Alfred G. “Fred” Brule, 91, of Woonsocket, formerly of Manville and
Lincoln, died peacefully Sunday, March 31, 2024, surrounded by his
loving family at Miriam Hospital in Providence. He was the dedicated
husband of Pauline Y. (Godin) Brule. Fred and Pauline were married
on February 19, 1955, at St. James Church in Manville, sharing the
past 69 years mutually devoted to each other.
Born and raised in Manville, he was a son of the late Paul Emile
Brule and Yvette (Houle) Brule.
Mr. Brule was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving from
1952 to 1956, during the Korean War.
Fred was employed by Stop & Shop grocery stores for over 35 years
before successfully retiring at age 55. During that time and
afterwards, he owned, rehabbed and maintained multiple
properties.
Fred was a member of the American Legion Alphonse Yelle Post 9 in
Manville and a member of the Lincoln, Smithfield and Glocester
Senior Centers. He served his community as a member of the Town
of Lincoln Planning Board. In his younger years, he served as a
Civil Defense Warden and was also a member of Club Marquette.
Fred was a long-time member of St. James Parish, where he
marked all his life events and volunteered for many parish activities.
He attended St. Jude Parish in Lincoln for several years while living
in Limerock.
Fred was a traveler with yearly camping trips criss-crossing the
United States and Canada with his family. Fred and Pauline were
world travelers, from Iceland to China and all points in between.
They spent the last 27 years as winter residents of Harlingen, Texas
where they traded the cold New England winters for the sunshine
and warmth of the Texas Gulf coast.
As a dedicated dad to Paul and Monica, he volunteered for youth
activities and trips with the CYO and Troop 1 Boy Scouts at St.
James. Fred knew how to have a good time and relax; he played a
skillful hand of cards and particularly enjoyed cribbage.
Fred will be remembered as a loving husband and father. He
cherished his role as Pepere to his grandchildren and greatgrandchild. Friends and family will remember him as a kind and
cheerful, hardworking man.
In addition to his wife Pauline, Fred is survived by his two children,
Paul Brule and his wife Gail, of Lincoln, and Monica Gragg and her
husband Kenneth, of Raleigh, NC. He was the proud grandfather of
Erica Brule, Elizabeth (Brule) Erskine and her husband Jimmy,
Anthony Gragg and his wife Astin, and Stephen Gragg and his wife
Victoria, and great-grandfather of James Paul Erskine. Fred was the
brother of Jeanne Benoit and her husband Bernard, of Cumberland,
and the late Gaetan Brule and Richard “Butch” Brule. He is also
survived by many nieces and nephews and their families.
His funeral will be Saturday April 6, 2024 at 10:00 am from the
Menard-Lacouture Funeral Home, 127 Carrington Ave. Woonsocket
followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am in St. James
Church, Division St. Manville. Fred will be laid to rest with military
honors at St. James Cemetery in Manville. Relatives and friends are
invited to honor and remember Fred at visiting hours on Friday,
April 5th from 4:00-8:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers and in recognition of Fred’s commitment to caring
for others, memorial donations may be made to IN-SIGHT Vision
Rehabilitation 43 Jefferson Blvd. Warwick, RI 02888 www.in-sight.org (an organization that provides services for the visually
impaired) or the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 501 St. Jude
Pl. Memphis TN 38105 or www.stjude.org
https://www.menardfuneralhome.com