John W. LaDouceur ’74 died on October 23, 2023, in Oakland Park, Florida.
(The following was provided by The Sun Journal in November 29, 2023:)
John W. LaDouceur ’74
OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – After seventy-one glorious years of life, John Wildy LaDouceur has peacefully left us. He was a charismatic, wild soul with sharp wit, cunning linguistics, and a lot of love. Born in Lewiston on April 27, 1952, John was an Eagle Scout who graduated from Lewiston High School in 1970. He attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, and majored in economics and international studies. He spent his junior year studying abroad at La Sorbonne in Paris where he discovered an affinity for international travel and culture, and opened his heart to love. Upon receiving his master’s degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management, John was a successful account executive on the Johnson & Johnson account for SSC&B, a top-ten international advertising agency. He continued his marketing career with Chesebrough-Ponds, Gold Coast Liquor Distributors, and G-Tech. During his time at Gold Coast, he often piloted the Silver Bullet cigarette boat because “No one else had a boating license.” We still have a hard time believing that.
On October 4, 1975, he married his high school sweetheart, Conni Labbe, and they traveled the world together before settling in Weston, CT, and having two children. In a life filled with success, humor, and travel, John’s children were his greatest pride and joy. In the early 2000s, he moved to south Florida permanently. In Florida, he started real estate ventures, discovered a passion for local politics, and found a sense of community. He married Michael Bryan on Thanksgiving weekend in 2016 and they divorced four years later. For the last decade of his life, John’s favorite pastime was sitting outside shirtless in the Florida breeze enjoying a cocktail – and on Monday, October 23, that’s just how he died.
Though his death was unexpected, when he spoke about his mortality, he said, “when I die, I want it to be quick, and I want the celebration to be a big one.”
He is survived by his children, Jean-Luc (Tara Baker) and Elise (Andrew Cartoceti), sister Jocelyn Lavoie, brother Dan LaDouceur, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
John thoroughly adored his role as Pépère to Mel and Mae Cartoceti and Papa John to Weston and Ada LaDouceur. His mother, Eva LaDouceur (Murray), died shortly after John; she was 95.
He was predeceased by his father, Robert LaDouceur, brother Peter LaDouceur, and nephew Robert LaDouceur.