BY JENN McDOWELL

A former Epsom fire chief passed away last month after a long battle with a debilitating disease.

Paul Lavoie died on Sept. 15 at the age of 68. He was living with his wife, Donna, in Hernando, Fla., at the time.

“My dad always had a smile on his face,” said his oldest son, Richard Lavoie of Goffstown. “His smile, his laughter, was his character. I’ve learned a lot from him.”

Paul Lavoie became a firefighter for Epsom in 1986. He eventually served for eight years as chief of the department, then as warden for another eight years.

Family members said Paul Lavoie was a joyful presence in the many lives he touched through his service with the Fire Department, the state Department of Safety and in the Army National Guard.

Upon retirement, he and his wife moved to Florida to enjoy the rest of their years.

He worked for the Department of Safety for 34 years, spending 25 of those as the state’s driver’s education supervisor. In that facet, his brother Pierre Lavoie said, he wrote the current textbook and testing materials for driver’s education courses.

Paul Lavoie served with the Guard in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. His younger brother, Pierre Lavoie of Dover, was in high school during that time, and said he remembers his brother’s 10-month absence.

“He was a great brother to me,” said Pierre Lavoie. “He was always kidding around, saying something to try and get a little spark out of you.”

Richard Lavoie said his father was a giving person, and taught his three children, including second son Daniel Lavoie of Warner and youngest child Michelle Bailey of Weare, to be the same way.

“He taught me to be on the giving end of the stick rather than the receiving end,” Richard Lavoie said, adding that his father stressed moral character and family.

Paul Lavoie was also a member of the Gold Wing Road Riders motorcycle club, a nationally recognized organization, and of Epsom’s American Legion Post 112.

“He loved to ride, and he was always chairman of putting on some trip,” said Pierre Lavoie.

Daniel Lavoie said he likes to remember the good times he had with his father as a kid. “I can remember hunting and fishing and camping,” he said. “He was always laughing, always trying to have a good time.”

Paul Lavoie’s ashes were spread in the Gulf waters following a private service.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27 at 12:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church in Allenstown.