Onesime Wilfred (Bill) Gagnon
| Onesime Wilfred (Bill) Gagnon | |
| Nationality: |  American
|
| Born: | April 8, 1917 Jay, Maine |
| Died: | April 18, 1995 Long Beach, California |
| Father: | Onesime Gagnon |
| Mother: | Rosa Yvonne Michaud |
| Spouse: | Orena Adrianne Potvin Grace E Langford Connie P Lebel |
| Married: | September 28, 1946 (Rena) Rochester, NH December 14, 1980 (Grace) Las Vegas, NV October 1, 1994 (Connie) Presque Isle, ME |
| Children: | Jeanne Gagnon Lorraine T Gagnon Richard Gagnon |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Residence: | Chisholm, Maine Keegan, Maine Chisholm, Maine Biddeford, Maine East Hartford, CT Newington, CT '48 Simi Valley, CA Livermore Falls, ME '79 Bradenton, FL Long Beach, CA |
| Profession: | Machinist Owner, ARCO Station Tool & Die Maker (Teledyne) Woodworker, Hobbyist |
Contents
- 1 Bill's Childhood
- 2 Bill's First Car
- 3 High School Graduation
- 4 The Years After High School
- 5 1942 and During World War II
- 6 War is Over
- 7 Bill and Rena
- 8 A New Baby
- 9 In Business with his Brother Albert
- 10 Family is Now Complete
- 11 Move to California
- 12 Bill and Grace
- 13 Bill Mends an Old Broken Heart
Bill's Childhood
Not surprisingly, as the oldest of Rosa and Onesime's children, Bill grew up with a lot of responsibility expected of him. He was expected to help with the chores, and with such a large family, there were plenty of them. He also experienced some traumatic events at a young age. His baby sister Jeannette died when he was only 4. His grandfather, Jimmy, died when he was only 10, the same year that his younger brother Albert got run over by a truck and was in a coma for several days.
It's well known in the family that Rosa was a critical mother, but fortunately, Bill's personality was suited to the task, as he was serious and had high standards for himself. He was a very good student, and applied himself.
Rosa and Onesime's children attended two elementary schools, depending on where the family was living. When they lived on Moose Hill, the children attended Shuy School, just down the hill, and when they lived in town, they attended St Rose of Lima Catholic elementary school. (Ironically, many years later his daughter Lorraine would teach at a Catholic school of the same name in Simi Valley, California.)
- Click on the photos below to view a larger image:
Bill in back row, at age 10.
Bill in center (circled) at age 12.
Bill then went on to Livermore Falls High School, where he was an excellent student and played on the football team.
Bill's First Car
Around 1933, when Bill was about 16, he bought his first car. A neighboring farmer had a 1925 Ford Model T just sitting in his barn, because it had been badly damaged in an accident. Along with the typically expected accident damage, this car had also been rolled a few times, so it was pretty flat. The farmer told Bill if he bought it, he could work on it in the barn. Bill thought it was a steal for $25.00, so he used all of his savings to buy it.
Using a ball peen hammer, it took him over 2 months to beat the car roof back up to where it belonged. It wasn't perfect but at his age it was perfect enough for him. The car ran well for about a year, and then the crank bearings froze up. He and his 12-yr old brother Al took leather straps that had been soaking in oil and put them, along with cut up tin can strips, in place of the bearings. They would get another 200 to 300 miles before needing to do another one of those change-outs. It appears that Bill and Al thought alike and maybe that is why they decided to go into business together with a gas station, after the war.
High School Graduation
Times were hard in 1935 when Bill was graduating from high school. For his graduation picture, he and a friend thumbed a ride 60 miles north “up country” where they got jobs working in a lumber camp. They worked for two weeks to earn enough money to pay for their graduation pictures. Then, they hitchhiked back home. This was during their 2 week spring vacation. He presented his graduation picture to his parents. (Later, in 1991, after both parents had been gone for some time, he re-presented the picture to his oldest daughter, Jeanne).
He graduated with honors in 1935, one of only seventeen students graduating that year.
- Click on the photos below to view a larger image:
Bill in back row, at age 10.
Bill in center (circled) at age 12.
Bill graduated with honors in 1935.
The Years After High School
After graduating from high school in 1935, there were very few jobs to be had, because it was during the depression and work was scarce. That summer he worked for Mr. Winfield on his farm. His mother, Rosa, gave birth to what would be her last child, Robert. Now there were 7 children, and Wilfred decided to join the CCC’s in order to earn money to send home each month. As such, he was in New Hampshire for sometime.
In March of 1936, there was a big flood because the dam broke, so Bill got an opportunity to work with the team of men who were rebuilding the dam. In the summer of 1936, Wilfred had an opportunity to get a job in the mill, and he got a 1936 Pontiac coupe.
A short while later, in 1939, Bill was laid off from the mill. This time, he went to Dexter, Maine to learn to be a machinist, and then later, to learn to be a tool and die maker. Although he returned to J.P. mill, he was soon laid off again. Clearly, the news in the world was not good either. Europe was now embroiled in a war with Germany. Bill went to Connecticut to find work, and the family did not know if he would ever return to Maine (in fact, Bill did not return to Maine to live until his retirement many years later).
1942 and During World War II
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Bill's enlistment record.
Rosa and Onesime with Bill just before he left for the war.
Bill during WWII.
