Arthur L. Laflamme

Arthur L. Laflamme, 96, of Georgetown, Maine, formerly of Fall River, husband of Mildred "Milly" (Kenney) Laflamme, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 17, 2017.
He was an auto body technician/painter and also worked for R. E. Couture Auto Appraisers and the Fall River Public Library for many years. A Navy veteran of World War II, he proudly served on the USS Hobson, DD464. He often told stories of his wartime adventures and at the age of 82 authored his memoirs in a book called The Lucky Ship. He was an active member of the American Legion and Tin-Can Sailors.
A man of service and generous spirit, Arthur worked as a Hospice volunteer, and was a Loan Committee member of Notre Dame Credit Union and past president and district director of the Exchange Club. He had a strong sense of responsibility and desire to give back to the community.
Besides his wife of 72 years, Arthur leaves two daughters, Lea Peterson and her husband John of Georgetown, ME, and Rita Refkofsky and her husband Ronald of Shelton, CT; four grandchildren, Kristin Angello (Michael), Michael Refkofsky (Caitlin), John Peterson (Michelle), and Bennett Peterson (Kathleen); three great-grandchildren, Olivia and Domenic Angello and Spencer Peterson; a sister, Yvette Desrosiers (Joseph), and many nieces and nephews. He was the son of the late Joseph L. Laflamme and Marie Anne (Sirois) Laflamme Dugal, and the brother of the late Louis Laflamme, Lea McBride, Andre Laflamme, Gerard Dugal and Jeannette Saurette. He was also predeceased by his cherished niece, Rosemary Cornell.
Arthur believed in God, family and country. He had a deep abiding faith, using daily prayer to thank God each morning and night for his many blessings. Family was everything to him. He dearly loved his wife Milly, cherished his two daughters and relished every moment spent with his four grandchildren. And he was a patriot, proud to have served his country.
Arthur filled his retirement years with daily walks with his wife, exploring the neighborhood streets of the Flint, the boardwalk near Battleship Cove and the Swansea Mall. Lifelong, he was passionate about the piano, and played patriotic tunes, romantic melodies and ragtime favorites well into his nineties. He loved to read, especially World War II histories, biographies and political works. He kept up on current events and enjoyed heated discussions with local politicians in his "board room" at the public library. He and his wife loved to travel, particularly for Navy reunions in Charleston, SC, annual foliage rides through the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire, and reunions with family in Canada. A highlight adventure was their trip to Hawaii to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.
In the last three years of his life, Arthur suffered the slow, steady deterioration of Alzheimer's, yet the disease did not extinguish his affectionate nature and sense of humor. He was living in Freeport, Maine, under the warm care of Hawthorne House staff when he died. Even in his illness, he was a "gentleman" and formed strong bonds with his caregivers, always offering a smile and a story and winning their hearts.
His funeral will be held Saturday, March 25, at 8:00 a.m. from the Auclair Funeral Home, 690 South Main St., Fall River, with a funeral mass at St. Bernadette Church at 9:00 a.m. Interment will be at Notre Dame Cemetery. Visitation will be on Friday, March 24, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. There is a large parking area and barrier-free entrance at the rear of the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hawthorne House, Cumberland Unit, 6 Old County Road, Freeport, ME 04032 or Beacon Hospice/Amedisys, 54 Atlantic Place, South Portland, ME 04106.

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