R. Michael Francoeur

R. Michael Francoeur, 92, beloved husband of the late Marie Dungan Francoeur, of West Hartford died Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at St. Francis Hospital. He was the eldest of ten children of Ferdinand and Rose Delima Yelle Francoeur, born in Fall River, MA on Jan 6, 1919. He is predeceased by his siblings: Armand, Lorraine and Raymond, and survived by: Germaine, Jeannette, Arthur, Noelle, Gertrude, Donald, and their spouses, and their many children and grandchildren. He attended University of Montreal and UCONN before starting a teaching career at Rockville High School, Sedgwick Middle School, and Hall High School in West Hartford. While teaching at Hall High, he became active with Dale Carnegie Training and eventually purchased and ran Dale Carnegie Courses in Connecticut and Rhode Island for over 30 years. He took great pride in helping thousands of graduates improve personal abilities, professional skills and public speaking through his training. As a respected business man, he was influential in several professional and charitable organizations, including the Hartford Rotary Club where he was past president, two-time Paul Harris Fellow, and District Governor's Award recipient, the Salvation Army where he was past president of the auxiliary board, and the Hartford Old Guard where he was past president. He was a devout catholic and served the parish council at St. Peter Claver parish and Our Lady of Good Council in Old Lyme. He was renowned for his inspirational public speaking and became a much desired guest speaker at regional and national events. He traveled extensively in the Americas, Europe, and Asia with his wife of 53 years, and spent his summers at Old Lyme Shores, where he was the oldest member at the New London Country Club. He is survived by his children; Michael and his wife Margaret Francoeur of West Hartford, Mary-Anne Baldassarre of West Hartford, and Edward and his wife Susan Francoeur of North Andover, MA. He loved his nine grandchildren: Julia, Michael, Daniel, and Brian Francoeur, Drew, Kathleen, and Annemarie Baldassarre, and Sarah and Courtney Francoeur. He is survived by his sister-in-law Delores and her husband Thomas Mulcahy of Bolton, CT and their three sons: Tom, Kevin, and Chris. Funeral services will be Monday January 24, 2011 at 9:30 am from the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Ave, West Hartford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 am in the Church of St. Peter Claver, 47 Pleasant St. Burial will follow in nearby Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. Friends may call Sunday Jan 23 from 2-5 pm at the funeral home. On-line expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army of Greater Hartford.

R. Michael Francoeur

January 6, 1919 - January 18, 2011