He was born and baptized Joseph Adolphus Pitre on August 16, 1903 in West Bathurst, New Brunswick. Adolphe was the sixth of nine children born of Joseph Pitre & Marie Arseneau
When he was only twelve years old, in 1915, World War I broke out. By the time he was 16 in the year 1919, the war was over. Unfortunately, during the war Adolphe lost his older brother William, still in his teens, who died of the Spanish Flu while overseas in England.
Adolphe grew up working on the family farm, later whenever asked how long he went to school, he would always reply '1 day'. The story goes that he went to school one day but the teacher did not show up so he never bothered going back. However, whether schooled or self-taught he read both French and English newspapers and managed the math required to be a technically-able leader in his field.
Adolphe Pitre - 20 years old
In his younger days he worked in remote lumber camps in northern Quebec, rough and ready loggers isolated deep in the woods from early fall until they emerged in late spring driving the logs downriver.
Adolphe went from working in the woods to working with wood in the Lac St. Jean Pulp mill. He married Agatha on July 11, 1928 in Jonqui�re, Qu�bec, and they settled to raise their family in Dolbeau. Of their twelve children the first nine were born there. In the pulp mill he trained as a plumber (better known as a pipe fitter in those days).
The family moved back to New Brunswick in 1944 to go into business for themselves, as well to be closer to their relatives most of whom still lived in the area. It was in Beresford that Adolphe and Agatha's three youngest children were born.They built a home in Beresford, and started an auto service garage on the lot next door, specializing in revulcanizing tires (a tire did not last long in those days). It quickly proved to be a part-time job for Adolphe, an occupation for the older boys Herman and Regis and more responsibility than she needed for Agatha.
To improve income Adolphe worked at some of the bigger construction projects of the time, e.g. the new Chatham electric plant, the Lord Beaverbrook Hotel in Fredericton and the ever-expanding Fraser pulp mill in Newcastle. He eventually became a full-time employee at this mill and retired as head of the steamfitters crew in 1968.
In 1950, they sold their home and business in Beresford to Agatha's brother Jean Landry and moved to Chatham (now Miramichi), New Brunswick.
On February 5, 1975, Adolphe Pitre died of heart fealure in his sleep. He was 72 years old. Adolphe is buried in the Catholic cemetery in Chatham, N.B.
House in Chatham, N.B.
Picture taken in July 1999
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