Woonsocket –
Paul E. Papineau, 82, passed away Friday December 29, 2017 at home. He was the
loving and devoted husband of Helen C. (Laliberte) Papineau. They celebrated
their 55th wedding anniversary on August 4, 2017.
Born and raised in Central Falls, Paul was the eldest son of the late Louis and
Annette (Fredette) Papineau. He was a graduate of the former Sacred Heart
Academy in Central Falls, received his Bachelor’s degree from Providence
College in 1957, and his Master’s in Education from the University of Southern
California in 1968.
Paul began his career in education as a teacher at his former high school. In
the early 1960s, he accepted a positon with the U.S. Department of Defense
Dependents Schools (DoDDS), where he taught English, French, and Social Studies
to the children of U.S. military personnel stationed abroad. A number of foreign
assignments over the next 30 years took him and Helen to the Azores (Portugal),
Dreux (France), and Frankfurt (Germany). From 1973 to 1979, he was assistant
director at the AFCENT School, a multinational school for military dependents in
the Netherlands, where he served as liaison between the international office of
the director and the four national sections of the school. In 1977, he
transferred to Nurnberg, Germany where he became deputy principal at Nurnberg
Elementary School.
In 1979, Paul accepted a promotion to be principal of the elementary school in
Worms, Germany, where he served until his retirement in 1991. During his tenure,
he was involved with the planning the construction of a new school, was the
convention chair for the European Congress of Parents and Teachers, and a
founding member of the European Affiliate of the National of Elementary School
Principals, Overseas Association of Dependents Association School
Administrators, and the Federal Managers Association.
Paul and Helen returned to Rhode Island in 1991. Never one to slow down,
Paul’s retirement years saw him arguably more active than in his previous
years. His musical inclination as a drum and bugle corps enthusiast led him to
join St. Kevin’s Drum & Bugle Corps. He was a tour guide at the John Brown
House Museum in Providence, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, and the
Slater Mill Historic Site. He was also a guide and interpreter for Destinations
North America in Newport where he led tours in English, French, and German for
foreign visitors.
Paul was also a volunteer for the Museum of Work and Culture and was an active
member of St. Joseph’s Parish in Woonsocket. He was also committed to the
promotion, preservation, and celebration of the French language and
French-Canadian culture through the Alliance Francaise in Providence, Club
Richelieu, Club Aram Pothier, and the American-French Genealogical Society. Paul
was inducted into the French Canadian Hall of Fame in 2014. He was a member of
the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, the Rhode Island and
Woonsocket Historical Societies, American Overseas Schools Historical Society,
the 443rd Civil Affairs Company U.S. Army Reserve. He also worked as an
assistant at Menard-Lacouture Funeral Homes.
Paul is also survived by his daughters, Theresa Saritelli and her husband Kenny
of Johnston (RI) and Lisa Fulton and her husband Jay of Hanford (CA). He was the
very proud grandfather of Valerie Fulton. He was the brother of Raymond Papineau
(FL), Donald Papineau and his wife Pamela (MA), Pauline Papineau (RI), and the
late Gerald “Gerry” Papineau. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews
and their families.
His funeral will be Saturday January 6th at 10:00 am from the Menard-Lacouture
Funeral Home, 127 Carrington Avenue, Woonsocket followed by a Mass of Christian
Burial at 11:00 am at St. Joseph’s Church, Mendon Road, Woonsocket. Burial in
Notre Dame Cemetery in Pawtucket will be private.
Visiting hours are Friday from 4-7 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations
can be made to Hope Hospice and Palliative Care of RI, 1085 North Main St.
Providence, RI. 02904.
