Paul W. Deame, 84
CHESHIRE, Mass. - Paul William Deame, 84, of Daniels Terrace died peacefully Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014, at home surrounded by family.
Born in Pittsfield on April 9, 1930, as Paul William Deambrogio, to Carl and Edith Kay Deame, he graduated in 1947 from Pittsfield High School. He received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from North Adams State College, now Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, in 1980.
He served in the National Guard for 31 years and was honorably discharged in 1980 as a master sergeant.
In a career at General Electric that spanned 44 years, Mr. Deame worked as a draftsman, taught drafting, then managed the drafting apprentice program and eventually managed all of GE's apprentice and training programs. He ultimately found his niche at GE as a statistical process control (SPC) analyst.
A beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, he was known for his love of God, family and community, his keen interest in local and Civil War history, his competitive, fun-loving nature and his volunteerism.
He was a communicant and past lector at St. Mary's Church. A longtime member and past president of the Lions Club of Cheshire, he was presented with the Melvin Jones Fellow award from Lions Clubs International Foundation "for dedicated humanitarian services." During his years with the Lions, Mr. Deame collected donated eyeglasses throughout Berkshire County and Southern Vermont and then sorted, washed and packed them. He accompanied Dr. John Galt and his team on a two-week mission to Ecuador to assist with transporting and dispensing the glasses. Always ready to lend a helping hand, he would show up for anything from hanging flags for the Cheshire Memorial Day Parade, to collecting princess pine for making Christmas decorations for St. Mary's bazaar, to loading disaster relief trucks for victims of Hurricane Katrina. He was also cubmaster of Pack 31 in Cheshire for 10 years.
He was a member of the General Electric Pensioners and Quarter Century Club.
An avid sports enthusiast and outdoorsman, he liked to hike and pick blueberries in the spring and summer and ice skate and cross-country ski in the winter. He spent countless hours golfing at the GEAA with his buddies. Back in the day, he was a softball pitcher, and his go-to pitch was his "riser." A quick study, he took up tennis at age 70, and enjoyed shuffleboard in his later years as well. He coached youth baseball and was a Little League and Babe Ruth umpire. His favorite sports team was any team that his grandson, Luke, was playing on. Besides that, he rooted for the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins and had plenty of advice for the players, managers and coaches.
Mr. Deame always looked forward to family reunions, especially the sandbox turnpikes, bocce tournaments and bear hunts. He had a passion for jigsaw puzzles and word puzzles, especially the Jumble, crosswords and cryptoquotes, which he always did with a pen. He loved to play cards, and he taught and played bridge at the Ralph J. Froio Senior Center in Pittsfield. He loved to go out on the town with his wife, and they could be found many a Saturday night dancing the night away with friends.
He married Patricia Joan Marsh on Sept. 4, 1954. They raised their family in Cheshire and have been wintering in Stuart, Fla., since 1994.
Besides his wife of 60 years, he leaves a daughter, Michelle Deame of Pittsfield; two sons, Michael Deame and his partner, Marlene Rice, of Cheshire and Steven Deame and his partner, Kimberly Hopper Ostien, of Simsbury, Conn.; a brother, Carl Deame of Durham, N.H.; his grandson, Lucas Deambrogio Chiaretto of Holualoa, Hawaii, and granddaughters Kaitlyn and Skylar Ostien of Simsbury, and cherished nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his brother David Deame.
FUNERAL NOTICE - A Liturgy of Christian Burial for Mr. Deame will be celebrated at St. Mary's by the Rev. David Raymond, pastor, on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Cheshire Cemetery.
Calling hours will be at St. Mary of the Assumption Church on Church Street on Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 4 until 7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to HospiceCare in the Berkshires and St Mary's Church.