René Victor Cormier

René Victor Cormier

Born October 2, 1937 in Salem, Massachusetts - died March 14, 2024, in Beverly, Massachusetts.
 
René, affectionately known as “Lefty” when he was young because he was left-handed and nicknames were common, grew up in South Salem, then known as “Frenchtown.” He attended Saint Joseph’s Academy where lessons were in French. René excelled in sports and academics, and the nuns hoped he would be a priest; that’s what smart kids did in Frenchtown. However, he decided to pursue a secular life, and we are certainly glad for that decision, otherwise we wouldn’t be here to write this!
 
To afford college, René went Air Force ROTC at Lowell Technological Institute and graduated with a B.S. in chemical engineering. After graduating from Lowell Tech, he served in the Air Force and married Margaret (Marge) Moreau, a student at Salem State College when they met. In quick succession, René and Marge had three children: Mark, 1960, Michelle, 1962, and Nanette, 1963.

 Throughout the 1960s, the Cormiers moved between Delaware, Wisconsin, Virginia and St. Louis, Missouri. After leaving active duty in the Air Force, René worked as a chemical engineer for a paper company in Wisconsin, and was then hired by the Department of Defense as a research meteorologist at the Norfolk Naval Air Station in Virginia. While working full-time and raising his family, René also obtained his Master’s and pursued a Doctorate in Meteorology, both at St. Louis University. He also transitioned to the Air Force Reserves. René’s summer duty in the Reserves provided ample opportunities for entertaining and educational family vacations. Frequently Marge and René led Mark, Michelle and Nan on travels throughout the continent, and they enjoyed many picnics oceanside and at museums and historical sites.
 
In 1971, René moved with his family back to the North Shore of Boston and he became a research meteorologist at Hanscom Air Field in Bedford, Massachusetts. The Cormiers bought a house at 3 Greenleaf Drive in Danvers. René had a long career as a meteorologist at Hanscom and in the Reserves, ultimately earning the rank of full colonel. Later, René transitioned into research management at Hanscom and he earned an MBA in Management Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  René retired from the Department of Defense in the early 2000s. He then worked part time as a technical editor for the various publications of the American Meteorological Society.
 
Sadly, René’s beloved first wife Marge died of ovarian cancer in 2004. In 2006, René married Sandra Anastasi whose husband Jay Anastasi had also died from cancer. René and Sandra enjoyed good times together including traveling frequently with friends and family to Florida, Canada and elsewhere. In 2017 they moved from Danvers to Brooksby Village, a retirement community, in Peabody, Massachusetts.

In addition to his wife Sandra, René is survived by his brother Ronald (Ronnie) Cormier of Montreal, Quebec; his son Mark and wife Catherine Cormier of San Francisco, California; his daughter Michelle Graczyk  and husband Scott of Gloucester, Massachusetts; his daughter Nanette Cormier and husband Christopher Connolly of Arlington, Massachusetts; and seven grandchildren: Josephine and Samuel Cormier; Ana and Carl Graczyk; Sean, Norah and Dana Connolly. René was predeceased by his first wife, Margaret, his parents, Samuel and Bernadette Cormier, and his sister baby Pearl. He was also predeceased by his cherished half-sisters Cecile Gagne and Grace Denault daughters from his father’s first marriage, who were like second mothers to René and his brother Ronnie during their childhood.

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