Clarence J. Goguen

Leominster - Clarence J. Goguen, 82, died on Thursday, June 20, 2019, at UMass Memorial Healthcare Alliance Hospital in Leominster after a short illness.

He leaves two sons, Michael J. Goguen and his wife, Diane, of Hubbardston, and David Goguen of Columbia, Ky.; Three sisters, Eva Grivakis, Jeannette Kirkpatrick, and Dorothy Hatstat; former wife, Lucille Goguen of Leominster; two grandchildren, Jennifer Goguen, Hamilton, N.Y., Nicole (Goguen) Noel and her husband, Kyle, of Barre; and two great-grandchildren, Cole and Weston, and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his long-time partner, Angelie Belliveau, and a brother, Edmond Goguen, Jr.

Clarence was a long-time resident of Sterling, where he engaged in a wide range of hobbies, including camping, canoeing, fishing, woodworking, and small engine repair. He also served for a number of years as a leader and mentor for Sterling’s Boy Scout Troop 14.

He was born during the Great Depression on August 3, 1936, in Rumford, Me., a son of the late Edmond and Lorraine (Jacques) Goguen. He served in the Massachusetts Army National Guard for two years before enlisting for regular duty in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed initially at the Naval Air Base in South Weymouth, Ma., and later served aboard the USS Intrepid during the Lebanon Crisis. During his time in the Navy, he held rank as an aerial photographer and flew a number of missions in a wide variety of aircraft, including blimps.

Clarence began his working career as a teenager, setting up bowling pins before the advent of machines. He was also a lifeguard. After his military service he was employed at the Colonial Press in Clinton, Little Lake Industries in Leominster, Nypro, Inc., of Clinton, George Frost Company of Shirley, Village Transportation of Sterling, and for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts MWRA in Clinton.  

Throughout his life, he had a passion for photography. He was particularly fond of photographing lighthouses and spent much of his time traveling in Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, often spending weeks capturing images which would later be sold in shops along the Bold Coast and beyond.

Funeral arrangements will be handled by Wright-Roy Funeral Home, Inc., 109 West St., Leominster.  All services are private.

In Lieu of flowers, Clarence requests memorial donations be made to the Plimoth Plantation Annual Fund at Development Office, Plimoth Plantation, PO Box 1620, Plymouth, MA 02362 or the USS Intrepid Foundation (for more information, contact memberscvs11@gmail.com).

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