…Army Veteran, Heavy Equipment Operator; 82
TEWKSBURY - Roger Jean Guy Desharnais, age 82, a well known and lifelong resident of Tewksbury, died peacefully in the care of his beloved family at his home on Friday, March 25. He was the husband of Eva E. (Turner) Desharnais, with whom he had celebrated a fifty-ninth wedding anniversary on June 24th.
He was born in Victoriaville, Quebec, during a family vacation to Canada, in May 1933, one of twelve children of the late Real and Anna (Tachereau) Desharnais. He lived his entire life in the Tewksbury area. Roger was a communicant of St. William’s Church.
He enlisted into the U.S. Army in 1950 and served during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged as a Sergeant 1st Class, and re-enlisted into the Massachusetts Army Nation Guard, where he served until January 1974. He was an active member of the Tewksbury’s Veterans Of Foreign Wars, Post 8164.
He worked as a heavy equipment operator of a Caterpillar 980 Loader for the Warren Manters Company in Saugus, and went on to retire from the security force at HP on Dascomb Road in Andover.
He was remembered for his devotion to his family.
Besides his wife, he leaves five children, Roger and his wife Kittie (Nolan) Desharnais of Lowell, Sandy and her husband John Mackay, Mark and his wife Margaret (Meuse) Desharnais, Robin and her husband Walter Dembkoski and Dana Desharnais all of Tewksbury; fifteen grandchildren; eleven great grandchildren; his siblings, Theresa Boisseault and Isabelle Serra of NJ, Dorothy Martell of Claremont, NH, Jeannette Munnis of Greenville, NH, Lucille Harrison and her husband Thomas of Windsor, VT, Henry Desharnais and his wife Maria of CA; a sister-in-law, Barbara Desharnais of Claremont, NH; a brother-in-law, Robert Anderson of CA; many nieces and nephews; and was predeceased by his siblings, Roland, Raymond, Real, and Richard Desharnais, and Gertrude “Trudy” Anderson.
Relatives and friends will be received on Wednesday morning March 30 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. in the Tewksbury Funeral Home, corner of 1 Dewey and 975 Main Sts. (Rte. 38) TEWKSBURY CENTER, Ph. (800 in MA or 978) 851 2950. His funeral Mass will follow on Wednesday morning at 11:30 a.m. in St. William’s Church, 1351 Main St. (Rte. 38) Tewksbury. Burial with Army Honors will follow at Tewksbury Cemetery. Memorials are requested to the COPD Foundation, Donation HQ, 3300 Ponce deLeon Blvd., Miami, FL 33134, or visit copdfoundation.org visit tewksburyfuneralhome.com