Adrien Girouard, AKA “Mr. G”

Adrien Girouard, AKA “Mr. G,” blazed a trail to heaven on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, at Betsy Ross Nursing home in Rome, New York. He was 96 years young.

Mr. G was born in Canada on July 4, 1921, and his parents and other siblings migrated to Berlin, New Hampshire when he was just a toddler. Rumor has it that his parents Edouard and Marie hid him in a dresser drawer so they wouldn’t have to pay so much to cross the border.

Adrien grew up in Berlin with his 11 brothers and sisters on a small farm. After the Great Depression and hardships of the time, Adrien learned of lumberjack work in Tupper Lake. He traveled here with Ovilla Roberts until both were drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and thus became a U.S. citizen.

Adrien was chosen as a tank driver and was quickly sent to the front lines in North Africa and Italy serving under General Patton. He received an honorable discharge at the end of World War II along with a Purple Heart for bravery. Sixty years later, he received the Bronze Star after his daughters petitioned the U.S. Army for this reward he was mistakenly not honored for. He was a very proud lifetime member of the VFW post.

He married Colleen (Poopsie) Root of this village in 1951 and they celebrated 61 years of marriage and six children before Colleen passed away in 2012.

Mr. G is best known as a very successful logging and road building contractor, working for over 40 years at Nehasane Park, Whitney Park and many other places. He wanted to cruise timber again until the day he died. Adrien is also famous for his harmonica and spoon playing talents. He was also a pretty good singer. He is loved by his family and friends for his quick wit, kind words and love of life.

He will be tremendously missed by his sons John and wife Carol, James and companion Linda, daughters Carla and husband Rick, Theresa and husband Del, Julie and husband Rick; sisters Pauline of Rhode Island and Jeanne from Florida, who recently turned 104 years young. Adrien will also be missed by many loving nieces and nephews, nine grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Adrien is predeceased by his wife Colleen; son Michael; grandson Matthew; brothers Armand, Romeo, Lionel, Lucien; and sisters Germain, Lucienne, Rita, Therese and Cecile.

Calling hours will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5 at the Stuart-Fortune-Keough funeral home in Tupper Lake. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 6 at St.Alphonsus church, followed by a graveside service with military honors. Please join the family for a luncheon at the VFW afterward.

In lieu of floral offerings please consider making donations to one of these three great organizations: The Tupper Lake Little League Association /Rotary Club (PO Box 1055, Tupper Lake) for his love of baseball both as a boy playing and in adulthood cheering and sometimes yelling at the Yankees, the Tupper Lake Woodsman’s Association (PO Box 759, Tupper Lake) for his lifetime career and love for the woods or MAC’s Safe Ride Continued (40 Church St., Tupper Lake) in memory of his grandson Matthew.