Real LHeureux

Real L'Heureux, a life-long resident of Sanford, passed away on January 31, 2017 at age 93. He was residing at The Lodges in Springvale at the time of his death. He was born Joseph George Raoul L'Heureux in 1923 to George and Malvina (Martin) L'Heureux of Sanford, but everybody called him Real. He was drafted into the Army in early 1943, trained as a medic in California and served as an Army medic aboard the hospital ship, the U.S.S. Hope, in the Pacific theater.At the end of WWII, he returned to Sanford and did construction work. He was involved in building the Mount Hope tower, the expansion of the Goodall Hospital emergency room, and the construction of Holy Family Church. In 1960, he left construction work to become custodian of the Sanford Trust Company bank. After 24 years, he retired from the bank and became full-time custodian at the Sanford Post Office, from which he then retired in 1988 with 21 years of service.Real married Therese Caron, daughter of Eugene and Laura (Dery) Caron, in 1948; together they had five children. After her death in 1970, Real married Dorothy (St. Cyr) Lemieux. Dot passed away in 1998. The following year, Real re-acquainted and married his high school sweetheart Rita (Roy) Gooch. Their marriage lasted until she died in 2009.As a retiree, Real discovered that he had a knack for building beautiful functional furniture. He was creative and versatile in the types of furniture he built and he enjoyed a challenge. The easiest way to get him to build something was to suggest that he couldn't. His specialty, however, was bookcases, which he never sold, but always donated or gave away as gifts. He branded his various furniture creations with his name and they are now prized by their owners.Besides his three wives, Real was predeceased by his son Marc L'Heureux in 1978. He is survived by four children, Adele Carroll, D.O. and her husband Arthur of Eagle Lake, George L'Heureux, Sr. and his wife Anne Garvie of Lebanon, PA, Denise L'Heureux and her life partner Deborah Dow of Fairfax, CA, and Michelle Johnson and her husband Ed, Sr. of Sanford, one brother, Father Ernest L'Heureux of Springvale, eleven grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren.Relatives and friends are invited to call on Thursday from 6 to 8 PM at the Lafrance-Lambert & Black Funeral Home, 29 winter Street, Sanford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday at 10:00 AM at St. Therse of Lisieux Parish, Holy Family Church in Sanford. Real will be interred in St. Ignatius Cemetery next to his first wife Therese in the spring.Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes & Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale. Condolences can be expressed at the Condolences tab at left.