Thursday’s funeral procession exemplified the influence and respect Emile “Bill” Lapierre had gathered over the course of his 80 years of life. The ladder trucks from Orleans Fire Department and the Newport City Fire Department suspended a gigantic flag in honor of Mr. Lapierre as members of local and distant fire departments salute the procession. Photos by Richard Creaser
ORLEANS — In hindsight it was easy to understand how one young boy confused Thursday morning’s funeral procession for Emile “Bill” Lapierre with a parade. A long line of firetrucks and ambulances slowly wended its way through Orleans Village en route to St. Theresa’s Church for the November 6 service for Mr. Lapierre, who died on November 3. Though gathered to commemorate the passing of one of their own, the assembled firefighters and EMTs were also celebrating the life of a truly community-minded man.
Perhaps the most fitting tribute came from the way Mr. Lapierre was brought to the church and to his final resting place at Pleasantview Cemetery. Mr. Lapierre’s casket was loaded aboard the Orleans Fire Department’s 1938 LaFrance engine, a vehicle that was still relatively new when Mr. Lapierre joined the department in 1944. For a man who had dedicated 64 years of his life to the fire department, it seemed most fitting that his final journey should be made aboard a fire engine.
More than 200 family and friends gathered at St. Theresa’s to bid farewell to one of the town’s most-beloved sons. As well respected as he was in his community, the love and admiration of Bill Lapierre extended far beyond the borders of Orleans or the town of Barton.
“Bill was the fire department,” Orleans Fire Chief Nate Peart said on Monday. “Most of us grew up watching Bill go off to fight a fire.”
Firetrucks and ambulances in the procession came from Barton, Charleston, Derby Line, Glover, Irasburg, Lowell, Newport, North Troy and Westmore. Representatives from fire departments as close as Brighton and Newport Center and as distant as Burlington and Highgate gathered to pay their respects to their departed comrade.
Mr. Lapierre served as the chief of the Orleans Fire Department for 30 years and was still involved in every aspect of the department’s operations.
In solemn tribute to Emile “Bill” Lapierre, Orleans Fire Chief Nate Peart carries the chief’s helmet.
Always willing to lend a hand or make calls to ensure that fire crews turned out, he remained a vigilant presence whose loyalty to his hometown and his beloved firehouse never diminished.
“I believe Bill felt a certain amount of responsibility for us,” Orleans Fire Department Lieutenant Jay Ratté said at Thursday’s service. “If any of us got hurt he would take it as a failure on his part to keep us safe.”
In tribute to their beloved comrade, Mr. Ratte announced, Mr. Lapierre’s safety tags — small plastic and metal tags used to identify the firefighters responding to a call — would be placed on Engine Number Seven. That fire engine is the department’s pumper and the first vehicle dispatched from the firehouse, Chief Peart said.
“It will be a reminder that Bill will always be with us,” Chief Peart said.
The extent of Mr. Lapierre’s service is catalogued in the dozens of plaques and certificates he has received over the years, said his long-time friend Joe Blair at Thursday’s service. Simply to recount, that host of awards would provide material enough for a book. But the true worth of Bill Lapierre was measured not by the number of awards he earned but, rather, by the tremendous positive contributions he made to his community. His dedication to the fire service will remain his lasting legacy.
“Bill is one of the guys of this village that is going to be remembered for years and years and years,” Mr. Blair said. “As we head up to the cemetery and listen to last call, we will know that Bill is coming home.”
Karen Lapierre, Mr. Lapierre’s daughter, spoke of her gratitude for the fine showing in honor of her father.
“You have all been a very big part of our life,” she told the assembled crowd. “I ask you please to pray for my mother, who at this moment is preparing to go meet my father.”
Annette Lapierre would die later that afternoon, hastening to rejoin her departed husband.
“Annette and Bill were just a great couple,” Chief Peart recalled on Monday. “They were always together. They will always be together.”
Members of the Orleans Fire Department escort the 1938 LaFrance engine bearing Mr. Lapierre to the funeral service at St. Theresa’s Church in Orleans on Thursday. Pictured from front to back are: Lieutenant Jay Ratté, Lieutenant Robert Hoyt, Captain Scott Burdick, Assistant Chief Ed Girard and Chief Nate Peart. Also present, though obscured, were Assistant Chief Ron Hoyt and Captain Seth Rowell.
Father Sixmund Nyabenda officiated at Thursday’s service. Father Nyabenda’s words seemed especially well chosen for a memorial to Mr. Lapierre.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God,” Father Nyabenda said. “Behind the pain and sorrow we feel, is the reality that now he is in the hands of God. Sorrow gives way to the bright promise of immortality.”
In his quest to protect both his beloved firefighters and his community, Bill Lapierre, through the Orleans Fire Department, has achieved the kind of immortality reserved for people who have made a selfless difference in the lives of others.
Orleans Fire Department honors hometown heros
In November of 2008, both the Lapierre family and the Orleans Fire Department lost two very special people — Emile "Bill" Lapierre, who was 80, and Annette Idythe (Butler) Lapierre, who was 73. Both died, leaving behind them a long legacy of hard work and dedication.
At a very early age, Mr. Lapierre was inspired by Fire Chief F.J. Kinney and joined the fire department, dedicating 50 plus years of his life to it. On June 27, 1953, Mr. and Mrs. Lapierre were married and later had six children.
Mr. Lapierre was a World War II veteran, serving with the U.S. Army. He later became a post commander for American Legion Orleans Post #23. In the mid-1970s, he became the chief of the Orleans Fire Department.
During this time, each firetruck was equipped with a CB radio. Mr. and Mrs. Lapierre bought a base radio and soon began dispatching for the Orleans Fire Department. They had what was called “the red phone,” which was dedicated to answering fire department calls. Later, they became radio dispatchers for the Orleans Emergency Unit, as well as the answering service for both the Barton and Orleans villages to assist with power outages, etc.
In 1981, Mr. Lapierre was voted Fire Chief of the Year. In 1994, he retired as fire chief, and became a life member of the Orleans Fire Department, as well as the Vermont State Firefighter's Association. He and Mrs. Lapierre were honored by Joint Senate Resolution 68 in March of 1994.
Mr. Lapierre was born September 2, 1928, and died peacefully at his home on November 3, 2008. He received his last ride aboard the Orleans Fire Department's 1938 International fire engine on November 6.
Annette Idythe (Butler) Lapierre was born on April 23, 1935, and died on November 6, 2008. She also received her last ride aboard the 1938 International. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lapierre received a wonderful sendoff, with firefighters and emergency medical technicians lining the sides of the road and saluting as they passed, then marching behind the '38' to the church.
On behalf of the Orleans Fire Department, I would like to say thank you to both Mr. and Mrs. Lapierre for their many years of service and dedication. We all miss them. — submitted by Orleans firefighter Justin Peart.
