Burial Date
Obituaries » LEO R. MAURICE
MAURICE, LEO ROBERT, 84, of Barre City, passed away April 10 at his home, surrounded by his loving family. Leo was born on Feb. 12, 1930 in Amesbury, Mass. He was the son of the late Raoul and Delia (Caron) Maurice. His family moved to Barre in 1934 after their family’s dairy barn burned. He attended St. Monica’s Grammar School and graduated from Spaulding High School in 1949. In 1951, Leo enlisted in the U.S. Army and was deployed from Seattle, Wash., on Nov. 15, 1951, to South Korea. He was attached to the 2nd Infantry Division in the heavy artillery battalion number 503 during the Korean War. Leo credited God with saving his life as he crossed a mine field while going to church during the war. He was honorably discharged and returned to Barre to work with his father Raoul Maurice in the granite manufacturing business. Leo operated Maurice Memorials Inc. with his brothers Real and Ferdinand, and brother-in-law Raymond LaCroix until 1992 when the business was purchased by his children Rodney, Peter and Diane. Many of his children and nephews worked at Maurice Memorials, which was truly a family business. Leo married Jeannette LaLiberty on June 23, 1956, at St. Augustine Church in Montpelier and made their home in Barre. Family outings and summer camping trips to Old Orchard Beach and Lake George formed special memories. Leo’s green thumb was shown through his expansive vegetable garden, berry bushes, and fruit and nut trees. He was an organic gardener from the beginning and enjoyed all aspects of gardening. Leo kept bees to pollinate his garden and harvested the honey. He was a fisherman, woodsman and a hunter. He enjoyed a good laugh and long stories. He found comfort attending St. Monica Catholic Church where he was a lifelong parishioner. He is predeceased by Jeannette, his wife of 54 years, who died in 2011. Jeannette and Leo were blessed with 11 children, 19 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Leo’s family includes David and Anne Maurice of New Gloucester, Maine, Michael Maurice of Barre, Cynthia and Lyle Thompson of Tucson, Ariz., James Maurice and Carolyn Towle of Troy, N. Y., Rodney and Elisa Maurice of Barre, Diane and Keven Brault of Barre, Paul Maurice of Barre, Peter and Denise Maurice of Websterville, Robert and Norma Maurice of Montpelier, Kenneth and Cary Maurice of Barre, and Elaine and Barlee Bullawin of Vallejo, Calif. Leo is part of a large and extended family who will miss him greatly, including his brother Real Maurice and wife Dorothy, Jeanine LaCroix, Shirley Maurice, Denise Surething and husband Dick, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Leo is predeceased by his parents, brother Ferdinand Maurice, and brother-in-law Raymond LaCroix.
