Raoul "Ralph" Leveille Obituary (1941 - 2021)

Raoul "Ralph" Leveille, of Springvale, Maine, passed away peacefully at the Lodges, on June 27, 2021, at the age of 80. Raoul was born on April 13, 1941 in Biddeford, Maine to Gerard and Angela (Tardif) Leveille. He grew up in Berwick and graduated from Berwick High School, then joined the branch of Army. He was active duty in the Vietnam War and was proud of his service there. You could see him in recent years, wearing his Veteran baseball hat. In 1973, he met Lorraine Sigouin at a dance and later, her daughter, Debra. They married in 1974 and he gladly took the role of Stepfather. There were many jobs prior to his marriage and after, but the one that he stayed at the longest was at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. He retired from there and went to work at Bonanza. He loved that job, as he loved being around people. Early in marriage, there was camping, staying "seasonally" at Walnut Grove, as well as vacations throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Canada, and Florida. They never thought twice about picking up and going somewhere-adventure awaiting them. He (they) always supported what Debra did, cheering, softball, playing the organ at church, etc. going to various events and cheering her on. They also did this later in life-even not "knowing" the participants of the sports all the time, but supporting their hometown athletes. Then came Debra's marriage to Troy. While Troy would ship out for 2 months at a time, you could count on him to help with the chores around the house. He was always there to lend a hand. Mowing, raking, fixing, snowblowing. You name it, he would do it, sometimes to a fault (especially when his health was failing, he continued to "do it himself"). He rarely asked for help, thinking he was more capable than he was. He always had to be puttering around, but was also a good relaxer, being seen on summer days lounging on the fold up chair sunning himself. And then came the grandchildren, Nicholas and Jack. He couldn't have been a more proud grandfather of these boys. He supported, babysat, drove them around on his lawnmower, always playing with them. He loved them so much. And they felt the same way. As they grew and he retired, you could always see him/them In East Waterboro, picking the boys up from school in Biddeford or at any game they just happened to be playing. It was hard when they moved to Virginia in 2008, but they all remained close, coming to Maine several times a year. Memories were made even at a distance. Thankfully, he had Minnie, his pup. He loved that dog! She went everywhere with him. She was a great companion for him. He was so sad when she passed at the ripe old age of 12, but he had a lot of good years with her. Ralph was a social butterfly. He was always out and about, enjoying sporting events, going out to eat and weekly going to church. When Lorraine was placed in Residential Care in 2018, he had a huge adjustment, but took up his beloved game of golf. He could be seen golfing almost weekly during the summer. He enjoyed his tee time. He also would visit Lorraine several times a week, as well as a lot of family and friends too. He loved people. This past year was the hardest on him. He was an extrovert and needed people. He was a loving and caring man that is evident by the kind things that have been said about him from family and friends. This was a life well lived. Even though he is no longer here on earth with us, we have hope that we will see him again. He accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of his life a few years back. Although our hearts might be heavy, we will celebrate his life and find comfort that he is in heaven. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Lorraine Leveille, daughter Debra Ammons, her husband Troy, and grandchildren, Nicholas and Jack of Virginia Beach, sisters Rachel Catsoulis (Harry) of W. Yarmouth, MA, Rita Penney of Lakeland, FL, Joanne Barr (Bob) of Ocala, FL, brother Edward (Kathy) of Sanford, sisters-in-law, Therese Tardiff of Sanford, Rita Normand of Springvale and brother-in-law Bruce Farwell of Springvale, several nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. He was predeceased by his parents, Gerard and Angela Leveille, brother-in-law Robert Tardiff, brother-in-law Robert Normand and sister-in-law Doris Farwell as well as niece Tammi Tompkins and nephews Mark Catsoulis and Scott Barr. Friends and relatives are invited to a time of visitation on Friday, July 2, 2021 from 11:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. with a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 1:00 P.M. at St. Therese of Lisieux Parish Notre Dame Church, 10 Payne St., Springvale, with burial immediately following at Notre Dame Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale. To leave a message of condolence please click on Raoul's tribute page.