Roger L. Tougas, 84, of Dartmouth died Friday September 2, 2011 after a long illness. He was the husband of Yvette R. (Monuteaux) Tougas; they had been married for 61 years.
Born in Central Falls, RI, the son of the late Alcide and Lillian (Brodeur) Tougas, he moved to New Bedford in 1950 and had resided in Dartmouth since 1956.
He was a communicant of St. Julie Billiart Church, where he served as an usher and collector.
Mr. Tougas was the founder and proprietor of New Bedford Pest Control for many years.
In March 2011 Mr. Tougas was honored by the Dartmouth Select Board for his 57 years of dedicated public service to the Town of Dartmouth. He had been a longtime Town Meeting member, Finance Committee member, and Zoning Board of Appeals member. He served as Selectman from 1965 - 1980 and as State Representative from Dartmouth from 1980 - 1988.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Father Hogan Council. An avid golfer, he was a former member of the Country Club of New Bedford and the Hawthorne Country Club. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Deborah L. Vieira of Dartmouth and Lynette T. Robitaille of New Bedford; his daughter-in-law, Cynthia (Hall) Tougas of Dartmouth; his sister, Lucille Lovegreen of Coventry, RI; five grandchildren, Jay Vieira and his wife Amy Lee-Vieira of Fairhaven, Nicole Robitaille and her fiancé Shaun Boutwell of Bedford, Courtney Tougas of Dartmouth, Melissa Labbe and her husband Donald of Cranston, RI, and Matthew Robitaille and his wife Meghan of New Bedford; six great-grandchildren, Owen, Joshua, and Morgan Vieira, Ellen and Noah Robitaille, and Benjamin Labbe; and several nieces and nephews.
He was the father of the late Gregory A. Tougas, and father-in-law of the late Roger Robitaille.
His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday at 11:30 AM at St. Julie Billiart Church. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Monday from 2-8 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Roger Robitaille Memorial Scholarship, c/o New Bedford High School, 230 Hathaway Blvd., New Bedford, MA 02740 or Community Nurse and Hospice Care, P.O. Box 751, Fairhaven, MA 02719. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.