Raymond A. Delisle, 73
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. â€' Raymond Armand Delisle, 73, of Nottingham Street, Springfield, formerly of North Adams, died Thursday, April 15, 2010, in Springfield.
Born in North Adams on Dec. 29, 1936, son of William Delisle and Albertine Rougeau Delisle Roberts and stepson of Silva Roberts, he attended the former Notre Dame School and graduated from Drury High School. He attended the former North Adams State College and graduated from Springfield Technical Community College in 1977.
An Air Force veteran, he served at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi and at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana during the Korean War. Following his active duty, he serve in the Reserves for another four years.
Mr. Delisle was employed by Smith & Wesson in Springfield as an electronic technician, responsible for maintaining its robotic machines. He retired with 23 years of service.
He was a communicant of St. Elizabeth Parish of Ludlow and a member of the Lay Dominican at the Mother of God Chapter in West Springfield. Considered a man of keen intellect, he also possessed talents as a musician and vocalist. He played the guitar and the organ and, in his youth, played country music on the radio and had his own band while stationed in Louisiana. He also was a member of the Maranatha Voices, a religious music group, and the Musical Notes and TOP, another group that entertained at nursing homes.
He leaves his wife, Marie H. Vallieres Wentz Delisle; two stepsons, Edward J. Wentz and his wife, Karen, and Glen Philip Wentz; a stepdaughter, Theresa Ann Wentz; a brother, Gerald Delisle; a sister, Jeannine McKinney of Clarksburg; five grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by a sister, Vivian O'Dell.
FUNERAL NOTICE â€' Funeral services for Mr. Delisle will be held on Thursday, April 22, from Ratell Funeral Home, 200 Main St., Indian Orchard, at 10 a.m., followed by the Liturgy of Christian Burial in St. Elizabeth Parish, Ludlow, at 11. Burial with military honors will be at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Agawam at 1 p.m.
Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, April 21, from 4 to 8 p.m. The family requests flowers be omitted and donations be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202 or to the Dominican Laity, c/o Dominican Nuns, 1430 Riverdale St., West Springfield, MA 01089. For guest book: ratellfuneralhome.com.