Louis J. Castonguay (“Lou”), 91, of Farmington, widower of Georgette M. (Lapointe) Castonguay, died peacefully on Thursday, April 21, at the Shady Oaks Assisted Living Facility.
Lou was born in Drummond, New Brunswick, Canada on Feb. 13, 1931, the seventh of 10 children. His parents were the late Charles and Adeline (Rioux) Castonguay. Lou grew up on his family’s farms, first in Drummond, and later in Van Buren, Maine. It was in this environment that Lou developed his life-long, unwavering work ethic.
At the age of 19, Lou and his twin brothers, Armand and Tom, left Van Buren and moved to Bristol seeking employment. They began working as carpenters-in-training for the Smith Brothers Construction Co., building residential homes in the West Hartford area. During that time Lou and his brothers learned the construction skills that would lead them to later become home builders in their own respective rights.
In 1952, Louis began working at The New Departure Hyatt Company of General Motors. During the Korean War, Lou was called up for duty with the US Army. He was sent to Germany as a combat engineer where he served until 1954. When he returned to Bristol, he recommenced his employment with New Departure. In 1962, Lou built a small cape cod style home for his own young family in Bristol and, in so doing, launched his career as a builder. Over four decades, Lou built 90 homes in the Bristol area, taking tremendous pride in building quality homes. True to his steadfast work ethic, Lou built these homes while simultaneously working at New Departure, until his retirement in 1986.
Lou was a member and Past-Commander of the Franco-American War Veterans and a member of the American Legion Seicheprey Post 2 where he proudly served on the Funeral Honor Guard. He was a parishioner of St. Ann Church in Bristol, and later, St. Matthew Church in Forestville. Lou was a quiet and reserved man who loved all the members of his large and extended family. He was both a hard-working man and a gentle man. He was trustworthy, without fail, and never complained. He respected everyone and spoke poorly of no one. His presence and his character will be missed.
Lou is survived by a daughter, Sharon Lasnier of North Falmouth, Mass.; a son, Charles Castonguay and daughter-in-law, Susan (Violette) of Avon; two sisters, Rita Cyr of Bristol and Florence McCluskey Daigle of Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada; six grandchildren Steven Lasnier, Elizabeth Strother (George), John Lasnier, Mary-Therese Lasnier, Caroline Castonguay, and Natalie Castonguay; two great-grandchildren, Matthew and Emily; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his son-in law, John Lasnier, and by seven siblings.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 26, at 9 a.m. from Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave., Bristol, to St. Matthew Church, 120 Church Ave., Bristol, for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Burial, with military honors, will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, Bristol.
Relatives and friends may call at Funk Funeral Home on Monday between 6 and 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Connecticut Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 101 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 107, Middletown, CT 06457 or https://www.cff.org/donate.
Please visit Louis’ memorial website at www.FunkFuneralHome.com.