- Born
- 1910-10-21
- Died
- 1978-04-15
- Children
- Isabelle G. LaFreniere · Patrick Edward LaFreniere
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- communitymaritimefamily
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
Patrick W. LaFreniere (October 21, 1910 – April 15, 1978), a Beaver Island-born tugboat skipper who spent his working career in Chicago, returned home from sailing for the Christmas 1959 holidays, as the January 1960 Beaver Beacon reports. His April 1978 obituary, printed after his unexpected death at Charlevoix Area Hospital, gives the fullest account of his life: born at St. James, he worked for the Great Lakes Dock & Dredge Co. out of Chicago from 1954 until his 1969 retirement, when he returned to the island, wintering in Charlevoix in his later years. He remarried in Chicago in 1957; his obituary lists six children “by a former marriage.”
History
Beacon notices across the 1960s and 1970s document six of those children by name: Mary, who married Archie Minor of Newberry in January 1961 — given away by her uncle, Archie LaFreniere (Archie Lafreniere); Patrick Edward (Patrick Edward LaFreniere), born at Manistee in May 1961; Isabelle G. (Isabelle G. LaFreniere), born in 1944 and killed in a 1971 traffic accident; John N. of Ludington; Joseph William, married to Lois Miceli in Chicago in February 1971; and a daughter recorded in 1971 as “Mrs. Margaret Plemons of Lansing” — Margaret Ann LaFreniere Plemons — and in the 1978 obituary as “Mrs. James (Margaret Ann) Polhemus of Perry.” The obituary also names a seventh child, Jean, “Mrs. John Osmolinski of Lowell.” At Mary’s 1961 wedding, a young Joan LaFreniere served as flower girl (her own parentage is not stated in the report) and Archie’s son Alvin LaFreniere served as usher, placing both branches of the wider family at the same St. James ceremony.
The 1978 obituary independently confirms what the 1961 wedding report only implied: it names “D. Archie and Vernon H. of St. James and Joseph of Chicago” among Patrick’s surviving brothers, establishing the brother relationship to Archie LaFreniere directly rather than by inference. It also names three surviving sisters — Mrs. Lawrence (Winifred) McDonough of Charlevoix, Mrs. David (Helen) Pike of Montague, and Mrs. James (Rita) Elms of Ludington — and a step-mother, Mrs. Irene Melville of Charlevoix, indicating Patrick’s own father had remarried by 1978. His remarriage in Chicago on November 1, 1957 was to the former Eleanor Roche, who survived him. The Holy Cross Cemetery index separately records Patrick W. LaFreniere (1910–1978), married to Elizabeth “Lizzy” Floyd — consistent, on the obituary’s account, with Floyd being the first wife and mother of the six (or seven) children, rather than a conflict with the 1957 marriage to Eleanor Roche.
Evidence and limits
The cemetery index and the recurring Beacon family notices corroborate Patrick’s identity, spouse, and lifespan; the 1960 homecoming notice itself gives no vessel, route, or occupation. The roster of children is compiled from four separate notices spanning 1961–78 rather than a single family record; three of them (Mary, John N., and Jean) do not yet have an episode-qualified record of their own here. The 1971 and 1978 sources disagree on Margaret’s married surname (Plemons vs. Polhemus) and town (Lansing vs. Perry); this record carries both spellings rather than resolving them, and does not merge them with any Margaret Plemons record found elsewhere without further evidence.
Open questions
- Does a fuller family or parish record exist for Patrick W. LaFreniere’s own parents, or resolve his step-mother Irene Melville’s relationship to them?
- Which spelling, Plemons or Polhemus, and which town, Lansing or Perry, is correct for Margaret Ann’s married name and residence — or did she use both over time?
- Could the cemetery’s separate “Jean C. LaFreniere (1940–2019)” entry be this Jean, recorded under her maiden name rather than her married name Osmolinski? No source confirms it; see the discussion at Jean LaFreniere.
See also
Kin
Sources
- Names Patrick LaFreniere Jr. among four people who arrived home from sailing for the holidays; it provides no vessel or route.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1960-01_Beaver-Beacon
- The held four-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1960-01_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the marriage of Miss Mary LaFreniere of St. James, "daughter of Elizabeth and Patrick LaFreniere," to Archie Minor of Newberry on January 4, 1961; the bride was given away by her uncle, Archie LaFreniere ([[person/archie-lafreniere-hunting-1950]]), indicating Patrick and Archie were brothers. Flower girl was Joan LaFreniere; usher was Alvin LaFreniere.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-01_Beaver-Beacon
- Identifies Patrick LaFreniere Jr. and his son Patrick Edward, born at Manistee May 21, 1961 ([[person/patrick-edward-lafreniere-1961]]).data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1961-06_Beaver-Beacon
- The held six-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1961-06_Beaver-Beacon
- Identifies Patrick LaFreniere and Elizabeth as parents of the groom, Joseph William LaFreniere, married to Lois Miceli in Chicago on February 13, 1971, with Alvin LaFreniere as best man.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-03_Beaver-Beacon
- The held six-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1971-03_Beaver-Beacon
- Names Patrick W. LaFreniere and Mrs. Elizabeth LaFreniere as the parents of Isabelle G. LaFreniere ([[person/isabelle-g-lafreniere-1971]]), who died that July, and lists her surviving siblings — brothers Patrick E. of Manistee, John N. of Ludington, and Joseph W. of Chicago, and sisters Mrs. Archie Minor of St. James, Mrs. Margaret Plemons of Lansing, and Mrs. Jean Osmolinski of Lowell — giving the fullest known roster of this couple's children.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-07_Beaver-Beacon
- Lists Patrick W. LaFreniere (1910–1978), married to Elizabeth “Lizzy” Floyd. The parent, spouse, and Beaver Island context in the Beacon notices provide the identity bridge.
- Gives Patrick W. LaFreniere's full obituary: born St. James October 21, 1910, died April 15, 1978 at Charlevoix Area Hospital; tugboat skipper for Great Lakes Dock & Dredge Co., Chicago, 1954-1969; remarried November 1, 1957 to the former Eleanor Roche of Chicago; names six children "by a former marriage" (Mary Minor, Margaret Ann Polhemus of Perry, Jean Osmolinski of Lowell, Patrick E., John N., Joseph W.), seven grandchildren, step-mother Irene Melville, three sisters, and three brothers including D. Archie of St. James, independently confirming the brother relationship to Archie LaFreniere. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1978-04_Beaver-Beacon
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 5 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Patrick W. LaFreniere”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/patrick-w-lafreniere/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, January 1960, Christmas homecoming notices. (and 9 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-05. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
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