Laurent J. Desautels

Laurent Joseph Desautels became another angel in heaven on May 14th, 2019 at age 89 at his sons home in Marquez Texas. He was born November 18, 1929 in St. Theodore DActon, Quebec Canada the son of the late, Omer & Yvonne (Dion) Desautels. Laurent moved to Vermont in 1949 where he worked as a mechanic at Blue Seal Feeds with his brother Jean Noel. Laurent married Yolande Salois (Winn) on June 28, 1958 at All Saints Church in Richford VT. Shortly after their marriage they bought the dairy farm in Richford.

Laurent thoroughly enjoyed working as a mechanic in Pittsfield MA. His main trade was working on big diesel engines. There was not a problem he could not solve, never. He was very creative with his craft. He took his love of engines and built us all go carts out of lawnmower engines when we moved to Pittsfield MA in 1968. Then he transitioned our whole family into racing snowmobiles. He loved nothing more than take any motorized vehicle and make it better and faster. Year after year he would always say that would be the last year for racing. But the family raced snowmobiles well into his childrens adulthood. He retired from his mechanic jobs in Massachusetts and moved to Texas around 1980 where he started his hay bailing business. He fast gained the respect of all local farmers as he was all about quality work. He was very proud of all his kids, grand kids and his great-grand kids. They all loved their Pepe. All his pictures over the years always captured his laughter and smiling face. If you knew Laurent, you would never know he only had an eighth grade education. He was an honest, humble, caring and generous kind of guy. His second love was dancing. Up until he was 86, he could be found on the dance floor four to six times per week.

He is survived by all five of his children; Michael Desautels and his wife Phyllis of Stamford VT, Linda Desautels of Old Saybrook CT, Denise Desautels of Windsor CT, Gary Desautels of Marquez TX, and Lorie Desautels of North Adams, MA. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren; Allen Desautels and his wife Michelle (their children; Riley, Levi, Payton and Lincoln), Rachel Desrosiers and her husband Adam, Mary Leach (and her daughter Daisy), Jack Leach and his wife Valarie (and their children Felicia, Jack Vaughan and Vallen), Greg Leach, Gary Desautels Jr. and his wife Adrien (and their children Riley and Vivian) Jessica Desautels, and Samantha Desautels (and her son Ivan). He is also survived by his sister Jacqueline Favreau of Sutton, Quebec and brother-in-law George Provost of St. Theodore, Quebec, sisters-in-law Noella Desautels of Richford VT and Ginette Desautels of Franklin VT and many nieces and nephews.

Besides his parents, he is predeceased by his first wife Yolande Salois Winn. He was also predeceased by his brothers, Gilles, Marcel, Andre, Leo, Florian, Germain, Albert & Jean Noel; and his sisters, Laurentia & Laurette Courtemanche, Lucienne Dion, Germain Provost & Yvette Larocque; his half-sister, Marthe Chartier; his step-sister, Theresa Desautels.

Laurents family wishes to thank the staff at the Merryman Home Health for the excellent and compassionate care provided to Laurent for the past three years of his life. Robert Lee deserves many accolades for taking such good care of our Dad in his sons home. He lived a very dignified and comfortable life with Roberts excessive care for Laurent.

Funeral services will be held Friday, May 31, 2019 at 10:00 AM at All Saints Catholic Church, 152 Main Street, Richford VT with Fr. Stanley Deresienski, SSE celebrating the Mass of Christian burial. Interment will follow in All Saints Cemetery, then a meal to follow at the parish hall. Family is invited to gather at the Spears funeral home in Enosburg Falls VT on Friday from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM.

Visiting hours will be held Thursday, May 30, 2019 from 5-8 PM at the Spears Funeral Home, 96 Dickinson Ave, Enosburg Falls, VT.

For those who wish, contributions in Laurents memory may be made to the Merryman Home Health of Franklin, TX or Hospice Brazos Valley of Bryan, TX.