Rene T. Bousquet

Rene T. Bousquet                                                                                    1920-2009BELCHERTOWN- Rene T. Bousquet, 88, of Belchertown, a former Ludlow Selectmen and Ludlow Plumbing Inspector died on Friday, April 3, 2009 at Wingate of South Hadley after a long illness.  He was born in Ludlow and lived and worked there for 60 years before moving to Belchertown 28 years ago where he was a volunteer at the Belchertown Senior Center Kitchen where he helped serve Thanksgiving Dinner for many years. He was a communicant of St. John the Baptist parish in Ludlow, was a member of the League of the Sacred Heart and chaired many parish committees.  He also served as Chairman of the Parish Council, sang in the senior choir and performed in several parish variety shows. He graduated from the Springfield Trade School as a toolmaker.  He served his three year apprenticeship at the Indian Motorcycle Company in Springfield. He was a member of the United States Navy.  He served in World War II from 1942 until 1945 and took part in the invasion of the Marshall Islands as a member of the amphibious force. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign War Post 3235 and the American Legion Post 52 of Ludlow. He was in the plumbing and heating business for over 40 years, working in many of the surrounding cities and towns and industrial plants. He served as the deputy plumbing inspector as well as the plumbing inspector the Town of Ludlow.  He was a member of the American Society of Sanitary Engineers and the New England Plumbing Inspectors Association. He served on the Board of Selectman in the Town of Ludlow.  He was a member of the building committee for the Chapin Street Elementary School.   He was appointed by the Board of Selectmen as Chairman of the Town of Ludlow Bicentennial celebration.  He was also appointed a corporator and subsequently a Trustee of the Ludlow Savings Bank.  He served as a director of the Ludlow Chamber of Commerce and as a corporator at the Ludlow Boys and Girls Club.  He was very active in fund raising for the blind as a member of the Lions Club.  He was a member of Troop 181, Ludlow Boy Scouts Committee, a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 3535 of Ludlow and also a member of Mill Valley Country Club for many years.  He was a charter member of the Unity Athletic Club of Ludlow and served as the Chairman of the Building Committee for the first and second stages of the new clubhouse located on State Street.  He was active in their hockey program and was voted their Man of the Year in 1975. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, the former Ruth Clifford, his son David Bousquet and daughter-in-law Patricia of Cadiz, Ohio; grandson Joseph Bousquet, his wife Callan and great grandsons Brayden and Brett of ­­­­­St. Louisville, Ohio; daughter Lillian of South Hadley, grandsons Sean Forbes of South Hadley and Drew Forbes of Belchertown and great granddaughter, Sabrina Toscano of Omaha, NE; daughter Dianne Moreno and son-in-law Jesse Moreno of South Hadley;  his sister Beatrice Goodreau of Ludlow as well as numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. The family would like to thank many people for their love, support and presence during the last several years but especially the last several months - Msgr. Homer Gosselin, Fr. John Connors, Fr. David Darcy, Fr. Francis Manning, Fr. Robert Riel, Deacon Robert Duval, Claire Natario, Ann Hill, Anna Selina, and especially sisters-in-law, Lillian Jacquinet and Gertrude Mortimer, for their loving care and devotion.  Finally, we wish to acknowledge Dr. Mercadante and his staff; the Town of Ludlow EMTs, Wing Memorial Hospital 2nd floor nursing staff, Wingate at South Hadley 1st floor staff and West River Care Hospice. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday April 8th beginning at 9:45 a.m. from the Ratell Funeral Home, 200 Main St., Indian Orchard, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 11 a.m. in St. John the Baptist Church, 181 Hubbard St., Ludlow. Rites of Committal and burial will follow in St. Aloysius Cemetery, Berkshire Ave., Indian Orchard. Rene's family will receive relatives and friends at the visiting hours on Tuesday, April 7th from 3-7 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to:  St John the Baptist Pastoral Center or the St. John the Baptist School c/o St. John the Baptist Parish, 181 Hubbard Street, Ludlow, MA  01056 or the Belchertown Council on Aging, 60 State Street, Belchertown, MA 01007.