Henry Paul Bibeau

BARRE - Henry Paul Bibeau, age 84, died peacefully on Thursday, January 29, 2015, after a long illness. Since December, he was a resident at the Rowan Court Health and Rehabilitation Center in Barre. He was a resident of the Washington Apartments in Barre and previously of the Limehurst Mobile Home Park in Williamstown for 30 years.
Born on June 30, 1930 in Lower Graniteville, he was the son of George and Agathe (Gingras) Bibeau. He attended Holy Ghost School in Graniteville and St. Michael's High School in Montpelier, graduating in 1949.
Henry was a veteran of the U.S. Marines serving from 1952 to 1954. In his younger years, Henry served as a lifeguard at Limehurst Lake where he later made his home. He worked as a police officer for the Barre Police Department for 30 years, retiring in 1986. Most people remember him as a crossing guard in downtown Barre. Henry was a boxer and participated in the Golden Gloves Boxing events at the Barre Auditorium and he won the Golden Gloves State Championship in 1949. In recent years, he would attend the annual boxing matches in Burlington, where he was recognized for his contributions to the sport of boxing as both a boxer and a coach. Henry enjoyed having people sign his History of the Golden Gloves book. He owned a 1963 Avanti Studebaker, which was a classic car at that time.
Henry was a member of the Coventry Club and Resort (aka Forest City Lodge) in Milton for 48 years (1963-2011). His other memberships include St. Monica Church & St. Sylvester's Church, Barre Fish & Game Club for 50 plus years, a lifetime member of the Barre Elks Lodge #1535, Canadian Club, Loyal Order of the Moose, and the American Legion, Post 10, of Barre.
Henry was an avid hunter and fisherman. His nephew, Brian Bibeau, built Henry several tree stands where he hunted in his later years. Over the years, he shot over 40 deer and 35 turkeys. He organized wild game feeds and bass fishing derbies at his summer camp. He had many hunting stories to tell and starting in 2000, JD Green from Froggy 100.9 created a Friday morning radio show for "The Tree Stand Man." On a weekly basis, Henry "The Tree Stand Man" would provide listeners with fascinating and humorous stories about his hunting experiences and would also offer hunting tips. This radio show went on for 8 years. Henry was very proud to be a part of this weekly show. The family would like to acknowledge JD Green for all he did for Henry over the years.
Henry never married, however, he considered his nephew, Brian "EZ DUZ IT" Bibeau and niece, Lori "Number 1" Bibeau, to be his son and daughter. He also considered their children to be his grandchildren, Derek "Yukon" Bibeau and Andrea "Angel" Bibeau.
Over the years, Henry required extensive medical and personal care. We would like to acknowledge his physicians and the staff for the outstanding care he received: Dr. Laura Felsted, Dr. Greg MacDonald, Dr. Shira Louria, Mountain View Medical, Rowan Health and Rehabilitation Center, SASH, Central Vermont Home Health, Council on Aging, Central Vermont Medical Center, Barre Housing Authority, The Galley, and the Lincoln House.
Survivors include Brian and Lori (Tucker) Bibeau, of Barre Town, Derek and his wife Vui (Kwasnik) Bibeau, and Andrea Bibeau, all of South Burlington; two brothers, Alcide and his wife Marie, of Graniteville, Lionel and his wife Judy of Saranac Lake, New York; two sisters, Gertrude Wills, of Barre, and Laurette and her husband George Caron, of Casselberry, Florida; nieces Debra Rosa, Catherine O'Kane and Barbara Jean Bibeau; great-nieces Jessica Rosa, Ashley Bibeau, Courtney O'Kane, Kelsey O'Kane and Corinne O'Kane; great-nephews Joshua Bibeau and Eric Bibeau: and great-great-nephews Hunter Bibeau, Nathaniel Bibeau and Sebastian Bibeau.
He was predeceased by his parents and nephew, Kevin Bibeau. Other "adopted" family include the entire Tucker family, who included Henry for holiday and camp gatherings. Also, the Dunkin Donuts & McDonald's coffee clan and numerous hunting and fishing camps where Henry spent his glory days!
A Mass of the Christian burial will be celebrated in St. Monica Catholic Church in Barre on Wednesday, February 4, 2015, at 11 a.m. There are no calling hours. A private burial will take place in the Williamstown Village Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Henry Bibeau Scholarship Fund, c/o Brian Bibeau, 236 Osborne Road, Barre, VT 05641.