Obituary for Roger "Dizzy" Desautels
Roger “Dizzy” Desautels, 72, a longtime resident of Winooski, passed away on May 29, 2021 with his loving family by his side.
Diz was born in Burlington, August 9, 1948, to the late Reginald and Florina Desautels. He graduated from Rice Memorial H.S. in 1966 and attended college in Nebraska with a baseball scholarship then transferred to UVM. He was employed for nearly 40-years at Hayward Tyler, Inc. in Colchester, running the Canadian operations. After retiring in 2017, he went into custodial services for the Williston School District. He served for the good of others as a volunteer firefighter for the city of Winooski from 1988 through 1998.
Diz married his beloved wife, Diane Brochu, on April 13, 1985 in Winooski, where they raised their three children. He loved his kids with a passion and was often seen with them, either playing soccer or teaching softball during their youth. It was his ability to teach his own kids that led him into a career of coaching. He gave unselfishly of his time to coach within the Winooski School District and Recreational Youth Sports for over a decade, where he became “Coach Diz”. His biggest joy was helping kids and watching them succeed.
Diz always enjoyed the simple things in life; spending time with family, watching his favorite sports teams (Red Sox, Blackhawks, Patriots) or old classics like Johnny Carson and Hee Haw. His favorite hangout was McKee’s Pub and Grill, playing pull tabs and hitting the $599. He loved to travel with his wife to Aruba and looked forward to annual anniversary trips to Cape Cod.
He was a devoted grandfather and would light up while spending time with his grandkids, experiencing each of their milestone moments. He touched so many lives with his strong connection with people and willingness to jump in and help.
Diz is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Diane Desautels; their three children, DJ (Bobbi Jo) Desautels, Jena (Tyler Pelletier) Desautels, and Julie Desautels; his two children, Brent (Beth Irish) Desautels, and Amber (Keith) Baker; his 11 grandchildren; his brother, Richard (Sally) Desautels; his sister Claire Menard; brother-in-laws Patrick (Lisa) Brochu, and Alan (Diane Corbett) Brochu; his dear-friend Bobby Pattison, and extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his daughter Kiley Desautels, his parents, parents-in-laws and
brother-in-law.
A memorial service will be held at LaVigne Funeral Home in Winooski, Vermont on June 25, from 10am to 12pm (noon). As we come to terms with this loss, we invite friends and family to a celebration of life at Mckee’s Pub and Grill following the service.
The family would like to thank Becky McCormick, attending ICU RN for her attentive care and dedication.
To make a donation in Diz’s name, the two near and dear to his heart were: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in honor of his niece Callie Brochu; and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, in honor of his grandson Brayden Baker.
Diz was born in Burlington, August 9, 1948, to the late Reginald and Florina Desautels. He graduated from Rice Memorial H.S. in 1966 and attended college in Nebraska with a baseball scholarship then transferred to UVM. He was employed for nearly 40-years at Hayward Tyler, Inc. in Colchester, running the Canadian operations. After retiring in 2017, he went into custodial services for the Williston School District. He served for the good of others as a volunteer firefighter for the city of Winooski from 1988 through 1998.
Diz married his beloved wife, Diane Brochu, on April 13, 1985 in Winooski, where they raised their three children. He loved his kids with a passion and was often seen with them, either playing soccer or teaching softball during their youth. It was his ability to teach his own kids that led him into a career of coaching. He gave unselfishly of his time to coach within the Winooski School District and Recreational Youth Sports for over a decade, where he became “Coach Diz”. His biggest joy was helping kids and watching them succeed.
Diz always enjoyed the simple things in life; spending time with family, watching his favorite sports teams (Red Sox, Blackhawks, Patriots) or old classics like Johnny Carson and Hee Haw. His favorite hangout was McKee’s Pub and Grill, playing pull tabs and hitting the $599. He loved to travel with his wife to Aruba and looked forward to annual anniversary trips to Cape Cod.
He was a devoted grandfather and would light up while spending time with his grandkids, experiencing each of their milestone moments. He touched so many lives with his strong connection with people and willingness to jump in and help.
Diz is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Diane Desautels; their three children, DJ (Bobbi Jo) Desautels, Jena (Tyler Pelletier) Desautels, and Julie Desautels; his two children, Brent (Beth Irish) Desautels, and Amber (Keith) Baker; his 11 grandchildren; his brother, Richard (Sally) Desautels; his sister Claire Menard; brother-in-laws Patrick (Lisa) Brochu, and Alan (Diane Corbett) Brochu; his dear-friend Bobby Pattison, and extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his daughter Kiley Desautels, his parents, parents-in-laws and
brother-in-law.
A memorial service will be held at LaVigne Funeral Home in Winooski, Vermont on June 25, from 10am to 12pm (noon). As we come to terms with this loss, we invite friends and family to a celebration of life at Mckee’s Pub and Grill following the service.
The family would like to thank Becky McCormick, attending ICU RN for her attentive care and dedication.
To make a donation in Diz’s name, the two near and dear to his heart were: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in honor of his niece Callie Brochu; and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, in honor of his grandson Brayden Baker.