Some ordinary people lead extraordinary lives and some very extraordinary people lead very ordinary lives. Armand, Dad, Pepere, or Gil as he was known to his friends was the latter. He was an extraordinary man not by the standards of the world but by the standards of heaven.
Armand Guillemette was a man that loved God, his wife and family, and his country. He was also a man who knew his purpose on this earth even in the smallest acts of humor and kindness.
First his love of God -
Armand, or Armie, as his sister Grace called him, was born on Sept 28, 1933 to a Roman Catholic French Canadian American family in Fall River, MA. As he grew in faith, he demonstrated his love of God through prayer, church attendance, receiving the sacraments, and his love of the Holy Eucharist, as a Eucharistic Minister. His marriage to Claire was a true sacramental marriage with a three way relationship of husband, wife and The Lord. As kids, we thought that he was deeply religious, because he always went to confession on Christmas Eve instead of being with us, when Santa arrived to pass out gifts. Yes, a Santa with a white flowing beard and a little black razor stubble underneath.
Armand loved his wife and family -
Dad met Mom when she was just 15 years old at a dance in Fall River, MA. He captured her heart with his handsome smile, good looks and twinkling blue eyes. They were married on Thanksgiving Day in 1954.
His deep love and respect for his partner of almost sixty years was a shining example of what a marriage should be. His devotion to mom could be seen in the way he looked at her when she wasn’t aware or the joy he got from spoiling her with gifts. Nothing gave dad more pleasure than to see mom beam with delight when she opened a present he had specially chosen just for her.
Together they brought seven children into this world, each with their own unique gifts and talents. First came Ronald (Bryan), Diane and Philip (Otis), Elaine (Fall River), Sharon (Otis), Pete (Tyndall) and Vivian (Shaw). He provided for our physical and intellectual needs but he also nurtured and encouraged each of us through the example he set as a man and a father.
He taught us the values of love of family (through frequent visits with his 5 siblings and Mother), love of faith (church every Sunday), the virtue of hard work and service, and that honesty and kindness was the mark of a good person.
For his three sons, he taught us how to be a man, a father and a good husband. He taught us that real men are patient and kind and not afraid to show their soft side by shedding tears of joy and sorrow. His four daughters were shown what an ideal husband and father should be.
His love for each of us extended to the “outlaws” as each of our spouses are known. For each daughter, dad put their intended spouse through rigorous questioning and tests because only the best of men were good enough for his sweet girls. And dad got his wish, he got four extraordinary men as son-in-laws that he respected and loved deeply.
He was a bit easier on his two daughter-in-laws, no rigorous tests or questions, just immediate acceptance and love. Dad treated them like daughters and took great care to make sure they knew how happy he was to have them as part of the Guillemette clan. As he said once to me, “You done good Philip”.
As a grandfather, Pepere, took great pride in each of his 21 grandchildren and all their accomplishments. He and mom made it a priority to attend every baptism, first communion, confirmation, high school graduation, college graduation, and every other special achievement in their lives. It was so important to dad to be there showing yet again through example that family must be a priority because family is what matters in life; not riches or things but people.
Gil Loved his country -
Dad served his country in the USAF for over 22 years, where he was known by his Air Force buddies simply as "Gil" or "Gilly". He served overseas during the Korean War, Vietnam War and during the "Cold War" in France and Germany. He was a hard working aircraft mechanic, crew chief, dock chief, and maintenance supervisor, and achieved full flight status to provide maintenance support to the RC-66.
He was also a Voodoo Medicine Man for those who know what I'm talking about. He typically put in 12 hours a day without complaint to achieve his mission. He taught all of us the virtues of hard work, teamwork, and service. A few years ago, Diane and Joe put together a beautiful shadow box commemorating his Air Force service for you to view in the Gathering Space.
Most people would think that Armand led an ordinary life, but on the contrary, he was an extraordinary man who loved deeply, lived fully, and showed kindness to everyone he met. He knew that being rich in life had nothing to do with things and money but had everything to do with being there for the people he loved. The world would be a much better place, if there were more men like Armand Guillemette.
