George E. Cartier

George E. Cartier, PhD 1935 - 2024

George died on July 22, 2023 at the age of 89. He was born in Chicopee, Massachusetts on February 1, 1935, the seventh of eight children born to Orphir and Ida Cartier. He was preceded in death by his parents, as well as his sisters Pauline Devolder, Carmen Ohrt, Sr. Margaret Mary (Therese) Cartier, and his brothers, Jacques and Marcel. He leaves his sisters Violet Sweeney of Holyoke and Claire Daigneault of Louisiana.
George is survived by his wife Janet Page (of Holyoke) who he married in 1958, and their four children, 12 grandchildren, and one great grandchild: Mark (Nancy) Cartier of Maine (Patrick, Tram, and Adelaide); (Elizabeth and Andrew Giordano); (David and Alanna Cartier); Michael (Julie) Cartier of Michigan (Matthew Catherine, Elias); Stephen (Pamela) Cartier of Vermont (Jakob and Ashley, Martine, Elijah, Naomi), and Michelle Cartier and Anthony Badalamenti of New York (Christina and Anthony Badalamenti).

George graduated from Boston College in 1956 (Go Eagles!!) with a B.S. in Chemistry and with a Masters in Chemistry from Holy Cross College in 1957. He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1962 and his dissertation was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. From 1962 until 1993, George was employed at Shawinigan Resins subsequently Monsanto) in Indian Orchard, Springfield and during his tenure, he was awarded 15 U.S. patents. George and Jan were residents of Springfield from 1962 until 2023.

George actively and enthusiastically participated in many communities. First and foremost, George was a devoted husband and companion to Jan. George and Jan loved to tease each other and laughed often as they enjoyed family, travel, and their many dear friends. George was the beloved patriarch of his family. He loved to play with the grandchildren on the back porch or push them on the swings – and he was always good for a surreptitious bowl of ice cream at breakfast for any grandchild who could keep a secret. George made each grandchild a special wooden toy (rocking horse, airplane, motorcycle, boat, cradle or blanket chest) when he/she turned two years old. Beyond the family, he was active in his church, Holy Cross in Springfield, where he headed the CCD program for many years, worked on the annual diocesan fund drive, and served on the parish counsel. George also served as a lay minister for over 40 years. George worked closely with the Holy Cross School (now St. Michael's Academy) community where he was a member of the board of directors. The school often benefited from his project work – including when he provided countless tennis balls to be used as chair coasters - and fundraising efforts when he would build wooden toys to be auctioned. George worked tirelessly for his neighborhood – East Forest Park – serving as a volunteer and as a member of the East Forest Park Civic Association. Throughout his life, George remained tight with the "Willamansett Boys," a community of friends who had grown up in that section of Chicopee. George was an avid golfer who regularly made his opponents very happy. In addition to loving his family, his church, woodworking, skiing, and golf, George loved to sip a cocktail on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. and to devour a big bowl of ice cream whenever it was offered.

The family will hold a Mass of Christian Burial in Springfield at a date and time to be determined.

The family wants to thank Patty Ferrarini and Christine Hess for serving as devoted caregivers to George (and Jan) during the last years that they lived in Springfield. Also, many thanks to the kind staff members at Loomis Lakeside at Reed's Landing (Springfield) and Benchmark at Rye (Rye, New Hampshire) who took such a loving interest in George.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, P.O. Box 15769, Springfield, MA 01115 in the name of the George and Janet Cartier Scholarship Fund for the benefit of St. Michael's Academy and Pope Francis High School. You should also feel free to contribute to the Cartier Scholarship Fund at Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee or to a fund of your choosing.

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