Richard P. Brouillard, 91

MEREDITH — Attorney Richard P. Brouillard died at his home in Meredith on Dec. 3, 2019, surrounded by his loving family, after a period of declining health.

He was born in Laconia on Jan. 1, 1928, son of the late Euclide and Aurore (Nadeau) Brouillard.

He attended Sacred Heart Elementary School, graduating in 1942; graduated from Laconia High School in 1946; from the University of New Hampshire with bachelor of arts degree in 1950; and from Georgetown University Law School, Washington, D.C., with a J.D. degree in 1953.

He was admitted to practice law in New Hampshire in 1953, and practiced law in Laconia until he retired from the New Hampshire Bar on July 1, 2019, except for 2½ years while on active duty as an officer of the Judge Advocate General Corps., U.S. Army Reserves, having attained rank of captain.

He returned to Laconia in summer of 1956 to begin his practice of law. He was appointed Laconia City Solicitor in 1958 and, in 1960, was elected to his first of three two-year terms as Belknap County Attorney. Attorney Brouillard prosecuted hundreds of defendants in the Weirs Beach Riot of 1965.

He is an Honorary Member of the American Bar and New Hampshire Bar Associations, and also a member of Belknap County Bar Association, having served as president of the latter organization. He is also a lifetime member of the Belknap County Law Enforcement Association.

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor Dalmass Brouillard, and his three children, Attorney Philip A. Brouillard, of Laconia, with whom he practiced law, daughter Michele Brouillard Flynn and her husband, Terrence J. Flynn, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and son, Damien P. Brouillard and his husband, Kevin J. Bliss, of Washington, D.C. He is also survived by his four grandchildren, Benjamin Philip Brouillard, Marc Eric Brouillard, Michael Richard Flynn, and Megan Gloria Flynn; as well as by nephews Robert A. Brouillard and William R. Davis and nieces Diane Brouillard Morse and Catherine Rein. Also surviving him are his step-children, Michele Villabos, Cheryl Miller, Lauren Moriarity, Brian Dalmass, Christopher Dalmass, and Julie Hazard; and 17 step-grandchildren.

In addition to his first wife, Carmen Houle, who died on Oct. 27, 1989, he was predeceased by his parents; his brothers, Norman R. Brouillard in 2014 and Raymond E. Brouillard in 1981; and by a niece, Lynn Ann Brouillard, in 1983.

He was active politically, as chairman of the Belknap County Republican Committee from 1967 until 1970; elected as delegate-at-large to the Republican National Convention in 1972; and served as fiscal agent for Governor Walter Peterson’s last gubernatorial election campaign.

Attorney Brouillard was elected to the New Hampshire General Court in 1974 and appointed Assistant Republican Majority Whip, Vice-Chair of the Executive Departments and Administration Committee, and Chair of the Sub-Committee on Elections. Also on a state level, he served as a member of New Hampshire Health & Welfare Advisory Commission, Chairman of the Health and Welfare Appeals Board, Belknap Area Law Enforcement Planning Council of The Governor’s Commission of Crime and Delinquency, and on The Governor’s Commission on Laws Affecting Children.

He and his late wife, Carmen Brouillard, hosted many “meet-and-greet” events at their former home at 300 Holman St. for candidates for national, state, and local offices, including President George H.W. Bush.

Locally, he served as trustee and president of the Lakes Region General Hospital, The Taylor Home, for more than 20 years as trustee and also as president, Grand Knight, Laconia Council 428, Knights of Columbus, Faithful Navigator, Monsignor Sliney Assembly, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus; and on the first Sacred Heart Parish Council.

Attorney Brouillard was an active alumnus of the University of New Hampshire, having served as president of his UNH class since 1967, and leading in the formation of the Lakes Region Alumni Chapter. In 1992, the University of New Hampshire recognized his loyal service as an alumnus by awarding him the Alumni Meritorious Service Medal.

A lifetime communicant of Sacred Heart Church of Saint Andre Bessette Parish, he was appointed by the Vatican a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem on June 11, 1998, in recognition of his service as a Catholic layperson, and his civic activities.

He served as secretary of Laconia Community Development Corporation, Peoples Community Development Corporation during the l 970s in the redevelopment of downtown Laconia, and rehabilitation of several residential dwellings in the city.

Over a period of more than 20 years, he was a director of the New Hampshire Music Festival, serving three terms as president. He also served as president of Lakes Region Community Concerts Association for several years prior to its dissolution.

Attorney Brouillard earned the prestigious AV rating from Martindale Hubbell Law Directory and was named in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers 2004 88th Edition.

Despite his many accomplishments, he was most satisfied assisting his many clients in their legal service needs throughout a 65-plus-year career. He was a lawyer’s lawyer and a people’s lawyer. His integrity, thoroughness, geniality, and consummate professionalism endeared him to friend and foe alike and inspired amazing devotion between his clients and himself, spanning decades and generations.

Calling Hours will be on Sunday, Dec. 8, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, using the Carriage House entrance.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, Dec. 9, at 10 a.m. at St. Andre Bessette Parish-St. Joseph Church, 30 Church St., Laconia. Burial will follow with full military honors at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Garfield Street, Laconia.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.