Raymond Derochers

Raymond Arthur Desrochers, a former captain of the Flint Fire Department who retired after 25 years of service, died August 24 of cancer at Hospice of the EUP. He was 81. Mr. Desrochers was the son of Loyd and Honora Desrochers, and grew up on a farm in Rudyard with his five sisters and two brothers. He served in the Army as a wheel vehicle mechanic during the Korean War and was awarded the Korean Service Ribbon, United Nations Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal. After leaving the military, he moved to Flint and began his career as a fire fighter. Mr. Desrochers was introduced to his future wife, Mary Barrett, when his mother moved from the farm to a house next door to Mary. They were married on August 18, 1956 at St. Joseph Church in Sault Ste. Marie. Ray and Mary raised their four children in Flint, and returned to Sault Ste. Marie after his retirement. He was very active in the Knights of Columbus and served as District Deputy, Grand Knight, and member of the 4th degree Color Corp serving as Marshall and Faithful Navigator. Ray was in charge of the monthly pasty sale for over 20 years and the Desrochers family was awarded Family of the Year multiple times. Mr. Desrochers loved working in his wood working shop, making beautiful toy boxes, jewelry boxes and cedar chests. He was an avid cribbage player, loved to read mysteries and books about history, and enjoyed watching sports, especially baseball and football. In addition to his wife, Mr. Desrochers is survived by his three daughters, Karen (Brian) Clark of Empire, MI., Janet Debelius of Baltimore, MD., Mary (Gene) Robertson of Dafter, MI., and his son, Richard (Lori) Desrochers, of Sault Ste. Marie, MI; nine grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Raymond was preceded in death by his parents, Loyd and Honora, and his sisters Margaret Price, Evelyn Trumbley, Rose Savoie, Nora Desrochers, and Sister Theresa Desrochers, and his brothers Leo and James Desrochers. Visitation will take place on Tuesday, August 26 from 6:00-9:00pm at Clark-Bailey Funeral Home. A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, August 27 at 11:00am with a viewing held one hour prior, followed by a funeral lunch at St. Joseph Church. Internment with military honors will take place after the funeral lunch at North Rudyard Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Road to Recovery or Hospice of the EUP.

Tributes

Raymond Derochers

December 22, 1932 - August 24, 2014