smart Shop/Labnon’s Department Store when he retired in 1979. As a veteran, he was Quartermaster and First Club Manager of VFW Post #2520 and was a life member.
He leaves his longtime partner Germaine Landry of Gorham, his daughter Paula Dzioba and her husband Gary of Fremont, NH; 5 grandchildren Jennifer, John, Jr.,James, Jonathan and April; 4 great-grandchildren Jailyn, Joshua, Jessica and Aidan; a sister Irene Markovich of Berlin, NH and many cousins. He was predeceased by his wife Jane, his son John Ouellet, daughter in-law Linda Ouellet and his brother Lucien (Babe).
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday July 18, 2014 at 10 AM at St. Anne Church of Good Shepherd Parish. Interment will be in St. Kieran Cemetery. Relatives and friends may call at the Bryant Funeral Home, 180 Hillside Ave., Berlin on Thursday afternoon and evening from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 PM.