Bill and a friend in 1943.
Albert enlisted and left for the war in 1942 shortly after Blanche got married. According to the records, Bill enlisted and left in the Spring of 1943. By this time, Cecile had been married a while and been having children - her first, Ronald, was born in 1935 just before Bobby was born. Rosa's house emptied out of older children almost all at once. Communication with her older sons was difficult because mail delivery was very delayed. In addition to logistics of collecting outgoing mail from soldiers on the front line, it was also audited by the War Department. It was especially important that no soldier should send home information that could be stolen by the enemy to pinpoint troop locations or deployment plans. Any information like this was redacted from the letter – that is, it was actually cut out of the paper. After being redacted, the letters were photostated. It was called V-mail – “V” for Victory.
During the war, Bill served in the European theater. Although we know that Bud served in Italy and Northern Africa, we don't know where Bill fought while he was away, or how his skills were utilized.
War is Over
On May 10, 1945, the war in Europe ended. Wilfred, who had not yet married, was the first one to come back home after the war. When he arrived, Norman and Robert were very ill with scarlet fever and the house was quarantined. So, until the quarantine was lifted, Wilfred had to go live with a cousin, Flossie Beaulieu.
When he was in the army, Wilfred had been engaged to a nice girl named Connie Lebel, who lived in Brunswick. Connie and Bill's sister Blanche were very good friends, and he and Connie had been in Blanche's wedding party before the war. He had expected that he and Connie would marry soon after his return, but it was not to be. When he came back from the war, she broke the engagement. Brokenhearted, he moved back to his job in Connecticut.
Bill and Rena
Bill met a nice French girl, Orena (Rena) Potvin, originally from New Hampshire who was also working in Connecticut. They were married a short time later in Rochester, N.H. on Sept 28, 1946, and settled in Connecticut. They bought a small house in Newington, a suburb of Hartford, and soon started a family.
- Click on the photos below to view a larger image:
Bill and Rena on their wedding day in September, 1946.
Bill and Rena just after the ceremony.
Onesime and Rosa with Blanche at Bill's wedding.
Bill, Rena on their wedding day with Rena's mother.
Back from left: Jack Lee, Cecile, Rita, Rosa, Onesime, Blanche. Front from left: Bobby, Albert, Norman, Bill.
A New Baby
Sometime in 1947, Bill and Rena were blessed with with a beautiful baby girl, Jeanne. Consequently, Bill started looking for alternative ways to make a living to better support his growing family.
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In Business with his Brother Albert
Somewhere around 1947, Bill found a gas station for sale in an excellent area on the Hartford / West Hartford town line that he wanted to purchase. In order to be successful, he would need a partner with mechanical skills. He decided to ask his brother Albert. Albert, who was never fond of working in the mill, and was an adventurer at heart anyway, jumped at the chance.
Together, they purchased what was at the time an Atlantic-Richfield station, on the corner of Prospect Ave. and Farmington Ave. At first, Bill and Rena offered Al a room in their home, in their unfinished, unheated attic. Jeannie, who was Albert’s godchild, was a baby. At the time, Albert did not own a car, and because he and Wilfred worked different shifts, Albert took a bus to and from work.
The brothers had complementary skills - Bill ran the books, and did the ordering of supplies and equipment. Bill was quiet and serious, but Albert was friendly and gregarious, and attracted many new customers. He was the salesman and mechanic, and he enjoyed working at the station.
After a while, Albert began to have problems living at Wilfred’s. Over several months, it became apparent that there were growing tensions at Bill and Rena’s. For one thing, Rena did not like the business – she thought it was dirty and smelly. After a while, Albert decided to move out of Bill’s, and find his own accommodations. Albert moved into a rooming house on Prospect Ave. His friends Charlie and Jesse lived there, too, and they all had adjoining rooms. This worked out great, because he also could now walk to work, instead of being stuck on the bus.
The gas station was a well-run and lucrative business - however, two events occurred that spelled the end of the business in 1949. In the fall of 1949, Albert met Irene and began seriously dating her, and Rena had reached the end of her tolerance for the dirty, smelly laundry impact. They sold the business at a profit, and Bill entered the job market with his tool and die maker skills that he'd acquired years before in Maine. It was this education he used as a foundation upon which he would now build a successful career.
Family is Now Complete
The completed family in 1953.
Move to California
In the early 1950's, Bill got an opportunity to re-locate to southern California and work for Teledyne Corporation as a tool and die maker. This was to be a long-term career for him. Over the years, they lived in a few houses in Simi Valley, in Orange County just outside of Los Angeles.
- Click on the photos below to view a larger image:
Jeannie in her best Shirley Temple pose.
Rena with Jeanne, Lorraine and Rick in 1953.
Jeanne, Lorraine and Rick around 1954.
Jeanne, Lorraine and Rick in 1955.
Rick, Jeanne and Lorraine, Easter 1955.
Bill and Grace
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Bill and Grace in their home in Bradenton, FL, before moving back to Maine.
Snapshot of Bill and Grace after moving back to Maine.
Bill Mends an Old Broken Heart
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Bud and Blanche's wedding in 1942, Connie (top left) and Bill in back row.
Bill and Connie on their wedding day in Presque Isle, Maine, October, 1994.
Bud, Connie and Bill at an unknown dinner, in late 1994, before moving back to California.
