Ronald (Ronnie) P. Deschenes, age 89 of Salem, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family at Lafayette Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Home in Marblehead, MA after a long illness. He was the devoted husband of Vivian C. (Bouchard) Deschenes with whom he shared 67 years of marriage.
Born and raised in Salem, he was the son of the late Joseph and Louise (Bergeron) Deschenes. Ronald was born prematurely as a twin and lost his twin brother Jean at the age of 6 months. Though he never really knew him, he loved telling everyone he met about his twin brother.
He attended St. Joseph Academy and left to pursue a calling to become an Oblate brother in Colebrook NH. When he realized that was not his true calling, he returned to Salem and worked in a local drugstore. He met Vivian at a church fair and they went on to marry and raise 5 children. During the Korean War, he enlisted in the Army and was stationed as part of the Army of Occupation in Germany. He was fortunate to attend Cook & Baking school while there and servedas an Army cook and tank crewman. Upon his discharge, he returned to Salem and worked at his in-laws grocery store, Bouchard’s Market. He later purchased his own “mom & pop” store, ‘Ronnie’s Variety’ where he manned the counter alongside his wife Vivian for 30 years. In those days, the neighborhood store was a gathering spot for neighbors as was well evidenced during the Blizzard of ’78 when he kept the store open to service his customers.
In his younger days, he was an active member of the former St. Joseph Parish in Salem as a member of the Holy Name Society. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus. When he retired, he and Vivian volunteered to help at CCD for several years. They were among the honorees at the inaugural gala for St. Joseph School in 2000 for their years of service. When St. Joseph Parish was closed in 2004, he became a parishioner of St. James Parish in Salem and attended Mass there as long as his health allowed him to. Though his health started to decline, his strong faith never wavered and he continued to watch daily Mass on television. He enjoyed listening to classical music and watching television but his true happiness came from caring for and spending time with his family.
In addition to his wife Vivian, Ronald is survived by his daughter, Gisele of Salem and his 4 sons and their wives: Ronald & Kathleen of Westford, Roger & Marielle of Salem, Andre & Debora of Peabody and Marc & Rita of Salem. He also leaves his 4 grandchildren, David, Andre, Daniel and Christine. In addition, he leaves his niece Lynette and nephews Philip & Michael, along with several cousins and close friends and neighbors. He was predeceased by his sister Antoinette (Deschenes) Cash and twin brother Jean.
The family would like to thank his nurse Sharon from Partners Healthcare at Home and his barber Paul for their visits to him at home. In addition, we are grateful to the nurses and staff of the Lafayette Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing Home for their kind and compassionate care during his recent illness.
Relatives and friends are invited to his funeral on Monday, October 1 at 10 a.m. from the Levesque Funeral Home, 163 Lafayette St., Salem [Rt. 114 / 1-A] followed by his funeral mass in St. James Church on 152 Federal St. Salem at 11 a.m. Visiting hours: at the funeral home Sunday, September 30th from 2 to 5 p.m.
Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: The Lafayette Resident’s Activity Fund, 25 Lafayette Street, Marblehead, MA 01945 or St. Vincent de Paul Society, 156 Federal Street, Salem, MA 01970. For guestbook and additional information, please visit www.LevesqueFunerals.com