Leo C. Brochu

May 16, 1924 - December 30, 2020

Leo C. Brochu, 96, of Glens Falls, passed peacefully at home on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. Leo was born on May 16, 1924, in the farming village of Saint-Magloire in French-speaking Quebec. He was one of 12 children born to Charles Brochu and Philomène Noёl, six of whom survived to adulthood. Growing up on a small farm during the Great Depression taught Leo values that remained with him throughout life: love of family, an appreciation for hard work, and independence. As a youth, he worked on the farm, delivered firewood to neighbors in a horse-drawn wagon for pennies a day, and later took a job as a lumberman at a Canadian logging company. Leo emigrated to the United States in his early 20s. He spoke little English, but eventually mastered the language through immersion: reading newspapers, going to the movies, and speaking to friends and co-workers. He spent the next decade traveling throughout the U.S., working in Michigan, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, and Maryland. He worked at an auto plant in Detroit, and as a lumberman at logging companies throughout the northeast. He was also a heavy equipment operator, helping to build Saint Lawrence Seaway locks in Massena, N.Y., and later working on construction of the Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station in Niagara Falls. Eventually, he became a certified mechanic. In Tupper Lake, N.Y., Leo met the love of his life—Dawn Bliss—in early 1954. They were married within six months, and started a family that eventually included five children: René, Ronald, Nancy, Steven, and Edmund. Of all the jobs he held and places he worked, nothing gave him more satisfaction than being a husband and father. He also worked hard studying civics and history to prepare for his citizenship examination, and in 1959 became an American citizen. Leo settled in Glens Falls with his growing family in 1961, eventually taking a job as an auto mechanic in the city’s Department of Public Works (DPW) in 1963. He rose to the position of head mechanic, and the city’s fleet of assorted trucks and plows were always ready for service under his watchful eye. In the aftermath of Buffalo’s great blizzard of ’77, he represented Glens Falls when DPW crews statewide traveled to Buffalo to dig the city out of a 100-inch snowstorm. Leo retired in 1987. He wintered in Florida for 30 years, and enjoyed summers at home with his family in New York. His work ethic never abandoned him, however. In the ensuing decades, he could be found at his Harrison Avenue home, cutting and stacking firewood, repairing cars in his garage, and working on other home projects. Leo loved to fish, enjoyed Sunday picnics with his family, and always took time for an afternoon nap. He also preferred Dawn’s home-cooked meals to dining out in restaurants. While Leo left Canada, his homeland never left him. He returned often, taking his children on family vacations and reunions to visit aunts, uncles, and cousins in Ontario and Quebec. From him, his children—and later grandchildren—learned an abiding respect and appreciation for our neighbors to the north. Leo is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Dawn (Bliss) Brochu of Glens Falls; son René and wife Deborah (Henkel) Brochu of Queensbury; son Ronald and wife Julie (Clark) Brochu of Glens Falls; daughter Nancy (Brochu) Bell and husband Brian of Glens Falls; son Steven of Latham (predeceased by Joann {Hannigan} Brochu); and son Edmund and wife Jamie (Trombley) Brochu of Queensbury. He also leaves behind 13 devoted grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, and other relations in Canada. Leo was a long-time communicant at St. Alphonsus Church in Glens Falls, and after the closing of St. Alphonsus he attended services at St. Mary’s-St. Paul’s Church in Hudson Falls. In retirement, Leo never stopped working. It kept him young. He lived nearly 97 years, grateful each day to be blessed with the two things that mattered most to him: good health and a loving family. His family will be forever grateful for the love and devotion he shared with them during his life. A private mass was held for Leo on January 2 at St. Michael’s Church in South Glens Falls, followed by interment at Pine View Cemetery in Queensbury. Leo’s family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to everyone who comforted and supported him in his final days, including the staff members of Glens Falls Fire Department Emergency Services, Glens Falls Hospital, and High Peaks Hospice. Contributions may be made in Leo’s memory to High Peaks Hospice at highpeakshospice.org, or to St. Catherine’s Center for Children in Albany at www.st-cath.org