Louis N. Begin, 90

 

WESTBROOK — Louis N. Begin, 90, of Westbrook, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016.

He was born on Jan. 31, 1926, the first child of Francois and Alice (Rousseau) Begin. Raised in Westbrook, he attended school there until age 16 when he began working at S.D. Warren Paper Mill. At age 18, he joined the U.S. Navy and served his country for almost three years during WW II.

Upon his discharge from the Navy, he returned to Westbrook and resumed his position at S.D. Warren. He also worked as a carpenter. On Sept. 29, 1952, Louis married the love of his life, Lorraine Thibeault. Together, they raised four children, and were happily married for 64 years.

Louis had a lifelong love for carpentry, and built and renovated many homes. A testament to his incredible work ethic was the fact that it began at the early age of 7, when he worked on a dairy farm earning 25 cents a week. By age 13, he had saved enough of his own money to buy a bicycle.

He was a member of the American Legion Post 62 in Westbrook. Louis also had a great interest in history and geography, and loved to read and travel. From his traveling experiences, there wasn’t a street on the map that he didn’t recognize. He was also an avid Boston Red Sox fan. However, the thing Louis loved and cared for most in life was his family. His wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all brought him an endless amount of joy and happiness.

Louis was predeceased by his parents; and his son, Mark Begin.

He is survived by his wife, Lorraine; his daughters Anne Rogers of Davenport Fla., Lise Matthews of Windham and Denise Greene of Naples; his brother, Arthur Begin; sisters, Fran Lowe, Florence Allen, Rose Greeson and Marie Stearns; his seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral service was held at Blais & Hay Funeral Home, 35 Church Street, Westbrook on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, with an hour of gathering starting at 11 a.m. and the service beginning at 12 p.m. Interment followed directly after the service at Brooklawn Memorial Park in Portland.

To express online condolences please go to www.blaisandhayfuneralhome.com

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the: Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, 11 Hunnewell Rd., Scarborough, ME 04074.