Roger M. Bougie

Roger M. Bougie of West Hartford, Connecticut died on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at the age of 92. After living in West Hartford for 52 years, Roger spent the last years of his life at the Aviva Senior Living facility on Hamilton Drive, West Hartford. Roger was born in Augusta, Maine on January 22, 1933. His parents, Leo Bougie and Estelle Gosselin, lived on neighboring farms in Canada, emigrated to Maine and married in Augusta in 1930. Leo and Estelle had three children, Laurent (Larry), Roger and Gisele. The family lived in several places in New Hampshire, including Woodsville, Nashua, and East Haverhill. After graduating from high school and working at Hampton Beach, NH over the summer, Roger worked in a First National supermarket for a year and saved enough money to follow his brother to the University of New Hampshire. After his junior year, Roger met Barbara Van Ornam of Syracuse, NY on Nantucket. Roger was in the Air Force ROTC while in college, and following his graduation in 1956, he enlisted in the Air Force, and returned home in December, 1956 to marry Barbara. After the wedding, Barbara accompanied Roger to air bases in Florida, Texas, and later Clovis, New Mexico where he flew jets. In 1959, Roger left the service, and the couple moved to the Boston area so that Roger could attend Boston College Law School. After graduating from BC Law in 1962, Roger joined a small firm in Waltham, later taking a job with the Federal Aviation Agency in Washington, D.C., and finally landing a position with United Technologies Corporation in Hartford in 1967. At UTC, Roger found his calling. He held a succession of positions in the company’s various legal departments, and he proved himself to be an exceptional corporate lawyer and an even better mentor to the younger attorneys. Roger enjoyed each of the UTC offices where he worked, but his preferred home was at Sikorsky Helicopters, where he spent the last 10 years of his career, managing the legal and contracting departments and travelling the globe in support of management’s efforts to market Sikorsky’s products. Roger retired in 1999, leaving an indelible mark on each of the people he worked with. For the next 25 years, former colleagues regularly made the trek to West Hartford to visit with Roger and swap stories about the old days. Roger is survived by his brother, Larry, Larry’s children Curtis and Anthony, his sister, Gisele, Gisele’s children Derek and Katri, and several grand nephews and nieces. Roger’s beloved wife, Barbara, predeceased him in 2018. Roger and his family represent the quintessential American immigrant story. The parents arriving in Maine with limited means, the children each using UNH as a launching pad, and each experiencing personal and professional success as a result of the education they received there. There will be a visitation at Molloy Funeral Home 906 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford on Thursday, January 22, 2026 from 8:30am – 9:30am, followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle 872 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Hartford Youth Scholars in Hartford at https://www.hartfordyouthscholars.org. Online expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.molloyfuneralhome.com.