Obituary: Stewart Philias Bouchard Sr.
March 18, 1928 - November 19, 2021
November 27, 2021 On Friday, November 19, 2021, Stewart Philias Bouchard Sr., 93, of Stowe, passed away unexpectedly surrounded by his family while listening to Reba McEntire. Though we certainly were not ready to say goodbye, he was finally able to join his late wife of 67 years, Reba, and their youngest son, Keven.
Stewart Philias Bouchard, Sr.
In his last few hours, we were given the wonderful gift of saying goodbye both in person and via Google Meet. His last words were muttering “I love you” to his three great-grandchildren, Abbie, Madison, and Stewart.
Stewart was born on March 18, 1928 in South Royalton, Vermont, to Philias Joseph (PJ) and Mildred Stewart. They moved to Stowe in 1935 and Stewart attended the Stowe schools and graduated in 1946.
He met his wife, Reba Raymond, while working in Stowe at the Wooden Fork and Spoon Company that his father co-owned and they were married on August 3, 1946. They welcomed their first son, Stewart, Jr., in 1948 and purchased the land at 754 River Road in Stowe in 1949, where they lived the rest of their lives. In 1952 and 1954, they welcomed their sons, Jody and Keven, respectively.
Stewart worked his entire life as a welder. He was employed by Vermont Structural Steel in Burlington for over 20 years. Before retiring, he also worked for Adams Mill in Stowe.
He and Reba both enjoyed watching their grandchildren play sports from youth sports through college. They also had the opportunity to watch their great-grandchildren play sports for several years as well. They tended to their “Gramma’s Bird Ranch” flock during their retirement and enjoyed picking blueberries and playing Phase 10 with their family. His love for Moxie and their love for the Boston Red Sox were unwavering over the years.
They were lifelong members of the Shriners, where Stewart was a clown who visited child burn victims at the local hospitals. He even dressed up as a clown for several of his grandchildren’s birthdays when they were younger.
Throughout their lives together, Stewart and Reba loved traveling the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Together they had visited all 50 States, most of the Canadian Provinces, and Mexico.
Stewart was predeceased by his son, Keven, in 1997, and his wife, Reba, in 2013.
Stewart leaves behind his sons, Stewart P. Bouchard, Jr. and wife Cilla, of Stowe, and Jody Bouchard, of Waterbury. His grandchildren, Melanie Bouchard and PeJay Bouchard, both of Stowe, and Jaime Bouchard, of Wolcott. His great-grandchildren, Abbie Fountain, Madison Fountain, and Stewart Lemnah, of Stowe, and Mason, Grace, and William Lemery of Wolcott.
An immediate family celebration took place on Thanksgiving day. A Celebration of Life is being planned for summer 2022.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations in Stewart’s memory be made to either the Alzheimer's Foundation online at alz.org or Stowe Youth Hockey, P.O. Box 504, Stowe, VT 05672. The family invites you to share memories and condolences by visiting A.W. Rich Funeral Homes online at awrfh.com.