Aurele J. Violette ’63 died on June 9, 2022, in Lake Mary, Florida.
(The following was provided by the Degusipe Funeral Home on June 9, 2022)
Aurele J. Violette ’63
Aurele Joseph Violette (Ralph) passed away in Lake Mary, FL, on June 9, 2022. He was born on July 11, 1941, in Augusta, Maine, the son of Aurele and Juliette (Dubois) Violette.
Aurele graduated from Cony High School (1959) in Augusta, ME, and Bowdoin College (1963). He earned his PhD in Russian history from Ohio State University in 1971. His studies were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army which included a one-year tour in Vietnam (1968-1969). He was honorably discharged with the rank of captain in 1969. He and wife Judie then spent six months in Helsinki, Finland, where he continued his dissertation research in the Russian archives.
In 1970 he began his thirty-six-year career as a history professor at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne (IPFW) where he was known to inspire several non-historians to love history. In summer 2001 he taught one of the first two online courses offered at IPFW. Upon his retirement he and his wife established the Judie and Ralph Violette History Scholarship.
While in Fort Wayne, Aurele helped establish the Cathedral Museum and the St. Louis Besancon Historical Society. He also authored a popular Fort Wayne history.
Aurele was a well-loved baker and cook, a fine craftsman, and an excellent bridge player and cruciverbalist. A proud descendant of the original Acadians, Aurele was an avid genealogist and leaves behind an extensive family history that will surely be treasured by future generations.
Aurele is survived by his loving family: Judie, his wife of fifty-five years, his son, Andrew (Thuy) of Nashville, TN, and his daughter,r Stephanie (Brock) Levin of Longwood, FL ,and by his treasured grandchildren, Ethan Violette, Olivia Violette, Zachary Levin, and Zoe Levin. His is also survived by his siblings Gloria (John) Welch, Donald (Chet) Violette, and Priscilla Violette as well as numerous other relatives.
The family wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to the caring staff at Oakmonte Village Memory Care facility where Aurele lived the last year of his life suffering the effects of Parkinson’s dementia.