Benoit D Guillemette

Benoit D. "Ben" Guillemette, 95, of Sanford, died at his home on Thursday, December 23, 2021. Ben was born in Sanford on September 14, 1926, one of 15 children born to George and Emma (Laitres) Guillemette. When he was young, he worked in the local textile mills and also helped his family run their farm. During World War II, he proudly served in the U.S. Army. In 1952, he married Harriet Guillemette and together they raised two sons and shared 68 years of marriage until her death on December 24, 2020. Ben was a talented carpenter and took a camp and rebuilt it into the first home that he shared with his wife. Ben worked as a carpenter for many years, often selling houses faster than he could build them. As he got older he decided that he liked working indoors better than working outside so he transitioned into doing cabinetry and woodwork. He built a large state of the art cabinet shop in Alfred which he operated along with his sons for many years until his retirement. Ben loved music all his life. When he was 12 years old, he took pieces that he was able to collect from various places and made his first violin. He taught himself to play by ear and became a very talented musician, playing in many places all over the United States and Canada including several appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennesee. He loved playing his fiddle for hours every day, often playing late into the night. When he retired, he decided to combine his love for music with his talent for woodworking and began making violins. It didn't take long for him to become a talented violin maker and he was proud of the fact that his instruments were played by many accomplished musicians. He continued to make violins throughout his life and still had a couple in various stages of completion on his work bench when he died. Ben was a devout Catholic and had been a communicant of St Therese of Lisieux Parish in Sanford. When he wasn't working on his fiddles, he could usually be found in has chair watching EWTN or praying the rosary. He took pride throughout his life in being a perfectionist, a hard worker and a good provider for his family. He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather and will be dearly missed by all of his family and friends. Surviving are two sons, Joseph Guillemette and his wife Sandra of Sanford and Thomas Guillemette and his wife Angie of Buxton; five grandchildren, Daniel and his wife Sara, Matthew and his wife Michelle, Stephen and his wife Katelyn, Audrey and Austin; eleven great-grandchildren, Danielle and her husband Hunter, Elizabeth, Samya, Daniel, Jr., Elijah, Shelby, Matthew, Jr., Lillian, Simon, Anna and Jaxxon and one great-great grandson, Asher. Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 PM on Wednesday, December 29th at the Lafrance-Lambert & Black Funeral Home located at 29 Winter Street in Sanford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Thursday, December 30th at St Therese of Lisieux Parish, Holy Family Church located on North Avenue in Sanford. Interment will be in the spring at St. Ignatius Cemetery in Sanford. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider sending a memorial contribution to St. Thomas School, 69 North Avenue, Sanford, Maine 04073. Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale.