Obituary of Richard Gaston Legault

Funeral services for Richard G. Legault (Rick), age 73, of Waddington, NY, will be held at 12:00PM on Saturday, June 26, 2021, at Frary Funeral Home with Msgr. Aucoin officiating. Burial will follow in Notre Dame Cemetery with military honors. Calling hours will be held from 10:00AM until 12:00PM prior to funeral services at Frary Funeral Home on Saturday, June 26, 2021. Mr. Legault passed away on Sunday afternoon, January 10, 2021, at Claxton Hepburn Medical Center, but his unfailing humor, kindness, and generosity will not be forgotten. Rick was born on July 1, 1947, in Timmins, Ontario, CA, the youngest son of Laurent and Isabelle Whalen Legault. He graduated from Ogdensburg Free Academy in 1965 and went on to enlist in the Navy. He served on USS Annapolis (AGMR-1) off the coast of Vietnam and the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) before his honorable discharge in 1968. Upon his return, he graduated from the Local 81 Bricklayer’s Apprenticeship. Richard married Theresa Sweeney on July 4, 1970 at Notre Dame Church with Rev. Roland Menard officiating. He worked for the Alcoa Aluminum Company of America for over 32 years before retiring in 2005. He enjoyed people, could strike up a conversation anywhere with anyone, and he never met a car he didn’t like. His friends and family will remember that they were often surprised when he was visiting them because he would always show up in a car they didn’t recognize, and it was seldom the same as his last visit. He loved dancing, laughing, Elvis Presley, and, although he never knew the words to songs, he was always able to make them up when he sang them, and they were always funnier. His advice was free, freely offered, and always kind. He was a mason by trade and a builder by nature, and always available to help friends. Perhaps the only thing that he didn’t love was winter in the North Country, but he was somehow able to manage the cold by switching to a “winter t-shirt”. He is survived by his loving wife, Theresa (Tee) Legault; his two children, Richard L. Legault and his wife Suzanne, of Silver Spring, MD and Kathleen Whitchurch and her husband Christian, of Los Gatos, CA; his two grandchildren, Nicolas Legault and Elliot Whitchurch; his brothers, Laurent J. Legault and his wife Genieve, of Dayton, OH and Gerald E. Legault and his wife Virginia, Sweetwater, TN; his sister, Paulette Stearns and her husband Paul, of Louden, TN; and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents. In retirement Rick enjoyed traveling and riding with his “motorcycle gang” of dear friends, helping his friends, family, and neighbors where he could, and his special cat, Blizz. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Potsdam Human Society, 17 Madrid Ave, Potsdam, NY 13676 or Vietnam Veterans of America at https://vva.org/donate/. Condolences may be made online at www.fraryfuneralhomes.com