Obituary of Roland J. Demers

"Roland Demers, 68, of Dunhamtown Palmer Road, died peacefully on Monday, March 09, 2009 surrounded by his family. Born in New Haven, CT, he was the son of the late Ernest and Juliette (Morin) Demers. Roland has lived in Brimfield for 65 years and was a communicant of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Palmer. He had served as a lector and Eucharistic minister and was also a member of the Brimfield Council, Knights of Columbus. A 50 year member of Local 63 Sheet Metal Workers Union in Springfield, he worked for RG Harrington Company in Ware and retired from Kleeberg Sheet Metal as Project Manager and Estimator. In his leisure, Roland enjoyed hunting, fishing, archery, and travel. He had a special affection for Harley Davidson riding and restoration and also enjoyed reading about Egyptian culture and history. He will be deeply missed by his wife of 47 years, Joan (Tripp) Demers, his children Brian and wife Judy (Safian) of Needham, Paul and his wife Stephanie (Kane) of Albuquerque, NM, and Karen Fedora and husband Randy of Monson; along with his 5 grandchildren, Emily, Andrew, Monique, Ryan and Kane. He also leaves two brothers, Ronald and his wife Joyce of Chicopee, Gene Demers of Belchertown, his sister, Vivian Clark and her husband Raymond of Southwick along with many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. The family wishes to express their appreciation and gratitude to the staffs of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston for their outstanding care and compassion. They also thank the staff at Bay State Hospice and T.C.'s Home Health Care. Services will be Saturday, March 14 at 9:00 a.m. from the Beers & Story Palmer Funeral Home, 1475 N. Main St, (Rte 20) followed by a liturgy of Christian burial at 10:00 a.m. at St. Thomas Church. Burial is in Brimfield Cemetery. Calling hours are Friday from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. For those wishing, donations may be made to Hitchcock Academy, 2 Brookfield Rd., Brimfield, 01010, www.hitchcockacademy.org. "