Joe Deschenes' Obituary
E. Joseph “Joe” Deschenes Jr. died in Tampa, FL, on Saturday, August 2 at the age of 94. Joe was born in Lynn, MA, on May 16, 1931. He was the son of Ernest Joseph and Elizabeth Rose (Daigle) Deschenes.
Following his Air Force Service in England during the Korean War, he and his wife Pat (Hines) settled back in Lynn. With Joe’s accounting degree from Chamberlin College, he got his first post-war job at Wilbur’s in Boston. In 1967, Joe joined Honeywell in Peterborough, NH, as Personnel Manager, beginning a long career with the company at various plants in New England. Joe especially loved Peterborough and had an active civic and social life for the four years there.
Throughout all the years of change, the one constant was summers spent at “the lake” at Lake Shore Park on Winnipesaukee in Gilford, NH. The family chose to move there permanently in 1978, even though it required Joe to do a daily 1.5 hour commute to work for over 10 years. Such was their love for the town of Gilford and the lifelong friendships they would grow there.
Joe will be remembered for his great interest in others – wherever he lived, he made deep friendships. He had an uncanny ability and desire to remember the life stories of those he met. He was the family historian, remembering details from generations ago, and especially loved to share family stories with his grandchildren, often admitting “probably about half” of his stories were true.
Over a period of 12 years, Joe and Pat spent time in Ireland. Joe deeply loved Ireland – being a tour guide for friends and family, herding cows, and cutting peat on the family farm. He held a special place in his heart for Achill Island and Keem Bay in the West of Ireland. Back in New Hampshire, Joe loved antiquing, and he and Pat had an antique booth in Meredith for a time. He learned lamp repair and was the “fix it” guy in Pat’s lamp shop in Laconia after retirement. He was a champion blueberry picker on Piper Mtn.
Joe is survived by his son Robert (Sachi) of Tampa, FL, daughter Cathy (Nick Pantazis) of Iowa City, IA, and Gilford, NH, grandchildren Ashni (Felix), Alisha, Sahil Deschenes, Nathaniel Skiba (Thom Koster), Lauren Mullins (Evan) and great-granddaughter Daisy Mullins. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Mary-Lou Bransfield Jenkins (Buddy), numerous nieces and nephews and wonderful friends in Gilford, NH, Umatilla, FL, and at Discovery Village in Tampa.
A private family burial will take place at Bushnell National Cemetery in Florida.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation in Joe’s name can be made to the Lake Winnipesaukee Alliance (P.O. Box 1624, Meredith, NH 03253; https://www.winnipesaukee.org) or a charity of your choice.
The family would like to express their deep gratitude to the staff of Discovery Village, Lifepath Hospice, Home Bound Senior Social Assistants and Avail Home Care for their loving care of Joe.
Trinity Memorial Gardens is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit https://www.trinitymemorial.com
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