Alban Landry of Winchester MA, formerly of Athol, passed away peacefully on May 3, 2023, and was the beloved husband of the late Carole Landry, to whom he was married in 1956.
Alban and Carole are survived by their three adopted children to whom they opened their hearts and lives and gave a wonderful home and great opportunities in life: David Landry and his wife Sylvie of Mount Pleasant, TN and Rumney, NH; Jennifer Nolan of Maine; and Scott Landry of Truro, MA. Alban was an exemplary role model demonstrating the values of faith, discipline, self-respect and hard work. He is also survived by his five grandchildren – Annabelle and Katia Landry; Brian Nolan and his wife Emily, Kevin and Alison Nolan, and his great grandchild Wesley. Alban was predeceased by his parents Joseph M. and Adeline (Chaisson) Landry, his sisters Muriel True, Winifred Masters, and Regina Kucinskas, and his brothers Lawrence and Paul Landry.
Alban was born and raised in Athol where he worked from an early age at jobs including hawking newspapers, making donuts, shining shoes and caddying for the local golf course. He excelled in high school in both sports and academics and was proud of his time on the football team playing both offense and defense. Alban was a lifelong devout Catholic and raised his children in the church. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and was awarded a lifetime recognition for his service. He served as deacon in many of the churches he attended, volunteered as a financial advisor for St. Eulalia’s Church, and volunteered at the soup kitchen in downtown Boston.
Upon being graduated from high school, Alban enrolled at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. He subsequently chose to join the workforce and was recruited into the General Electric Apprentice School for electrical drafting. He spent two years in this program and then enlisted in the Air Force where he was assigned to the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project as a Weapons Mechanic working with atomic bombs in Killeen, Texas. In July 1951 he was honorably discharged from the Air Force so he could become a Cadet at the Coast Guard Academy from which he was graduated third in his class in 1955. Alban served in the Coast Guard from 1955 to his retirement in 1976 at the rank of Captain. During his years of service he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Unit Commendation Medal, Finnish Lifesaving Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Expert Rifleman Medal, Expert Pistol Shot Medal, Coast Guard Cutter Insignia, and the Command At Sea Insignia. His active duty was marked by many incidents of bravery and accomplishment. As Captain of the icebreaker the USCGC Escanaba (WHEC-64) he led a search and rescue effort for the Finnish ship the M/V Ragney, a 540 foot tanker sinking 600 miles off the coast of New Jersey. While battling a powerful wind and snow storm, the crew of the Escanaba successfully saved 31 men. Despite the many rescues successfully completed through his active duty career, Alban always lamented those they were unable to rescue. He was a true Coast Guardsman and loved the service to his last day. He was an active supporter of Academy sports, attending as many games around the region as he could, and was a vocal supporter and sometime critic of the Academy and the teams.
Rather than subject his wife and family to yet another relocation, Alban retired from the Coast Guard in 1976, but he was far from retiring from work. In the following years he worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and as the Northeast Regional Director for Au Bon Pain. He finally settled into the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game as the Deputy Director, a position he held for over ten years.
Alban worked hard his entire life. He volunteered for the church and the community. He gave of his time, his prayers and his money. His generosity was well known through his donations to friends, family, church and community. He was a loving husband, son, brother, friend, and father and he is deeply missed by all those that knew and loved him.
A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Eulalia’s Church, 50 Ridge St., Winchester, on Saturday, May 20, at 10:00 AM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to the Athol High School Scholarship Association, PO Box 338, Athol, MA 01331.