Gene "Pete" E. Caissie
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On January 5, 2021, Gene E. Caissie "Pete", passed away surrounded by his loving daughters and family members. He was born on February 10, 1940 to Antoine Caissie and Ouida DesJardins Caissie in Madawaska, Maine and is predeceased by his parents and five siblings - Elden Caissie, Albert Caissie, Joseph Caissie and twin sisters Annette Hebert and Julie Roberts.
Gene was a caring, sensitive and devoted husband, father and grandfather. When he was young his family moved to Biddeford, ME where he attended school and eventually enlisted in the U.S. Army. After his honorable discharge he married Rita Vallee and they raised two daughters, Tina and Robin, in Manchester, NH. Gene worked for many years as a life insurance salesman for Metropolitan and took much pride in his work. He cared deeply about his clients and many became his personal friends. In the 1970's Gene started running and eventually impressed his family and friends by completing his first marathon. His biggest joy was spending time with his daughters.
Life changed and Gene found himself working as part of the sales staff at DesJardins Jewelers on Elm Street in Manchester. Little did he know, this move would change his life forever. There he met the love of his life, Brenda (Garst) Oparowske, whom he eventually married in 1983. Gene also became a co-owner of the store and as he did with his insurance clients, Gene treated all of his customers with honesty and the utmost respect. He played a big part in finding the perfect piece of jewelry to celebrate engagements, anniversaries and many other life-changing occasions. During this time he also became the best gift-wrapper ever! After many years at the helm, Gene decided it was time to retire and he sold his half of the store in order to spend more time with Brenda and his family. Upon his retirement Gene took up wood-working. His natural abilities and high standards allowed him to create the most beautiful pieces of furniture that adorned every room of their home. Gene also loved spending time with his furry babies, Rocky, Annie and Rocky Jr. He and Brenda would walk their pups every day and spend time talking with all of their wonderful neighbors on Blodget Street.
Gene will be remembered by Brenda as the strongest most caring husband, and her best friend. He always put Brenda's needs first and had eyes only for her. One can only aspire and hope to have the kind of love that they had for one another.
Dad will always be remembered as the patriarch of his family. His daughter Tina Kelly and her husband Keith Kelly, and his daughter Robin O'Dwyer and her husband Stephen O'Dwyer will remember Gene as as a father who was second to none. He was the Dad who worked hard to give us what we needed so that we lacked nothing. Daddy was generous with his love, hugs and kisses and time. When we were children, Dad could be found in the backyard in June cleaning leaves (and often critters), out of the pool to get it ready for us to enjoy. Daddy made the best barbecue chicken on the charcoal grill and was the first one to pull out the marshmallows to toast after dinner. Dad made sand castles with us at the beach and helped us jump the waves. He played games with us - he was the dad who was playing kickball or kick-the-can in the street with all the kids in the neighborhood. He would rake big piles of leaves for us to jump into and would shovel huge snow "mountains" so we could make forts and have snowball fights. Dad volunteered to be the umpire at our softball games - we did get upset when we were at bat and he called strikes but he would grin his little grin and all was forgiven. On snowy nights Daddy would put us in our sleds and pull us up the deserted streets as the snow fell down around us. It was peaceful and perfect. As we grew up Dad was always there for us with caring but honest wisdom and advice. The pain we feel with his loss is indescribable.
His five grandchildren and their partners - Breanne Ziemba, Zachary Ziemba and his fianc? Malika Koeut, Trabyn Fisk, Seanna Kelly and Ryan Kelly, will all have wonderful memories of their Grandpa. Gene took so much pride in his grandchildren and enjoyed giving them special gifts for their birthdays. He loved spending time with them and was always generous with his love, time and resources. They were his joy.
Although Gene lived with Alzheimer's for many years, he passed away from Covid19. We wish we had more time with him but are so grateful that we were able to spend the last week by his side during our compassionate care visits. We take comfort from his strong faith in God - that we will see him again someday. Gene's family is deeply grateful to the care he received over the past two years from the staff at The Arbors of Bedford. Their skill, compassion and love provided Dad with the dignity, care and respect he deserved. He couldn't have been in better hands. Special thanks also to everyone at Bayada Hospice who cared for Dad and for our family. Please wear a mask.
Services: The Connor-Healy Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 537 Union Street, Manchester, NH is handling all arrangements. A private service was held on Saturday, January 9, 2021, followed by a Christian burial at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Manchester.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made in Gene's memory to Bayada Hospice, 194 Pleasant St. Suite 9, Concord, NH 03301, to Manchester Animal Shelter, 490 Dunbarton Rd, Manchester, NH 03102 or to the Alzheimer's Association.
For more information visit: www.connorhealy.com.