Roland Joseph Turcotte 96, a longtime resident of Abington, died Monday May 11. He was the beloved husband of the late Meredith (Porter) Turcotte.
Roland was born September 19, 1923 in Attleboro, MA to Emile D. and Marie L. (Jacques) Turcotte.
He did not graduate high school, but instead left school to support his family and then to enlist in the US Navy on August 25, 1941. He achieved the rank of Navigator Yeoman and was assigned as Secretary to the Commander of LST Division 116 of its flagship. He served on board the USS Montpelier, USS Catoctin, and many LST groups. He served in the Atlantic Theatre traveling to, among other places, Palermo, Sicily; Bizerte, Tunisia; and Sevastopol, Russia. His ship served as the communications ship for the Yalta Conference and welcomed President Roosevelt on board for that conference. During his military service, Roland earned his GED through a correspondence course.
After his military service, Roland married and settled down in Abington. He was a talented cabinet maker, like his father before him, owning Turcotte Cupboard Company on Hancock Street in Abington. After injuring his back in that line of work, he turned to salesmanship and worked for Garrity Brothers of Boston, Grossmans of Whitman, Beauty Form Plastics of East Bridgewater, and finally a long stretch working at Sears Roebuck of Quincy.
He had a love of learning, and enjoyed reading what we always called “meat & potatoes” books, how-to-manuals or histories, rather than fiction. For many years he and his wife summered at their trailer on Cape Cod. He loved salt water fishing and for years had owned his own boat.
He was a past Grand Master of the John Cutler Lodge four times over and had truly cherished his association with the Lodge over the years.
He is survived by his daughter Dorinda Billings and her husband James of Lunenburg, as well as eight grandchildren and twenty-six great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter Deborah, two brothers and one sister.
A private graveside service will be held in the Mount Vernon Cemetery, Abington where he will be laid to rest next to his wife Meredith.