Obituary for Joseph Elie "Joe" Garreau
Dr. Joseph E. “Joe” Garreau, age 87, a resident of Hollis, NH, formerly of Chelmsford and Cambridge Ma., passed away peacefully on Monday, July 25, 2022 at his home surrounded by his loving family. He was the beloved husband of the late Grace T. (McCann) Garreau with whom he enjoyed 38 years of marriage until her passing in 2005.
He was born in Saint-Marsault in Deux-Sèvres, France on September 21, 1934 and was the son of the late Jules and Juliette (Billy) Garreau. Joe is survived by his only child, Renée T. (Garreau) MacDonald and her husband Rindress A. MacDonald of Hollis, NH; 4 grandchildren, Connor, Patrick, Delaney, and Colin; his sister Marie-Thérèse Talon and brother-in-law Camille Talon of Chanteloup, France; niece Stéphanie Talon and nephew Clément Talon also of France.
Joe was born and raised in France, and was a graduate of Saint Albert de Louvain in Belgium. In 1965, Joe came to the United States as a graduate student of Harvard’s Yenching Institute where he studied Japanese language and literature. Specializing in romance philology, he received his PhD from Boston College in 1972. He was widely published in both French and English. Joe was a true academic, where he was a professor of languages for over 40 years at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell (UML). After retiring from UML, Joe also taught at Tufts University in Medford, Ma. By official decree (August 1, 1990) of the French Minister of Education, Joe was awarded the Chevalier dan l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques. This award is an Order of Chivalry of France for academics and cultural and academic figures.
Joe was incredibly proud of his 4 grandchildren and would have the biggest smile when any one of them walked in the room. Joe enjoyed traveling around the world, was an avid reader, and was truly an amazing cook. During the summer Joe loved to spend time by the ocean with his family and could often be found walking along the shoreline with a book in hand.
Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, July 31, 2022 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at the Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home, 24 Worthen St., Chelmsford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, August, 1st at 9:30 am at Parish of the Resurrection, 449 Broad St., Nashua, NH. Interment will follow in Pine Ridge Cemetery, Chelmsford. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joe’s memory to the ASPCA at secure.aspca.org/.
He was born in Saint-Marsault in Deux-Sèvres, France on September 21, 1934 and was the son of the late Jules and Juliette (Billy) Garreau. Joe is survived by his only child, Renée T. (Garreau) MacDonald and her husband Rindress A. MacDonald of Hollis, NH; 4 grandchildren, Connor, Patrick, Delaney, and Colin; his sister Marie-Thérèse Talon and brother-in-law Camille Talon of Chanteloup, France; niece Stéphanie Talon and nephew Clément Talon also of France.
Joe was born and raised in France, and was a graduate of Saint Albert de Louvain in Belgium. In 1965, Joe came to the United States as a graduate student of Harvard’s Yenching Institute where he studied Japanese language and literature. Specializing in romance philology, he received his PhD from Boston College in 1972. He was widely published in both French and English. Joe was a true academic, where he was a professor of languages for over 40 years at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell (UML). After retiring from UML, Joe also taught at Tufts University in Medford, Ma. By official decree (August 1, 1990) of the French Minister of Education, Joe was awarded the Chevalier dan l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques. This award is an Order of Chivalry of France for academics and cultural and academic figures.
Joe was incredibly proud of his 4 grandchildren and would have the biggest smile when any one of them walked in the room. Joe enjoyed traveling around the world, was an avid reader, and was truly an amazing cook. During the summer Joe loved to spend time by the ocean with his family and could often be found walking along the shoreline with a book in hand.
Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, July 31, 2022 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at the Blake Chelmsford Funeral Home, 24 Worthen St., Chelmsford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, August, 1st at 9:30 am at Parish of the Resurrection, 449 Broad St., Nashua, NH. Interment will follow in Pine Ridge Cemetery, Chelmsford. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joe’s memory to the ASPCA at secure.aspca.org/.