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- The Westerly Sun, Rhode Island, Tuesday, January 15, 2002
Albert R. Bessette
Albert R. Bessette, 79, of 119 Alpha Ave., Stonington, died Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002, at Pendleton Health Care after a lengthy illness.
Born May 30, 1922, in Stonington, a son of the late Arsene and Rose (Martin) Bessette, he attended local schools and graduated from Stonington High School in 1940. He married Maryann Stewart on August 7, 1948.
Mr. Bessette worked at Hamilton Standard Propellers in Pawcatuck prior to entering the service in 1944. He received his basic training at Camp Blanding, Fla., followed by a speedy transit to Europe aboard the Queen Mary. Embarking in Scotland, he traveled by train to South Hampton and then crossed the Channel via Navy LST to LeHavre, France, to join his unit at the famous cigarette camps.
He was assigned as a rifleman to the 328th Regiment of the 26th Yankee Division, part of General Patton's 3rd Army during the battle of the Bulge. He served in the Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe Campaign. Following the war he served as a military policeman in Vienna, patrolling as a member of a team comprised of the four powers: United States, England, France, and the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Infantry Combat Badge, Purple Heart, Army Occupation Medal of Germany, Victory Medal, and Good Conduct Medal.
He, and his brother Henry, owned and operated the Stonington Auto Station from 1947 to 1965. He then worked for Shannon Motors until 1983. He retired from the Stonington Borough Highway Department in 1986.
He was a member and past president of the Stonington Ambulance Corps, serving as president for more than 20 years. He served as president of the Stonington Fire District for 30 years. A life member of the Pioneer Hook & Ladder Company of the Stonington Borough Fire Department, at the time of his death, he was the "Hooks" treasurer and oldest active member . He was recently honored for 50 years of service.
Mr. Bessette was a member of the James W. Harvey Post, American Legion; the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society, the A.A.R.P. and the New London County Ostomy Association. He was a communicant of St. Mary Church in Stonington where he served as an usher for 40 years. He was active in Boy Scouts with his sons, and served as advisor on several wilderness camping expeditions.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons, Robert Bessette, Mark Bessette and Thomas Bessette, all of Stonington; two daughters, Eleanor Stargardter of Coventry, Conn., and Patricia Fletcher of Weatherford, Texas; two sisters, Theresa Fallon of Pawcatuck and Rita Leary of Windsor Locks, Conn.; and 12 grandchildren.
He was predeceased by two sisters, Blanche Stillman and Mary Sylvestre; and four brothers, Eugene, Lionel, Henry and Edward Bessette.
The funeral will be held from the Mystic Funeral Home, Route 1, Mystic, on Thursday at 9:15 a.m. with a funeral Mass at St. Mary Church, Stonington, at 10 a.m. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery. Relatives and friends may call at the funeral home Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
Contributions may be made in his memory to Stonington Ambulance Corps., P.O. Box 424, Stonington, CT 06378; or the Bryan Bessette Scholarship Fund, c/o Stonington Youth Services, 166 South Broad St., Pawcatuck, CT 06379.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1922 - 2002 (79 years)