AUGUSTA – Benoit “Ben” J. Garand, 80, on May 7, 2022, flew with angels to eternal rest after a brief second stay at MaineGeneral Hospital in Augusta, Maine. Ben was born on April 13, 1942 son of Odilon and Yvonne (Bilodeau) Garand in Saint-Augustin-de-Woburn, Quebec, Canada.As a youth, Ben attended Ecole-des-Mont-Blanc and began a career as a laborer in the local sawmill where at age 15 he endured the loss a thumb. In his later teen years, his parents would relocate the family for job opportunities, first in Andover, Maine, then Augusta, Maine. That is where Ben would meet and marry Jeannette Colford and they raised a family of four boys in Augusta. His career work history took him from Gagne Concrete, the Augusta cotton mill and then 30 years at the Augusta Water District (AWD). In 2003, he retired from the AWD as a first class heavy-equipment operator and mainstay of fire hydrant inspection/maintenance. Thereafter, the retired couple spent summers and falls camping, hunting and fishing in the Eustis, Maine, area with many friends and family.Ben is predeceased by both his parents, two sons, Bruce Tompkins and Marc “Mag” Garand; brothers, Lionel, John and Claude, sisters, Jacqueline and Rachel. He is survived by his spouse of 58 years, Jeannette (Colford); sons, Richard (Sally) of Manchester, and Gary of Weston, Wis. Ben is also survived by six siblings, nine grandchildren and too numerous to count nieces and nephews in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Washington and of course Quebec, Canada.There are no planned public visiting hours. At 11 a.m. May 21, a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated St. Mary of the Assumption Church on Western Avenue in Augusta. Burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery on outer Western Ave in Manchester will immediately follow. Arrangements have been entrusted to Plummer Funeral Home, 16 Pleasant St., Augusta, ME. Condolences, stories and photos may be shared at http://www.plummerfh.com

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