Donald L. Bellavance

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Donald L. Bellavance, 80, of Merrimack, died peacefully Nov. 2, 2009, with his family by his side. He resided in Merrimack for more than 48 years.

He was born in Nashua on April 26, 1929, the son of the late Conrad H. Bellavance and Rose (Caron) Bellavance. He graduated from Nashua High School with the Class of 1948 and was a member of the football team that played in the Florida Bowl, winning their division.

Mr. Bellavance served in the US Navy as helmsman aboard the USS Meredith 890 and aboard the USS Waldron 699 during the Korean campaign. He was honorably discharged.

He graduated from the Boston School of Typesetting and worked for Ray’s Typesetting (which he eventually owned), Newshire Forms, and The Telegraph of Nashua, where he served as the union president for two terms. He was also president of the Nashua Jaycees. He was the first Elk to be installed as a member of the Order by his father, who was the Exultant Ruler.

As a coach of a Pop Warner football team, he won a division title. He also volunteered at the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter and encouraged his children and wife to join him. He was a communicant of Our Lady of Mercy church, taught CCD, was a lector and was a member of the parish council.

He will forever be remembered as a loving father and devoted family man who found great joy in his children and grandchildren.

He is predeceased by his brothers Robert and David Bellavance, of Nashua, and a sister, Patricia Salamy.

He is survived by his loving wife, Geraldine (McCready) Bellavance, with whom he celebrated 50 years of marriage in June. Other members of the family include a son Joseph and his wife Tracy Bellavance of Fort Wayne, Ind., daughter Andrea and her husband Albert Romero of Merrimack, and son John and his fiancee Heather Kobrin of Brookline, Mass.; four grandchildren Sarah, Nicholas, and Samuel Bellavance of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Jenna Rose Romero of Merrimack; seven sisters, and one brother, Estelle Duncan of Nashua, Jeanne Bellavance of Lowell, Mass., Jeannette Baker of Hudson, Dona May and her husband Rex Bonnette of Nashua, and sister Shirley and her husband Maurice Gaudette of Nashua, Paul and his wife Dolores Bellavance of Nashua, Suzanne and her husband Albert Thibault of Sanbornton, and sister Sandra and her husband Kenneth Lozeau of Littleton; in-laws Mrs. Leo (Burke) Lynch of Belvidere, Ill., James McCready of Gloucester, Mass., and William McCready of Amherst; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins

Visiting hours will be at Rivet Funeral Home in Merrimack on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of Mercy church in Merrimack at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6. He will be buried subsequently at St. Louis Cemetery in Nashua.

In lieu of flowers, his family would prefer memorial donations to the Alzheimer’s Association New Hampshire Office 1 Bedford Farms Drive suite 105 Bedford, NH 03110.

For more information or to sign an online guestbook, go to www.rivetfuneralhome.com.