AUBURN — Robert “Bob” L. Verreault, 88, of 106 River Road, Lewiston, passed away Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Hospice House after a short illness with his family by his side.

He was born Feb. 12, 1923, in Lewiston, the son of Joseph and Yvonne (Lessard) Verreault. He attended elementary school in Lewiston.

Even as a boy, Bob dreamed of being a businessman, and he undertook many business ventures to earn money — from selling bleach water door-to-door to building a Ferris wheel and selling tickets for rides on it. As a teenager, Bob started working at the Woodworth Machine Shop until he joined the Navy in 1944. He served his country in World War II as part of the CBMUs (SeaBees) on Iwo Jima, where he ran a machine shop for 18 months until the war ended.

Upon returning home from the war, Bob soon made his dream of owning a business a reality by starting Lewiston Machine Co. with a former co-worker, Enoch Tapley. After Enoch’s untimely death, Bob continued with the business on his own, growing it from a two-person shop in 1946 to the 200-plus-person Diamond Machine Co. in the 1980s (where he employed many relatives and friends).

In the early years, his shop did mostly repair work, but eventually they began fabricating. A big break came when Bob won a contract with the Good Year Rubber Co. by inventing a revolutionary process that installed specialized heels on shoes (one of his many inventions and patents).

Besides shoe machinery, Diamond Machine diversified into high quality snow plows, Traction Aids, wood stoves, and its most successful business, material handling systems. Bob loved sales, meeting people, and telling funny and interesting stories. He traveled the world over during his years running his company.

Throughout his travels, he visited every U.S. state with the exception of Alaska (he never really like the cold weather anyway). In 1972, a fire broke out that destroyed the Diamond Machine building; however, it did not destroy Bob’s spirit. He rebuilt his business, and in 1982, he was awarded Maine Small Business Person of the Year. He loved his work enormously and often said that “he didn’t know what it meant to be tired.”

Besides his work, Bob also had a deep love for his family. He married Cecile Rodrigue 1952; they celebrated 59 years of marriage on May 3. Bob and Cecile had two daughters, Lisa and Mona, who Bob loved and cherished with his whole heart. His great pride and joy were his four grandchildren, Samantha and Shawn Ricker, and Joey and Tommy Cocciardi.

Every Saturday morning for years, Bob would take his grandchildren out to do “the Pepere thing.” They would go to the machine shop, the candy store, the car wash, the bank, and to buy a Megabucks ticket (if they won, they planned to purchase a ranch together in Montana), and finally they would go out to lunch. In this way, Bob said, they would always remember him.

Never one to fully retire, Bob continued to dabble in work-related projects until his death, although after he sold Diamond Machine Co., he spent more time enjoying his favorite hobby, golfing.

Bob was a long-time member of Martindale Country Club, and scored two holes-in-one over the course of his golfing career. He enjoyed the numerous winters he spent in Florida, golfing with his wife and his many close golfing friends. Bob was also a lover of books of all genres. He typically read more than 100 books a year and filled his house with his beloved books. He was also working on writing his autobiography at the time of his death.

Bob is survived by his wife, Cecile; his daughters, Lisa Ricker and her husband, Terry, of Lewiston and Mona Cocciardi and her husband, Steven, of Middleton, Mass.; his grandchildren, Samantha and Shawn Ricker and Joseph and Thomas Cocciardi; his siblings, Lucille Ledoux, Eugene, Theresa and her husband, Rene Lagace, Normand and wife, Corrine, Roger and his wife, Sylvia and Paul and his wife, Claire; and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his siblings, Marcel, Richard, Gertrude Heidelman, Reginald and Rene.

Online condolences and sharing of memories may be expressed at www.lynchbrothers.com.