AUGUSTA – Phillip Patrick Couture, husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, WWII veteran, funeral director and quintessential Mr. Fix it, passed from this world to the next the morning of Nov. 24, 2022, with his daughters by his side.

He was born on March 17, 1921 in South Acton to a large French-speaking family. When Phillip was 9-months-old, his father was struck by an automobile and killed. Soon afterward, Phillip’s mother moved her family from their farm to a house in the nearby town of Springvale. Phillip attended Notre Dame School in Springvale and Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church, where he served as an altar boy. At that time, classes were conducted in French in the morning and English in the afternoon, and students became fluent in both languages. At age 15, Phillip left school to work in one of the shoe factories that lined the Mousam River. His job titles included “odd shoe boy” and “heeler”.

In the summer of 1941, as global hostilities escalated, Phillip enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After completing a course of study at Brooklyn Naval Hospital, he was assigned to the surgical ward at Portsmouth (NH) Naval Hospital. He was home on a weekend pass when he learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor. From Portsmouth, Phillip was transferred to Balboa Naval Hospital in the Panama Canal Zone. As plans for D-Day were taking shape, Phillip was assigned to USS YMS 349 on independent duty as a Pharmacist Mate First Class for “Operation Overlord”, the battle of Normandy. His ship was one of many that swept the waters off the coast of France for mines prior to, and throughout, the 3-day amphibious invasion. The crew of YMS 349 performed heroically, identifying and destroying mines, rescuing downed pilots and bringing aboard the injured and dead. Later in the operation, Phillip was honored to serve as a translator for a landing party of American officers. Upon his honorable discharge in October 1945, with $100.00 of mustering-out pay in his pocket, Phillip returned to school, earning first his high school diploma and then a degree from the Boston School of Anatomy and Embalming. His first job was licensed ambulance attendant and funeral director at Meader Funeral Home in Rumford, ME. It was in Rumford that he met a young x-ray technician named Katheryn Stickney, who would later become his wife. Kathy and Phil married in 1957 and five years later moved to Berlin, NH, where Phil had accepted a job with Fleury Funeral Homes. He quickly became a well-known, well regarded member of the community there. He was dedicated to his profession. He was a proud member of the Kiwanis Club of Berlin, NH holding many roles over the years including that of president. He was a past Chief Ranger of the Catholic Order of Foresters Court 1045 and a member of the VFW White Mountain Post 2520.

Following his retirement, Phil and Kathy moved to Green Valley, Calif., but Phil returned each summer to their home in New Hampshire. He worked diligently to maintain and improve their properties on both coasts. When in California, he devoted many hours each month to volunteering at the hospital where his wife worked as a laboratory technician. Upon Katheryn’s retirement, they sold their house in Berlin, NH and moved back to their home state of Maine to be closer to family. In their later years, Phil and Kathy lived with, and were cared for by, their daughter Janet in Augusta.

Throughout his long life, Phil remained true to his personal values of responsibility, duty, honor and hard work. He represents the best of what we call the Greatest Generation. He was generous with his time and talents, including his broad and well-honed skills in many different aspects of home repair and renovation. His kindness and good humor won him the friendship of his neighbors and the gratitude of communities wherever he lived.

Phillip was preceded in death by his parents Pierre and Alma (Hamel) Couture; 16 brothers and sisters, his wife Katheryn (Stickney) Couture; and his daughter Cynthia (Couture) Rivard. He is survived by daughters Brenda (Couture) O’Grady and husband Joseph O’Grady, Janet Couture and Karen (Couture) Leclerc and husband Denis Leclerc; grandchildren Rhonda (Rivard) Cheverier, Rochelle (Rivard) Tracy, Carrie (Rivard) Caron, Justin White, Ethan Sotiropoulos, Donald Leclerc and wife Tracey Leclerc, Jackson Leclerc and Eileen O’Grady; ten great-grandchildren; and nieces Carol Lee Bell and Gayle Chick.

The family would like to thank the Veterans Administration Home Base Primary Care team, Beacon House Hospice team and caregivers Debra Cortese, Jaylynn Ladd, Gayle Dinsmore, Mary Tinto and Louise Ridley.

Relatives and Friends may visit on Tuesday, Dec. 6 from 10-12 p.m. at Plummer Funeral Home 16 Pleasant Street, Augusta, where a funeral service will be held at noon. Burial and Committal will be held immediately following the service at Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Mt. Vernon Road, Augusta.

Copy the Story Link