Joseph Alfred Ducharme

Joseph Alfred Ducharme

Beloved father, brother, grandfather, great grandfather

Pelham, New Hampshire--Joseph Alfred Ducharme, also known as "Al", "Alfred", "Freddie" or "Joe", a 96 year old longtime Pelham resident who died at his home on July 12, 2023 from heart failure. He was the widower of Rita (Bennett) Ducharme who died in 2015.

Born in Detroit, Michigan on February 10, 1927 he was a son of the late  Arthur and Alice (Greenwood) Ducharme.  He attended Pelham Center School, Sherburne School and Methuen High School. As a teen he owned a car and drove his Pelham colleagues to the High School where he played football and ran track.

Alfred was an honorably discharged U.S. Army Air Corps Veteran.  During WW II he was stationed in Germany.  After the Air Corps became the U.S. Air Force in 1945, he was stationed as a guard during the Nuremberg Trials.

When he returned from the war, he married Rita Bennett on October 10, 1948 at the First Congregational Church in Nashua, N.H.  In 1950, they purchased their home in Pelham where Alfred lived for seventy three years.

Alfred enjoyed fishing, hunting, hiking, golfing canoeing, woodworking, and being outdoors. He had a green thumb and enjoyed tending to his yard and garden.

Alfred worked as a traveling sales representative for kitchen cabinets and later in his career worked for Somerville Lumber as an assistant store manager.

He was a father figure and role model for many of the young people in Pelham including a boy scout troop for five years and taught golf, fishing and hunting to various family and community members.

He joined The first Congregational Church in Pelham in 1950, where his wife Rita was a member. Both were lifelong members and helped with annual events like Old Home Day. He served as a deacon and received the honor of Trustee Emeritus. Alfred volunteered as a groundskeeper of the church well into his 80's and applied the same impeccable attention that he gave to his own yard. His favorite songs included Amazing Grace and gospels sung by Elvis Presley.

Alfred is survived by four children: Jane Coleman and her husband Michael of Pelham, NH, Beverly Jonas and her husband Harry of Painted Post, New York, Lynn Ducharme of Dracut, Massachusetts, Joel Ducharme and his wife Susan of East Wakefield, NH; a sister Rita Hohrmann and her husband Joseph of Boston, MA; two brothers Arthur Ducharme of Dracut, MA, Robert Ducharme and his wife Carolyn of Sun City, Arizonia; five grandchildren Melissa Coleman (Palmer), Amanda Coleman (Lind), Sarah Riley, Michael Ducharme, and Harrison Jonas; nine great-grandchildren Michael, Rylee, Adriana, Joe, Jacob, Kayden, Maggie, Ava, and Kiernan; He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Besides his wife, Alfred is also predeceased by four of his siblings: Ronald Ducharme, Yvonne Maglio, Helen Spaulding, and Jenette Bergeron. He is also the grandfather of the late Jonathan Riley.

Friends may call at the PELHAM FUNERAL HOME 11 NASHUA RD in PELHAM on Wednesday July 26, 2023 from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Service to be celebrated Thursday at the FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH in PELHAM, NH, at 11:00 A.M. Followed by his Burial at the Gibson Cemetery. E-condolences/directions at www.pelhamfuneralhome.com.  Those wishing may make contributions in his memory to the Pelham Congregational Church (uccpelham.org) and the Brookhaven Hospice (brookhavenhospice.com). Arrangements by Funeral Director James F. O’Donnell, Jr. (603) 635-3333.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joseph Alfred Ducharme, please visit our floral store.