GRAFTON/AUBURN- Kenneth Andrew Larrivee, 93, passed away peacefully on August 16th at his home in Auburn, surrounded by his loving family.

Kenneth was born in Lynn, MA, son of the late Wilfred and Natalie (Caisse) Larrivee. The family moved to the Farnumsville section of South Grafton when Kenneth was a young child. He graduated Grafton High School in 1941, having served as co-captain of the Grafton High School football team in 1939, the school’s first football team since 1913.

Scheduled to attend Wentworth Institute in Boston, Kenneth instead enlisted in the US Army Air Corp with the 6th Airborne Division at the outbreak of World War II. He was stationed in the Panama Theatre during the War, serving as a gun technician.

After returning home from the service, Kenneth married the love of his life, Rita Carlucci on September 6, 1947 at Saint Mary's Church in North Grafton.

Kenneth was a gifted carpenter and craftsman, winning awards in High School for his furniture. As a young man, he worked with his father on various building projects, including the South Grafton Main Street bank which now stands in Mill Park, and on the construction of several regional air bases in the lead up to the War.

After returning from the Aircorp, he joined his father in the family business, W. J. Larrivee Mfg. Co., Inc., and helped the firm gain a reputation as an innovator in shop display technology. Eventually, he took over the business, retiring in 1978.

In the 1990s, Kenneth and Rita retired to Palm Harbor, Florida. The couple volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul cooking meals for the homeless, and Kenneth was active in the Catholic Men’s Club. They returned to Auburn, MA in 2000, where Kenneth volunteered and delivered Meals on Wheels well into his 80s.

Kenneth was a member of the VFW Branch 1497 in South Grafton and a lifelong member of Carpenter’s Local 107. Kenneth was also a member of St James Catholic Church in South Grafton, St. Luke Catholic Church in Palm Harbor, Florida and most recently a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Auburn. His endearingly dry sense of humor will be missed by all who knew him.

Kenneth is predeceased by his wife, Rita in 2002; son, Wayne in 2008; brother Norman in 1993; sister Phyllis (Larrivee) Mallalieu in 1985; and daughter-in-law Marjorie (Schnare) Larrivee in 2003. He leaves behind three children: Gordon of Worcester, Alan and wife Linda of Worcester, Donna and husband Dean Cohen of Cleveland Hts., OH, as well as daughter-in-law Maryann (Mayhue) of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren: Dan and wife Shannon, Andrew and wife Erica, Kathryn and husband Alex Smith, Shaina and husband Milton Ladd, Elisabeth, Steven, Ben, and Alaina. He was great-grandfather to Kyle, Colton, Lucille, Remy and Cecelia, and several nieces and nephews.

The Family wishes to thank Paulette and Erin of VNA Care Hospice for their comfort and support.

Family and friends are invited to calling hours on Friday, August 19, 2016 from 4-7 PM in the BRITTON-WALLACE FUNERAL HOME, 91 Central St., Auburn. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday August 20 at 10 am at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 189 Oxford Street North, Auburn, MA. He will then be laid to rest beside his wife at Fairview Cemetery in South Grafton.

To share a memory of Kenneth with his family please visit, www.brittonfuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers contributions in the memory of his wife Rita, son Wayne and daughter-in-law Marjorie may be made to the ALS Association (http://www.alsa.org).

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