Roger J. Gaudreau

Roger Gaudreau died on July 2, 2012 at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He was born on December 30, 1936 in St. Simon, Quebec, Canada. He was a loving husband, a devoted father and a doting grandfather. His family came first and he cared for all of us. Roger was a contractor in Burlington, Vermont for over 30 years. He was a builder at heart, built a large home in Vermont and renovated several houses in Florida. He owned a Polaris snowmobile, the fastest, sexiest machine ever to come out at the time. For a few years, he belonged to a bowling league and his score was always outstanding. He played golf with friends and finally with his wife after she took a few lessons. He was athletic and excelled at all sports. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He flew in a small bush plane to remote parts of northern Quebec with his brother Andre and favorite brother-in-law Marcel Lemay several times to go moose hunting. Deer hunting in Vermont was a tradition for him with his friends and family. He went deep sea fishing in California, Rhode Island and Florida, but would always be ready to throw in a line in any body of water. He had an amazing way with horses and was an accomplished horseman. Throughout his life he owned several horses, but his favorite was "Duke", who brought him seven ribbons in the Lucky Trail Riders Gymkhana. His last horse was named "Dewars", no surprise, and he loved his chow chow dog "King". Roger was always the life of the party, he never found a party he did not like and had an indomitable zest for life. He enjoyed all types of music and was a great dancer. He had a big heart, was always ready to help others. He served as a volunteer fireman in Colchester, Vermont for several years and was a member of the Elks and Moose Clubs. Every Thursday he would meet his friends at the Ethan Allen Club, raise a glass and a little hell. He liked exchanging opinions, discussing current events and playing cribbage. His mentor and good friend Guy Myers was the club manager for many years. He relished attending hockey games in Montreal with a dear friend Leo O'Brien. Roger would cheer for the Canadiens and Leo for Boston and they always had a blast. Another really wonderful friend was Guy Neveu, a Frenchman, they understood each other well and enjoyed their time together at the Ethan Allen Club and in Florida. Guy has the single distinction of having saved his life back in 1999, by rushing him to the hospital when he had his first heart attack, allowing us to have him with us for many more years. After he retired, he was always excited to visit new places and made trips to Hawaii, Vancouver, France, Italy, Mexico, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and several other Caribbean Islands. In the last four years, he became captivated by taking cruises. He will be deeply missed by all !!

Roger J. Gaudreau

December 30, 1936 - July 2, 2012