NEWBURYPORT - Joseph Raymond Garand, 80, devoted husband, father and grandfather, died Monday, Jan. 21, 2008, surrounded by his beloved family after a long courageous battle with severe Parkinson's disease.

Born Feb. 18, 1927 in Newburyport, he was the son of Jeremie and Anna (Levesque) Garand. As a youth he enjoyed visiting his family's cottage on Plum Island, performed in the St. Louis Gonzague Bell Choir and participated in the parish ice hockey team under the direction of Rev. Armand Provost. At the age of 17 he left his studies at Newburyport High School in Dec. of 1944 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served on flying boat coastal patrol crews as a communication and gunner specialist. He was honorably discharged in July 1946 with the rank of Seaman First Class.Read this article in full with a
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