Lionel "Ted" Roy

Lionel Lucien “Ted” Roy, 90, of Berlin, passed away on Sunday, November 15, 2020 at the Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin after a period of declining health. He was born in Berlin on April 26, 1930, the son of the late Isaie and Marie-Jeanne (Frechette) Roy and has been a lifelong resident.



Lionel served in the United States Army in Korea with the 101st Airborne and 7th Infantry Divisions from 1951-1953 and earned a Commendation for Meritorious Service. After his Army service, he returned to the dairy industry, and, along with his business partner, George Rasys, Lionel owned and operated the Berlin All-Star Dairy milk and ice cream processing plants and the Northland Restaurant and Dairy Bar. This became his life’s work. He later founded Balsams Spring Water Company.



Lionel was a parishioner of St. Anne Church of Good Shepherd Parish where he was a cantor and served as a member of the choir, the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Church Council. He also served on the St. Pius X Church Council (Errol) and was a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus. He was a devoted member of the Friends of Berlin Catholic Schools (founder and past president), Berlin and Diocesan Catholic School Boards, and the Berlin Kiwanis Club. He was also a member of American Legion Post 36, VFW Post 2520, and French Social Club where he was a past treasurer. Lionel was enormously proud of his French-Canadian heritage, valued his family history, delighted in singing French-Canadian songs, and enjoyed any opportunity to visit Québec, Canada. He also co-emceed the first Festival du Bois at Heritage Park and was the festival’s 2003 honoree for his devotion to the French language and Franco-American heritage. He was known for his midnight Mass solo of “Minuit Chrétien” and was often asked to sing at the funerals of friends and family and at many local events. He enjoyed collecting antiques, especially tools, dairy and farming implements, and restoring antique furniture. He cherished his summer home (“camp”), in Upton, Maine where he reveled in nature’s beauty. He was an avid gardener and took pleasure in feeding birds and other wildlife.



Members of his family include his four children, Elaine Ruel of Berlin, Pierre Roy and wife Joanne of Berlin, Rachelle Lyons and husband John of Saco, Maine, and Claudette Buckley and husband Andy of Vernon, Connecticut; his grandchildren, Joseph Ruel and partner Amy, Timothy Ruel and fiancée Heather, Daniel Roy and wife Kristen, Luke Roy and partner Amber, Benjamin Lyons and wife Rachel, Samuel Lyons, Griffin Buckley and wife Melissa, Sabrina Pettersson and husband Brenton, and Sierra Grooms and husband Gavin; his great-grandchildren, Olivia Ruel, Lionel and Dawson Roy, Wesley and Maggie Pettersson, and Cooper and Madelyn Buckley; his siblings, Muriel Comeau of Gorham, Violette Grondin and husband Norman of Berlin, Maurice Roy and wife Caroline of Cuttingsville, Vermont, and Edmond Roy and wife Jeanine of Gorham; his sisters-in-law, Marilyn Roy of Berlin, Jacqueline Morin of Berlin, and Florence Jutras of Enfield, Connecticut; brothers-in-law Lucien Guilmette and wife Louise of Concord, NH, and Leo Vezina of Ellington, Connecticut; and many cherished nieces, nephews and cousins.



He was predeceased by his beloved bride, Jeannette T. (Guilmette) Roy; a son-in-law, Vincent Ruel; his brothers, Midas, Laurier, and Noel, and sisters Rita (John) Turco and Therese (Roland) Roy; and his in-laws Elzear and Marie-Anna Guilmette, Roland, Albert (Cecile), Paul (Rose), Robert (Yvette) and Ernest (Shirley) Guilmette, Blanche (Wellington) Cushman, Maurice Jutras, Margaret (Al) Sherman, Therese Vezina and George Comeau.



SERVICES: A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, November 20, 2020 at 1pm at St. Anne Church of Good Shepherd Parish, Pleasant Street, Berlin. The service will also be available via livestream at www.facebook.com/bryantfuneralhomes, which can also be viewed after the service. Interment will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to a walk-thru visitation prior to the Mass on Friday from 10:30am-12:30pm at the Bryant & Fleury-Patry Funeral Home, 180 Hillside Ave., Berlin. Masks and physical distancing will be required at the church and funeral home.



In memory of Lionel, donations may be made to Salve Regina Academy, Mother Mary Rivier Food Pantry, VFW Post 2520, or a charity of your choice.

Memories and condolences may be shared online at www.bryantfuneralhome.net.