Richard Bertrand LaPointe

FT. MYERS, Fla. – Richard Bertrand LaPointe of Ft. Myers, Fla., son of Adolphe LaPointe and Rose St. Amant LaPointe, was born on Jan. 30, 1942, in Lewiston, Maine. He died on Nov. 27, 2025, following a long illness. He was 83.

Richard went by several nicknames over the years. He was a first generation, French Canadian who was raised on Oxford Street in the Little Canada neighborhood of Lewiston, Maine, where his family and friends called him “Dickie.” He told hilarious stories of the sibling rivalry that took place in the tiny, fourth floor apartment he shared along with his parents and five siblings. During this time he excelled at hockey as the team captain at St. Mary’s school where he got good grades in his French taught classes. Money was tight and his parents couldn’t afford to send him to the Catholic high school, St. Dom’s. Instead, he went to the public Lewiston High School where he struggled to keep up with the instruction that was delivered in English. Most people never knew that Dickie didn’t graduate from high school. As the oldest boy, he was expected to help support the family. When he was a sophomore, the local shoeshiner passed, vacating his prime spot in front of St. Mary’s Church. Dickie seized the opportunity and set up his own stand there. This would mark the beginning of a lifetime of hard work and denial of his own needs so that he could provide for others.

As Dickie grew older, his work colleagues and friends began to refer to him as “Dick.” He had the vocabulary of the voracious reader he was, leaving no one to suspect that he hadn’t finished high school. He excelled in his jobs through his hard work, integrity, and intelligence. He had an outgoing personality that was well-suited for sales and that is where he landed – working in wine sales for over 30 years. Everyone liked Dick. He remembered everyone’s name as well as jokes that he collected in a notebook that he kept in his suitcoat. He consistently made his sales quotas and subsequently took many company paid trips over the years. He started as a salesman for Central Distributors in Lewiston, setting up displays in stores where he made sales. He ended his career as a Regional Manager for Canandaigua Wines where he oversaw the sales teams in multiple states.

Dick had a smile that dazzled and a confidence that won you over immediately. At 19, he saw his first wife for the first time and turned to his friend and said, “I’m going to marry that girl.” He did – and stayed married for 35 years. Dick and Rolande were the Catholic version of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara. They both had a knack for story telling and would have family members and friends in stitches over their well-rehearsed tales of family foibles and fishing debacles. Though their marriage did not withstand the test of time, they always remained friends.

Through that first marriage, Dick had three children who referred to him as “Dad.” In the early years, he was the 70’s version of Mr. Mom. After working all day, he would have dinner duties as Rolande would leave for her evening waitressing job. He perfected culinary concoctions like fried baloney and handcut French fries, which were well-received. He was a dutiful father who instilled a strong work ethic in his children. But more importantly, he schooled all three of them in the art of the practical joke. He took his teachings seriously. He somehow acquired a prop mongoose cage contraption that had a release that would spring open the door and hurl a furry, faux mongoose into the faces of unsuspecting victims. His three children soon became his accomplices and would each play a part in the build up of the portrayal of the mongoose’s viciousness and in luring the victim closer to the cage for maximum effect. The results made him laugh so hard that he would have to sit down from dizziness. He was so comically good natured about it that even the victims didn’t mind.

Dick was a champion in all of his leisurely pursuits. He was always in it to win. From the time that he was first married until a few years before his passing, he practiced and perfected his skills in bowling, ping pong, pool, horseshoes, and cornhole. The trophies and championships were too numerous to count. But his greatest victory was finding someone to whom he was perfectly suited when he met Sharon. They married in 2003 and moved to Bridgton, Maine where they planted many trees and had wonderful gardens. This is also the year that Dick became “Pepere” – a role that he cherished.

Sharon and Dick became snow birds in 2010, migrating to Ft. Myers Beach every winter and summering in Naples, Maine. In 2018, they left Maine for good to reside in Florida. They went on daily bike rides and entertained often. Dick ruled the roost in regular games of Mexican Train Dominoes and Rummikub. One evening at one of these games, Dick stood up and made an announcement, “From now on I’d like to be referred to as ‘Rich.’ I’m tired of being a “Dick.” Rich lived to the fullest extent possible regardless of his illness, due largely to the care and attention of his wife, Sharon. He went for his last bike ride on Nov. 11 and he fell later that day. He was admitted to the hospital and passed peacefully two weeks later on Thanksgiving Day with the football game on the tv and his daughter by his side.

Richard was predeceased by both of his parents, Adolphe in 1996 and Rose in 1998; his ex-wife, Rolande LeCompte LaPointe in 2012; his sister, Patricia (Pat) Levesque in 2012, his sister, Priscilla (Prets) Simion in 2022; his first born son, Kevin LaPointe in 2022, and his youngest child, Derek LaPointe in early 2025.

He is survived by his devoted wife, Sharon M. LaPointe of Ft. Myers, Fla.; his sisters, Dorothy (Dot) LeCompte of Lantana, Fla., Doris (Dollie) Kincheloe of St. George, Utah, his brother, Robert (Bobby) LaPointe of Caribou, Maine; his daughter, Rhonda LaPointe-Lachance, and son-in-law, Mike Lachance of Portland, Maine; granddaughters, Charlotte Lachance of Austin, Texas, Lana LaPointe and Jaylin LaPointe of Topsham, Maine.

Richard did not want a funeral service. Instead, his family asks that you share a memory of him on his Facebook page or neptunesociety.com, Ft Myers.

In lieu of flowers,

donations may be made

in Richard’s name to:

the Alzheimer’s

Association at alz.org

or by mail to

320 Nevada St.

Suite 201

Newton, MA 02460