Walter E. St. Sauveur "Elvis": Welder, Autobody Mechanic, Metal Sculpture Artist

Walter E. St. Sauveur, 77, of Woonsocket, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at the Woonsocket Health Center,  with his loving family by his side. 

He was the beloved husband for 56 years of Claudette Y. (Gravel) St. Sauveur.

Born in Woonsocket in January of 1936, he was the son of the late Walter J. and Valentine E. (Vivequin) St. Sauveur. He was a devoted son and spent nearly his entire life living in the same neighbourhood, purchasing a home for his family near to his own parents.

As a young man, he was known as "Elvis". A car and motorcycle enthusiast, he was known to put on his leather jacket and ride his Harley all the way to New York just to drink a cup of coffee and ride home again.

He was a welder for Tower Iron of Seekonk. When many of the mills moved south, he worked hard to provide for his young family, teaching himself autobody work. He eventually became an autobody man for Garelick Farms, where he remained until his retirement in 1996. He also ran an autobody shop with his son, Marc, for several years.

Walter was a francophone who enjoyed cracking jokes in his native Canuck French. He was known for his boisterous sense of humor, and his habit of fondly giving nicknames to almost everyone he interacted with.

He loved the outdoors, especially the sun and the ocean, and was heartbroken when his favorite local beach, Moonstone, was closed to protect endangered birds.

A creative man with a taste for the unique, he welded his own metal sculptures and decorated his yard with eclectic arrangements of "found art".

He had a lifelong love of music, from Doo-wop to Country to Tina Turner, 
and enjoyed live concerts at Indian Ranch and other outdoor venues. He rarely missed local performances of "King's Row". He was a fan of both local radio stations, WNRI and WOON, often listening to Greg Bell's "old time radio" shows or exercising his impeccable memory with the "Do You Remember?" program.

He was extremely fond of animals, especially his very large housecat, Snoopy, who was close beside him throughout his last illness at home.  

When his ailments took him into a week-long hospital stay, followed by care at a nursing home,  he was constantly visited and cared for by family and many friends, especially his long-time friend, Jerry Callei.
Compassionate aides who went "above and beyond" also made his time there more comfortable. 

In his later years, he was a communicant of St. Joseph's church on Mendon road.

His greatest joy was spending time with family, friends and neighbours, and he will be greatly missed.

He was the loving father of Constance St. Sauveur, Marc St.Sauveur and his wife Michelle, all ofWoonsocket; Debra A. Desilets and her husband Richard of North Smithfield; Denise Volpe and her husband John, of Warwick, and Donna VanReysen and her husband, Curt of Gloucester.

He leaves his cherished granchildren, Melissa St.Sauveur-LaBrecque, Marissa St.Sauveur, Nicole St. Sauveur-Bergeron, Marc St.Sauveur, jr., Matthew, Timothy and Stephanie Desilets, BrittanyRosemond, Meghan and Courtney Cusson, Bryan Giguere, and Emma VanReysen.

He was predeceased by one grandchild, Emily Marissa St.Sauveur.

He also had five great-grandchildren, Natalia Cusson, Javian Rosemond, Haylee Lesperance, Hunter Desilets, 
and his youngest great-grandchild, Finnegan Walter Bergeron, named for him, who was born just 55 minutes before Walter died.

He was able to hear this news, and then closed his eyes and passed very peacefully soon after, surrounded closely by his loving family.

His wake will be Wednesday, May 1 from 4:00 to 8:00 pm at CARTIER'S FUNERAL HOME,  151 South Main street (Rte 126) in Bellingham, Massachusett's

The funeral will begin at 9:30 am at Cartier's on Thursday, 
followed by a Mass of Christian burial at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph's Church, 1200 Mendon Road, Woonsocket. Internment will follow at St. Jean Baptiste cemetery in Bellingham. Family and friends are invited to attend.

To sign the guestbook, please visit www.cartiersfuneralhome.com