OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Lucien D. “Lou” “Pep” Guay, 89, passed away peacefully Sunday morning, Jan. 11, 2015 at Maine Medical Center after a brief illness.
Lou’s parents met and married in Biddeford after immigrating to the United States from Quebec, and he was their first child, born May 19, 1925 in Biddeford.
Growing up in Biddeford, he met his wife of 69 years, Dorothy R. Whitehead, while they were still in high school.
He and Dorothy were married while he was home on military leave on Saturday, July 7, 1945 in a ceremony that was planned in less than a week and held at St. Joseph’s Rectory in Biddeford. They honeymooned from July 7 to July 15 in a little cabin on Route 5 at Little Ossipee Lake in Waterboro. They were lucky because it only rained one day and night, giving them fair weather for the rest of the week. Having forgotten to pack sugar and needing some for their morning coffee, they tried using the frosting from the wedding cake. In their words, “It made the coffee taste awful!”
He was active in the Biddeford and Saco Elks Lodge and was a lifetime member at the time of his death. Lou went through the officer’s chairs, becoming exalted ruler, and then served on the board of trustees.
Lou enjoyed volunteering, and one of his favorite events was the children’s Thanksgiving supper the lodge hosted each year. While the lodge was located on Route 1, he loved helping with the children’s christmas party and Friday night pizza, amongst other events.
After the birth of his first grandchild, Anthony, in 1979, Lou would take him to the Elks Lodge in Saco every chance he had. “Come on,” he would say to Anthony. “We’re going to the club!” He became known as “Pep” by his grandchildren and was extremely proud of his grandchildren, and subsequently his great-grandchildren.
Lou also passed to the degree of 32-degree Master Mason, and was a Shriner for nearly 30 years.
He entered the Marine Corps on Aug. 9, 1943, attended boot camp at Paris Island, South Carolina and served during World War II until November 1945. Holding the rank of corporal, he was honorably discharged after serving in the Marshall Islands, Majuro and Kwajelein in the South Pacific.
Because of the Korean Conflict, he returned to active duty in 1952, and remained in the Marines until August 1968, when he retired after proudly serving a total of 21 years and fighting in World War II, the Korean conflict and in Vietnam. When he retired from the Marines, he held the rank of gunnery sergeant.
While stateside, Lou was stationed at Twenty-Nine Palms, California for much of the 50s, Camp Legeune, North Carolina in the early 60s and Quantico, Virginia until 1967. He retired from the Marines in August of 1968 in a ceremony at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
While serving in the Marines, Lou earned several medals, which included the World War II Victory Medal, Korean Service Medal and United Nations Service Medal. In addition, his training included methodology in teaching foreign language, French language refresher (he was also a French language instructor while stationed in Quantico) and prisoner of war interrogation techniques. He earned his sixth Good Conduct Medal on Aug. 6, 1967, and also earned his rifle expert badge.
After retiring from the Marines, Lou worked for Roland Petit, a construction company in Biddeford, for three years and was incredibly proud of a particular home he designed on Route 5 in Dayton. He also worked for a number of years for Grossman’s and then Deering Lumber in Biddeford for about 10 years. Lou spent 10 years working for Hannaford’s, starting in South Portland, and then at the Forest Avenue location. In 1999 he ended his career after suffering a debilitating stroke.
During the course of his life, he had wide and varied experiences and abilities. Like his father, he was a cobbler, and made his oldest son a pair of penny loafers while he was learning how to walk. His wife, Dorothy, would then walk around town with her son in a stroller and sell baby shoes to people on the street simply because they liked what Lou had made.
Also, while he was stationed in California, he was looking through the paper one day and found an ad for children’s furniture. He told his wife, “I’m going to make that for Debbie,” then went to work and constructed an overstuffed couch, chair, two end tables, a coffee table and hutch for his daughter, and all from just looking at a picture in the paper.
On one occasion, while stationed in Camp Legeune, North Carolina, President Kennedy was scheduled for a visit and Lou was asked to construct a “special chair” for President Kennedy. After almost 30 years, he still had a piece of leather from that chair as a keepsake.
He earned the nickname of “Grumpy” during the last 15 years of his life, which stemmed from a long stay in the hospital after a fall and broken hip. He always had a smile, a joke or a kind word for the staff during his stay and because of this, they started teasing him and called him “Grumpy,” and it stuck. Every time you greeted him as Grumpy, he would smile and giggle.
The last year of his life was spent at the Maine Veteran’s Home on Route 1 in Scarborough, where was well liked, and will be sadly missed.
He is preceded in death by: his father, Napoleon Guay of Biddeford; his mother, Georgianna Labrecque-Guay of Biddeford; and sister, Cecile Boucher of Biddeford.
He is survived by: his wife of 69 years, Dorothy; three children, David Guay of Old Orchard Beach, Debra Houle of Biddeford, and Dwayne Guay of Lisbon Falls; two sons-in-law, Steve Houle of Biddeford and Marc Courchesne of Lisbon Falls; his two grandchildren, Anthony Quatrano of Lisbon Falls, and Danielle Quatrano of Biddeford; four great grandchildren, Blake, Riley and Samantha Quatrano of Lisbon Falls, and Nickolas McPhee of Biddeford; and many nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at Cote Funeral Home, 87 James Street, Saco on Sunday, Jan. 18 from 4-7 p.m. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19 at Cote Funeral Home. Interment will be following at Laurel Hill Cemetery on Beach Street, Saco. To sign the guestbook or leave condolences, go to www.cotefuneralhome.com.
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