Leo Arthur Lemire's Obituary
Leo Arthur Lemire: born January 20, 1943 in Bellingham, MA to Henri F. and Viola (St. Laurent) Lemire, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2022 in Tulsa, OK, surrounded by family after a short illness. Leo leaves behind his adoring wife of 35 years, Gail B. Lemire, and his children: Jason, Keith, Shelly, Steven, and Timothy. He was preceded in death by his daughter Candice and son Kristopher. He also leaves his loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren who are absolutely positive they had the best Grampy ever.
Leo was one of 12 children raised on a farm by his parents where he learned to work hard but play hard too. He later joined the Navy and served honorably a total of 6 years between active sea duty and reserves, including being present at the Bay of Pigs Invasion. After he was discharged he worked many years as a Teamster. He had a wicked sense of humor and took great pleasure in cracking jokes and making people laugh. He had nicknames for many of his grandchildren including Broomhead, Coyote, Pinhead, and Rodent. Timmy was often the source of much humor and jokes and Leo loved to quote some of his funniest phrases such as “like it the same”, “you’re going to get the red marks”, “dumb gum” and “stupid fuse”. He was a pretty good card and game player – especially when he was looking at the cards in his opponent’s glasses or sneaking money out of the bank. He also was incredibly clever and handy – there just wasn’t much he couldn’t fix. Lastly, his cooking was infamous. (In fact, his grandson once famously said: “You’re sure a good cooker Grampy!”) He had a knack for just cooking up a mish mash of ingredients and making something delicious. His family all had their favorites and he was always glad to oblige a special request.
His family will miss his (good natured) crankiness, cooking, and repairs, but we’ll mostly just miss his humor and laughter. He lived a full life and can now rest easy.
The family is planning a celebration of life in the coming weeks with details to follow. They appreciate any and all condolences and well wishes but humbly ask everyone to forego any sort of cards or gifts. Anyone wishing to honor Leo’s memory, do something nice for a stranger or shake the hand of and thank a veteran. He’d like that.
What’s your fondest memory of Leo?
What’s a lesson you learned from Leo?
Share a story where Leo's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Leo you’ll never forget.
How did Leo make you smile?
