LeRoy Vidrine, 89, passed away peacefully on November 7, 2023, surrounded by his loving family.
LeRoy was born in a little town called Pine Prairie in central Louisiana. He loved fishing in the bayou, playing baseball and hanging out with friends.
He graduated from Pine Prairie High School in 1952 and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served for one year in the electronics school at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and then spent two years in Maryland working for the Army. LeRoy then enrolled in the engineering program at Louisiana State University on the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1960.
LeRoy went to work for Westinghouse, and during a ski vacation in Québec, he picked up a woman who was hitchhiking with her skis. This was Louise Picard, who was practicing nursing in Canada. They were married in 1962, in Québec City.
LeRoy and Louise moved to Baltimore and had their first child, Sylvie Vidrine, in 1964. The family then moved to California for a year and had their second child, Jerry Vidrine.
In 1966, LeRoy got a job as an electrical engineer at G.E. in Burlington, Vt., and worked there until 1995. The family enjoyed boating and fishing on Lake Champlain, playing tennis, and skiing at Bolton Valley. They regularly took trips to Louisiana and Québec to see family. LeRoy knew how to cook delicious Cajun food and enjoyed playing poker and tennis with his friends. He was famous for being able to fix anything, and when the job was complete, he would declare “That’s a Cajun patent pending!”
In 1995, LeRoy and Louise moved to St. Albans. In 1999, LeRoy welcomed his first granddaughter, Shea Dunlop, and in 2001, his second granddaughter, Rowan Dunlop. LeRoy played a huge role in his grandkids’ lives: They went ice fishing and tapped trees for maple syrup, and he made the kids cup after cup of “café au lait”: a little coffee and a lot of whipped cream.
In 2006, LeRoy and Louise moved to Williston. As his grandkids got older, going from Hinesburg Community School to Champlain Valley Union High School, LeRoy regularly boasted of “Grandpapa’s Taxi Service.” He often brought the kids to their dance classes and attended all of their plays and recitals.
LeRoy is survived by his wife of 60 years, Louise Picard Vidrine; their two children and families: Sylvie Vidrine, her husband, Brian Dunlop, and their children, Shea Dunlop and Rowan Dunlop; and Jerry Vidrine and his dog, Stevie; his brothers, Don Vidrine and Tim Vidrine; and his sister, Mary Ann Vidrine.
The family will have a private gathering in LeRoy’s memory.
The family would like to extend their sincere thanks to the staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center ICU for their compassionate and extraordinary care of LeRoy. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Critical Care Nursing Fund at the UVM Medical Center by mail at St. Joseph’s Home, 5th Floor, 1 So. Prospect St., Burlington, VT 05401.
This article appears in The Winter Preview Issue 2023.