Armand Bolduc succumbs to cancer

Served 34 years on Laconia City Council

By RICK GREEN, LACONIA DAILY SUN

LACONIA — Armand Bolduc, who served on the City Council for 34 years, presided over a farm including a herd of bison and had a passion for making Christmas special for young people, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 78.

Armand Bolduc died in his home at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, family members confirmed.

Bolduc, who hadn’t seen a doctor since having a knee problem in 1969, checked into a hospital in mid-February with severe abdominal pains and was diagnosed with advanced cancer.

As mayor pro tem, Bolduc presided over City Council meetings for four months while Mayor Ed Engler received treatment in California for colon cancer. Engler returned in January.

One of 14 children born on a historic Gilford dairy farm, Bolduc learned from an early age that hard work was the family’s way of life.

His son, Donald Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general, said his father instilled in him and his siblings a strong work ethic that has served them well.

“He was, and I mean this in a very respectful way, like having a drill sergeant for a dad,” he said. “He was very interested in our wellbeing, our discipline and in instilling values, ethics, faith and, more importantly, a merit-based outlook on life. You work hard and get what you deserve. It was a very productive childhood in terms of staying focused, having a work ethic and never quitting.”

On Feb. 26, Armand Bolduc made his last appearance at a City Council meeting. He said he was still ready to help the public.

“I am home and will take calls,” he said. “I want to stay involved and keep going and want to help anybody in Ward 6 or in any of the other wards.”

Donald Bolduc said his father fought hard to keep going, keeping up on City Council details, seeking briefings and watching the meetings on television.

Even as he was in serious decline a week ago, he watched a tedious council meeting that stretched over more than two hours.

“He insisted on sitting upright and watching,” his son said. “It was a testament to how he didn’t want to let this get him down. He fought to the bitter end and remained involved in his responsibilities,” he said. “We learned that from him. When I got injured on the battlefield, I didn’t get evacuated. I stayed to continue my mission, even though I should have been evacuated.”

He said his father was a serious man but also had a soft side, liked family time and even played the occasional practical joke, such as when he waved the feed bucket at the bison with his son nearby.

“You could feel the ground shake,” he recalled. “He wasn’t putting me in danger. He knew the buffalo and knew how fast his son was. I jumped a rock wall and must have cleared it by 10 feet. He was laughing.”

The elder Bolduc enjoyed relaxing with family at the end of a long day by nibbling on popcorn and watching “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,” chuckling about how the show’s host, Marlin Perkins, did most of the talking, while sidekick Jim Fowler did most of the capturing and controlling of wild animals.

Mayor Ed Engler called Bolduc a “Yankee original.”

“He had all the classic traits one associates with the classic Yankee,” he said. “He was very patriotic, proud of his family, a true and loyal friend.”

City Manager Scott Myers said Bolduc had a great love for the community and people he served as the Ward 6 councilor. He also spoke of Bolduc’s tremendous work ethic.

“When you are a working farmer, you go seven days a week and don’t stop until your chore or task list is done,” Myers said. “He brought that same work ethic to representing Laconia. He wanted input from residents and constituents so he could represent their views. He told me, ‘I do what the people want me to do.’ He was sitting in the seat, but he was there to represent constituents.”

Bolduc took a special interest in the Lakeport area, including helping in the founding of the Freight Museum and calling for the preservation of the Lakeport Fire Station.

Born on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, to Charles and Aurora Bolduc, Armand began milking cows at age 5.

“We peddled milk all over Laconia,” Bolduc once said in an interview with the Laconia Daily Sun. “I started as soon as I could carry milk bottles. My dad had a 1929 Chevy wagon, but when the snow was heavy, we hitched the horses to the sleigh.”

Bolduc said he rose at 5 a.m., milked the cows, downed breakfast and went to school, then milked again after school. Sometimes friends would join him on the farm for early chores and a full meal.

When he reached 20, Bolduc moved to Laconia, taking a job as an engraver at Sawyer’s Jewelry.

When Sawyer’s began a trophy business, Saymore Trophy Company, Bolduc went to work there assembling and engraving trophies on the third floor of a building next to the Belknap Mill overlooking the river. He later worked for Gove Electric, Laconia Electric and Trustworthy Hardware.

All the while, he continued work on the family farm. His father had abandoned dairy operations around 1970, and when his health began to fail, sold the farm to another of his sons, Hector, the priest at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, across the street from the farm. It was Hector who decided to bring in a bison herd.

A time or two the herd got loose, including once last summer when the 1,000-pound animals, who can reach speeds of 35 mph, broke through a fence. A couple major roads had to be closed while they were rounded up.

Bolduc and his brother, Ernie, were the elves “Twinkle” and “Tinsel” at Christmas Village, a place where children can play games, meet Santa, board a sleigh, do arts and crafts and receive presents, all at no charge.

The elaborate village made its 43rd annual appearance last December, thanks to the work of the brothers and their friend, Councilor Bob Hamel.

Bolduc lent his time and effort to Christmas Village for decades. Last holiday season, he said it’s important to keep the tradition going because, without it, some children might have very little during the holidays.

He recalled when a developmentally disabled child uncharacteristically raised his head in wonderment at his surroundings during a visit to the village, which is set up in a community center.

“It brought tears to his parents’ eyes,” Bolduc said. “They were just amazed at his reaction. It brought tears to our eyes, too. That tells you the whole thing was worth it.”

A Requiem Mass will be celebrated at noon Friday in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Gilford. Burial will follow in the family lot in the Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery.

– See obituary, page 30

While Armand Bolduc served 34 years on the City Council, he was first and foremost a farmer. He continued the long family tradition of making maple syrup. He’s shown here doing just that on March 28, 2008. (Courtesy photo/Alan MacRae)

Armand Bolduc, right, campaigns for his spot on the Laconia City Council last fall, with support from his son, Don Bolduc. (File photo)

Armand Bolduc speaks with President George H.W. Bush at the Mount Washington dock, circa 1984, as their wives look on. (Courtesy photo)