Obituaries
Obituary: Elmer “Skip” Norman Paquette, 75, of Wallingford
Skip, a devoted family man and active member of the community, was a decorated U.S. Army veteran, serving in the Special Forces Green Beret.
WALLINGFORD, CT - (From Wallingford Funeral Home) Elmer “Skip” Norman Paquette (75) passed away peacefully on Friday, April 15, 2022 at Yale New Haven Hospital. He was the loving husband to Julie Elizabeth (Campbell) Paquette for the past 53 years.
He was born on August 1, 1946 at Norwich Hospital to the late Elmer Joseph and Margaret (Dam) Paquette. He is the eldest of four brothers and one sister. He graduated from Norwich Vocational Technical High School in 1965 where he specialized in carpentry.
Later in life, he attended Capitol Community College and obtained an Associate’s Degree in Computer Aided Drafting. Upon his degree being conferred, he started SP Drafting and Design.
In 1965, he was drafted into the Vietnam War. He spent his military service in the Army. Throughout his years in the military, he served in the Special Forces Green Beret in various areas of the Pacific including Korea and Vietnam. He was a sharpshooter and a part of the 101st Airborne. He received several military honors Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal Ribbon, Army Presidential Unit Citation.
He was also a Purple Heart Recipient. He was Honorably discharged from the military in 1969 due to an injury.
He worked at Corometrics Medical Systems in Wallingford when he was first married. Then, he worked at the Veteran’s Affair Hospital in West Haven where he was the supervisor of grounds for approximately 15 years.
Skip and his wife, Julie, had four children: Dean, Joseph, Lori and Jennifer. When his boys joined the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), he joined right along with them. He started out as a Cub Scout Master and later started Troop 3 as a Boy Scoutmaster.
He enjoyed teaching all the boys ham radio at Merritt Badge College. He was an adult advisor of the Quinnipiac Dance Team. He received several awards from the BSA including: Vigil Order of the Arrow, Silver Beaver and District Award of Merritt. Later in his life, he loved being a grandfather to his five grandchildren.
He enjoyed spending time with his family boating and fishing at the family cabin in Acworth, NH at Crescent Lake.
He belonged to several different organizations: VFW of Wallingford, American Legion of Wallingford and Meriden-Wallingford Amateur Radio Club. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Wallingford for over 40 years.
In addition to his wife Julie, he is survived by his children, Dean Paquette (Rebecca) of Wallingford, Joseph Paquette of Wallingford, Lori Blue (Eddie) of New Haven, and Jennifer Patraw (Kevin) of Southington; his grandchildren, Dean Paquette Jr., Zachary Paquette, Christian Paquette, Brandyn Blue and Destiny Blue; his siblings, Kenneth Paquette Sr. and Sharon Arters (Allen); several nieces, nephews, many friends and his beloved dog, Emma.
He was predeceased by his brothers, Francis Paquette and Donald Paquette; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Dean and Beverly Campbell; and his nephew, Christopher Paquette.
A funeral service will be held on May 7, 2022 at 11am at the First United Methodist Church, 941 Old Rock Hill Rd., Wallingford. Interment with Military Honors will be in the church’s memorial garden.
Arrangements are under the direction of The Wallingford Funeral Home.
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