Levesque, J. Paul, 82, July 8, 2013. Services will be held on July 22 at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, Ashland, followed by a celebration of his life at Dean’s Motor Lodge, Portage. Arrangements by Stimson-Ouellette Funeral Home, Ashland.
ASHLAND & THE VILLAGES, FL – Jean Paul Levesque, 82, passed away July 8, 2013, at his home in Florida, surrounded by his family. He was born in Ville Degelis, Quebec, Canada, September 30, 1930.
J. Paul came to the United States in 1952 to work with his father Antonio and his brother Frank in the forests northwest of Houlton where they worked together in the logging industry. He proudly enlisted in the United States Army in 1953 and served in Western Europe before he was honorably discharged as a Corporal in 1956. In 1966, J. Paul bought and operated his first lumber mill in Bloomfield, New Brunswick and one year later, moved the sawmill to Masardis under the name Levesque Lumber where he continually grew and expanded the business. Thirteen years later the Masardis mill would be sold and later bought back. In the meantime, J. Paul and his three sons worked on building yet another mill in Ashland that began operating in June, 1980 under the name J. Paul Levesque and Sons. There was no mistaking the passion J. Paul had for his work as he was continually reinvesting into his mills in order to always be on the cutting edge of the lumber industry.
Not only did J. Paul reinvest into his mills for over 45 years, but into his community as well. He did this by not only employing, at the mills’ peak, over 300 employees, but establishing youth hockey and softball leagues, donating generously to local golf courses as well as to The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle and providing scholarships to the students of Ashland District School, just to name a few. J. Paul also served on the Board of Directors for TAMC, Portage Hills Country Club, Farm Credit, Maine Public Service Company, and many more. He will be remembered for his love for his family, his generosity both publicly known and anonymous, his love for the outdoors, the game of golf, his love of life and desire to live it to the fullest and his famous smirk that was so often seen on his face.
J. Paul is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Blanche; four children, Dan and his wife Kathy, Michael, Alan and Sandra; two sisters, Sonia and Carmen; seven grandchildren, Adam, Jenn, Jason, Cody, Tyler, Alyssa and Blake; and one great-grandchild, Faith. He was predeceased by his mother, Lucienne; father, Antonio; sister Guylaine; and brother, Frank.
A funeral mass will be held on July 22 at 11 a.m. at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Ashland and will be immediately followed by a celebration of J. Paul’s life at Dean’s Motor Lodge in Portage. Memorial donations in his memory may be made to either the America Parkinson’s Disease Association, Inc., 135 Parkinson Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305, or Portage Hills Country Club, P.O Box 866, Ashland, ME 04732 to help support and maintain the golf course J. Paul loved so much. Funeral arrangements are a service of Stimson-Ouellette Funeral Home, 114 Exchange St., Ashland. Condolences may be made online at www.ouellette funeralhome.com.
