Roland Leclerc, 95, of the Villages, FL, (formerly of New Britain, CT), passed away on October 9, 2022 at Cornerstone Hospice, with his family by his side.
Roland was born in Bristol, CT on June 18, 1927, the son of the late Francois and Azilda Leclerc. He was predeceased in 2019 by his wife of 67 years, Terry, and also earlier by a daughter, Rita Pavlovich Cox, a son, Roger Leclerc, a son-in-law, Rick Moisan, and a brother and sister. He is survived by his four daughters, Janet (Rich) Scavilla of Melbourne, FL; Judy (John) Mazzali of Simsbury, CT; Lisa Moisan (Phil Dobson) of Woodbury, CT; and Linda (James) Russo of the Villages, FL, with whom he lived for the past three years. He is also survived by ten grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Roland lived in Bristol, CT as a young boy, moved with his family to Canada for a number of years, and moved back to CT, settling in New Britain to raise his family and start his business.
He joined the U.S. Navy in 1945, serving in Hawaii until his honorable discharge in 1946.
In 1954, he started the Leclerc & Fortier Insurance Agency, which he operated with his partner, the late Norman Fortier, until his retirement in 1989.
He was the first member and proud past Commander of Post 26, Franco-American War Veterans, and the last charter member of the French Businessmen’s Association of New Britain, where he established and then managed their Scholarship Golf Tournament for over 25 years, beginning in 1969.
He was appointed to the New Britain Insurance Commission in 1964 and became Chairman in 1966.
In 1979, he became a Corporator for People’s Savings Bank, and was later made a Director for Webster Bank in 1983.
After his retirement, he and Terry traveled extensively, before settling permanently in Florida. They spent ten years in Boca Raton, five years in Boynton Beach and the past 18 years in The Villages, FL.
Roland was an avid golfer, spending much of his free time during retirement on the golf course. He was still golfing three times per week into his 90’s, often being written up in the Villages newspaper for scoring at or below his age!
A memorial service will be held at 1:00PM on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at:
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 5323 E CR 462, Wildwood, FL. Friends and family are welcome to gather for a celebration of his life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to National Multiple Sclerosis Society, at www.nationalmssociety.org.