Obituary of Rene R Bourgeois

Rene R. Bourgeois, a retired electrician, passed away after an extended illness on Thursday morning, November 2, 2017, surrounded by his loving family. He was 85 years old. Rene was born and raised in Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada. He was one of three children born to Alban and Germaine Bourgeois. He grew up and was educated in Shediac. He furthered his education at a trade school studying to be a licensed electrician. He also served in the Canadian Air Force for a three years. He immigrated to the United States in 1955 settling in Waltham, Massachusetts. He married his wife Juliette in 1960 and they had 2 daughters. He lived in Waltham for over 30 years. He was active in the French Club in Waltham and the French church, St. Joseph’s Church. He worked for 29 years as an in-house electrician at Hewlett Packard which started in Waltham and became Agilent Technologies in Andover. Over the years, Rene also did electrical side jobs on his time off. Rene was a man who loved people and had a great circle of friends. He had spent the last 15 years in Clearwater Florida, returning for the summers to Massachusetts. He was a member of the American Legion in Florida. He was an avid golfer playing at Billerica Country Club in Billerica, MA and The Landing in Clearwater, FL which were his favorite places to golf. He would play with his wife and his friends on a regular basis. Every golfer’s dream was to get a hole-in-one. Unfortunately, he was never that lucky, but to add to his chagrin, his wife was! He was a member of several bowling leagues over the years. Rene was an avid camper his entire life. He started with a pop up trailer, and ended with a 38 foot mobile home. He was a member of the Family Motor Home Association. Over the years he had motored to Louisiana, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, Canada, and all the states in between. He also enjoyed trips to Alaska, Hawaii, and numerous cruises in the Caribbean. He had an appreciation for the arts which he shared with his daughter, Monique. Trips to the museums were their special time together. He loved all sorts of music from Canadian fiddle to country western to classical. During his time back in Massachusetts, he enjoyed working in his garden and spending time in Wells Maine. His love for a lobster meal was never ending! He was an extremely knowledgeable and skilled electrician. Rene was always willing to give a helping hand to family and friends who needed assistance with their electrical or carpentry projects. At the age of 84, he was still helping his future son-in-law build a deck! Rene will be remembered for: embracing life, his wit, his humor, his big heart, and the love he shared with family and friends. Rene was the beloved husband of 57 years to Juliette (LeBlanc) Bourgeois. He was the loving father of Monique Bourgeois of Tewksbury and Carole Finnegan of Woburn and her fiancé Jeffrey Hasenbein. Father-in-law of the late David Finnegan. Brother of Armand of Montreal, Canada and Jeannine Savoie of Shediac, Canada. Grandfather of Maylin Bourgeois of Tewksbury. He was also survived by several nieces, nephews, and longtime friends. Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington (exit 34 off Rt. 128/95, Woburn side) on Thursday, November 9 from 4-8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington on Friday Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. The interment will be private at a later date. Memorials in Rene’s name may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701. Family Remembrance by Carole After our father Rene Bourgeois immigrated to the United States from Canada in the 1950s, we came to realize the impact he would have on his family and friends. His generous ways, kind hearted spirit, and his enormous strength were witnessed by many of his long-time friends and family especially during these last 8 months of his illness. From the time of diagnosis, he vowed to fight and win the biggest battle before him. His love for his family and friends never wavered, always willing to help others. As a devout Catholic, his belief and love for God never faded despite the pain from his disease. Our parents spent many happy years together at their home in a Florida retirement community. Their 2nd family and friends in Florida are also mourning his passing. When our parents returned home to Massachusetts every spring for the past 15 years, Rene would begin everyday by crossing off the days on the calendar, until they would return to their second home in Florida in the Fall. When he was home in Massachusetts, we would often find him rearranging his garage, whether it needed it or not, at least 8-10 times during the summer season. He enjoyed mowing the grass, playing an occasional round of golf, working in his garden and listening to his music. He would often say to us these activities and exercise kept his mind and body young. As a licensed electrician until the age of 84, he even helped his future son-in-law with his own home remodel. We believe he was comforted knowing that Jeff, his future son-in-law, would watch over the women he would soon be leaving behind. His love for watching the Red Sox was evident as we heard his cheers and sometime curses, coming from his living room. He refused to be old and fought it every step of the way, even in his darkest days. His only grandchild Maylin, brought out the sparkle in his eyes every time he saw her, especially when she took goofy pictures of him on her cellphone. He had a great sense of humor portrayed by his jokes and willingness to laugh, even at himself. We want to thank our Mom, Julie, for tirelessly caring for our father during these last few months in their home. Her love for him poured over to her family every day despite the despair of his illness. We are forever grateful that our parent’s love of 57 years, taught us the meaning of family and commitment. Hearing their daily “I love you”, to each other gave us strength when we felt so helpless. Our father, grandfather and beloved husband was, and always will be, our hero. We love you Dad, forever in our hearts with memories never forgotten.