TOGUS – Roland A. Ouellette, 80, a lifelong resident of Jay, died Wednesday, Sept. 8, at the Veterans Memorial Hospital where he had been a patient for two months.

He was born on Sept. 30, 1923, in Chisholm, the son of Alfred and Annie Castonguay Ouellette. He was a graduate of Jay High School, class of 1941, where he excelled in baseball, football and basketball. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, in the European Theater.

During his years in the Army, he played ball for the Tennessee (Camp Tyson) Barrage Balloons and the Louisiana (Camp Poke) Chemical Warfare.

On Friday, April 13, 1945, in Germany, he was hit by mortar fire in the back, severing his spinal cord, causing him to lose feeling from his hips down. He spent time in the First General Hospital in Paris and was flown to the states where he recovered in Framingham General Hospital for two years. He received the Purple Heart Medal for his service.

On Sept. 8, 1951, he married Barbara Jalbert at St. Joseph’s Church in Farmington. Mrs. Ouellette passed away on July 7. They made their home and raised their family in Jay. He was the coach of the Jay Outlaws, a semi-pro basketball team, also starting a Little League Team in Farmington and the Chisholm Jay Tigers.

He was very active in the community, being one of the founders of Area Youth Sports in Jay in 1968. In 1979, he started the AYS softball and peewee baseball teams through the Jay Recreation Program. He was also in charge of the upkeep for the ball fields and trails for 15 years, all on a volunteer basis.

Mr. Ouellette received many awards for his accomplishments over the years, including the Knights of Columbus State Family of the Year award; the New England Family of the Year award and was also a Jefferson Award Winner.

In 1997, the Jay High School Baseball Field was dedicated in his honor and is now known as the Roland Ouellette Baseball Field. In 2002, he was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. He is a member of the Lane-Dube Amvets, Post 33 of Jay, the VFW, Frank L. Mitchell, Post 3335 of Jay, American Legion, George Bunton Post 10 of Livermore Falls and the Knights of Columbus, Council 320 of Jay where he served as a 4th Degree. He was a communicant of St. Rose of Lima Church in Jay.

He is survived by two daughters and their husbands, Nancy and Marco Grimaldi, of Jay, Julie and Rob Taylor of Jay; five sons and their wives, Fred and Denise Ouellette, of Jay, Mark and Gaye Ouellette, of Jay, Peter and Mary Beth Ouellette, of Milltown, N.J., Tony and Sue Ouellette, of Sidney and Jeffrey and Kay Ouellette of Wells; 17 grandchildren, Michael, Karyn and Beth Grimaldi, Sarah, Amy, Ryan, Jason, Jana, Joel, Jared, Nicholas, Matthew, David, Nathan and Shawn Ouellette, Erik and Emily Taylor; two brothers, William Ouellette, of Glendora, Calif., and Elmore Ouellette, of Georgetown, S.C.; four sisters, Claire Fitzpatrick, of Wilton, Doris Simoneau, of Livermore Falls, Jeannine Ouellette, of Jay and Denise Gats, of Livermore Falls; and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by a brother, Paul Ouellette.

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