Retired Army Col. Louis Joseph LaMarche Jr. of Farragut passed away Feb. 24. He was 88.
Mr. LaMarche was a loving son, brother, husband, father, uncle, cousin, grandfather, and great-grandfather who loved his faith, his family, his beloved city of Farragut, his Clemson Tigers, and being a competitive runner. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Mr. LaMarche was born to the late Louis Joseph LaMarche Sr. and wife Emma Helen (Faccenda) LaMarche in Worcester, Mass. He spent his formative years in Charleston, S.C., and graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, which prepared him for his 42-year career in the paper industry.
Mr. LaMarche holds a U.S. patent for drainage profile tests for papermaking. He became very involved in his Farragut community, where he spent 15 years serving on the Board of Zoning Appeals as well as the Visual Resources Review Board. He was the first man in the National League of Cities to receive the “Stand By Your Spouse” Award. He spoke at schools and clubs, portraying Admiral Farragut for the town of Farragut and represented the historic naval officer in the 4th of July parade for many years.
Mr. LaMarche served as chairman of the Farragut Museum Committee and docent of the Farragut Museum. He was a member of the Senior Citizen Awareness Network (SCAN) for eight years. He served on the Patient/Family Advisory Council at Tennova Hospital, and he proudly graduated from the Knox County Sheriff’s Academy and the Citizens Fire and EMS Academy.
Mr. LaMarche also was a member of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Lewis Nathanson.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Mary Dorothy Hughes; children and spouses, Michelle LaMarche Smith (Jaimie), Therese LaMarche Jones (Lane), and Denise LaMarche Heaney (Brian); grandchildren, Casey Michael Jones (Candace), Alexander Lane Jones, Bennett Patrick Heaney, Katherine Michelle Heaney, Matthew Louis Heaney, and Cameron Grace Heaney; great-grandchildren, Amelia Grey Jones and Max Graham Jones; and sisters and brother-in-law, Carol LaMarche Nathanson and Barbara LaMarche Holst and husband, Tom.
A funeral Mass for Mr. LaMarche was celebrated on March 1 at St. John Neumann Church, with burial following at Calvary Cemetery in Nashville.
Donations in Mr. LaMarche’s memory may be made to one of his favorite charities, Tunnels to Towers Foundation (www.t2t.org), Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org), or to Tennessee Right to Life (www.tnrtl.org).