Obituary of Richard Lionel Lussier

Richard Lionel Lussier, 91, a distinguished army veteran of WW II, died Thursday, August 18, 2016 at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial in Bedford with his family at his side. He was the devoted husband of 69 years to Rita Theresa (Cote) Lussier. He was born in Salem, MA on March 6, 1925, the eldest child of twelve of the late Lionel and Helen (Richards) Lussier and had resided in Salem and Peabody most of his life and later lived in Amesbury and North Andover. He entered the US Army on May 31, 1943 and was sent overseas to Germany where he was in the Battle of the Bulge as a Squad Leader with the 78 th Infantry Division. While there he entered a farm house where twenty seven German soldiers were hiding and single handedly captured them and brought them to where he unit was arriving. In the course of the battle there, he was shot in the left arm that had to be amputated. For his courageous leadership, he was awarded The Silver Star, the Bronze Star, The Purple Heart and the Berlin Occupation Medal. Upon his return, he had worked as an accountant at the A.C. Lawrence Leather Co. in the Union office and later worked with the City of Peabody until his retirement. He and his wife Rita enjoyed boating and he had been a member and dock master at the Palmer Cove Yacht Club in Salem. They journeyed their boat from Salem, MA in the fall to Melbourne Florida in the winter for many years. He had received a Captain’s License and helped taking other boats to Florida. He had been a member of the Peabody Chapter 100 of the D.A.V. Besides his wife, Rita, he is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Raymond and Louise Lussier of Tewksbury,MA, two daughters and sons-in-law, Janice and Thomas Hallinan of Peabody and Nancy and Michael Perry of Amesbury, his six grandchildren, Deborah Destler and Suzanne Quirxner both of L.A.,CA Emily Lussier of Tyngsboro, Kevin Hallinan of Beverly, and Justin Perry, Dana Perry and her fiance Salvatore De Franco all of Haverhill, MA,; 4 great grandchildren; his siblings, Jeanne Vitale and Charlotte Lussier both of Beverly, Leonard Lussier, Doris Cameron of Winthrop, Mary Lou Hanley of Salem, Shirley Carlson of Reading and several nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late Lorraine Boucher, Nancy Cote Talbot, Donald , Robert and Dennis Lussier. A Visitation will be held on Monday from 4:00 until 8:00 PM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at the 82 Lynn St., Peabody facility. His funeral will be held on Tuesday at 9:00 AM from the funeral home followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Ann’s Church, Peabody at 10:00 AM. Burial will be in Cedar Grove cemetery, Peabody. Expressions of sympathy may be made to Edith N. Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, 200 Springs Road, Bedford, MA 01730 in his memory.