Avila Joseph Bedard, known as 'Pancho' to his family and friends, was born and raised in Lotbinière County, Québec, on the south side of the Saint Lawrence River in a small village called Issoudun.

Pancho's parents had met and married in Willimantic, Connecticut at the beginning of the century, where their four eldest children were subsequently born; but in 1908, they moved back to Québec, settling in Lotbinière, and by 1920 the family had grown to include seven more children. In the summer of '23, when Pancho was nine years old, his mom passed away unexpectedly at age 41; and by the end of the year his dad had moved back to Willimantic. Three years later (in early August of '26) Hildevert Bédard remarried, after which he sent for his family.

Pancho married the former Alice Roy in 1939, and he and his wife became the parents of four children — a daughter and three sons. Employed as a supervisor at Anaconda American Brass in Waterbury, Connecticut, he was also a member of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society and a parishioner at Saint Mary's Church in the Union City section of Naugatuck.

Avila Bedard passed away at Yale New Haven Hospital after a long illness, and was laid to rest in Saint James Cemetery in Naugatuck. At the time of his death at age 52, he and Alice had been married for 27 years.

PANCHO BEDARD's FAMILY

His Wife:
► Alice B. (Roy) Bedard 1916-1998 [age 82]
married on April 22, 1939

Their 4 Children:
► Jacqueline A. 'Jackie' (Bedard) Morton 1940-2012 [age 71] - see Jackie's obituary below
► Dennis B. Bedard 1941-2012 [age 70]
► Paul R. Bedard
► David P. Bedard

His Parents:
Hildevert J. Bédard 1880-1939 [age 58]
and Rose Anna (Bertrand) Bédard 1882-1923 [age 41]
married on January 31, 1903
at Saint Mary's Church in Willimantic, Connecticut
His Stepmother:
Élise 'Alice' (Boucher) Bédard 1888-1943 [age 55]
Notes:
1. Hildevert was christened 'Joseph Hildevert Bédard'. A son of Joseph and Julie (Ferland) Bédard, he was born and baptized on June 30, 1880, at St-Antoine-de-Tilly in Lotbinière, Québec, Canada.
2. Rose Anna was christened 'Marie Rose Georgiana Bertrand'. A daughter of Napoléon and Georgiana (Robert) Bertrand, she was born on August 20, 1882, and baptized on August 22 at Ste-Marie-de-Monnoir in Marieville de Rouville, Québec, Canada.
3. Hildevert Bédard remarried (to Élise Boucher) on August 9, 1926, in Willimantic, Connecticut.

His 10 Siblings:
► Léonard Bedard 1903-1966 [age 62] - place of burial unknown
Léonard was born on November 30, 1903, in Willimantic, Connecticut. He passed away on June 11, 1966, at the Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci hospital in Montréal, Québec, Canada and was interred at a cemetery in the Vimont district in Laval, Québec (probably Cimetière St-Elzéar, but unconfirmed).
► Wilfred Bedard 1904-1965 [age 60]
► Rosario J. 'Rosie' Bedard 1906-1966 [age 60]
► William Bedard 1907-1996 [age 89]
'Brother William Bedard', Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (M.S.C.), Watertown, New York
William was born on April 4, 1907, in Willimantic, Connecticut, and passed away on November 1, 1996, in Québec, Canada. His place of burial is unknown.
► Antonio A. Bedard 1909-1983 [age 74]
Born on March 22, 1909, in St-Apollinaire, Lotbinière, Québec, Canada, Antonio was christened 'Joseph Antonio Apollinaire' on March 23 at Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur in Issoudun, Lotbinière. He passed away on August 16, 1983, in Beauport, Québec; but his place of burial is unknown (presumably in Beauport).
► Donat J. Bedard 1912-1986 [age 73]
► Émile J. Bedard 1915-2003 [age 87]
Born on July 7, 1915, in Issoudun, Lotbinière, Québec, Canada, Émile was christened 'Joseph Émile' at Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur. He passed away on January 24, 2003, in Waterbury, Connecticut; but his place of burial is unknown (presumably in Calvary Cemetery in Waterbury).
► Raymond J. Bedard 1916-1993 [age 76]
Born on July 14, 1916, in Issoudun, Lotbinière, Québec, Canada, Raymond was christened 'Joseph Raymond' at Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur. He passed away on March 12, 1993, in Kemah, Texas; but his place of burial is unknown.
► Rosa M. Bedard 1918-2012 [age 94]
'Sœur Lucie de l'Immaculée' of La Présentation de Marie in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
► Lucie A. (Bedard) Beaudoin 1920-2005 [age 85]

His Grandparents:
► Joseph F. Bédard 1856-1926 [age 70]
and Julie E. (Ferland) Bédard 1850-1927 [age 76]
married on July 17, 1876
at L'Église de St-Antoine-de-Tilly in Lotbinière, Québec, Canada
Notes:
1. Joseph was christened 'Joseph Flavien Bédard'. A son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie Adélaïde (Desrochers) Bédard, he was born and baptized on April 18, 1856, at St-Antoine-de-Tilly in Lotbinière, Québec, Canada.
2. Julie was christened 'Marie Julie Esther Ferland'. A daughter of Abraham and Esther (Roger) Ferland, she was born and baptized on November 14, 1850, at St-Antoine-de-Tilly in Lotbinière, Québec, Canada.
► Napoléon L. Bertrand 1858-1936 [age 77]
and Georgiana A. (Robert) Bertrand 1864-1933 [age 68]
married on October 25, 1881
at L'Église de St-Ange-Gardien in L'Ange-Gardien de Rouville, Québec, Canada
Notes:
1. Napoléon was christened 'Joseph Louis Napoléon Bertrand'. A son of Vital and Amable (Robert) Bertrand, he was born on March 24, 1858, and baptized on March 26 at Ste-Marie-de-Monnoir in Marieville de Rouville, Québec, Canada.
2. Georgiana was christened 'Georgiana Adelphine Robert'. A daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Adelphine (Gingras) Robert, she was born on April 1, 1864, and baptized on April 3 at St-Ange-Gardien in L'Ange-Gardien de Rouville, Québec, Canada.

CEMETERY INFORMATION

Type of Marker: Footstone (flat)

Location:
Avila and his wife Alice are buried side-by-side in the southwest corner of the cemetery, not far from the office, in an all-footstones section (no upright monuments). Not difficult to find.

Directions:
Enter the cemetery from Cross Street; turn left; drive about 250 feet (up and around the bend) and park near the stand of trees on the left. The Bedard plot is in the section off to the left, the 4th row in front of the tree, almost at the end of the row (furthest from the road).

Click 'Show Map' in the Burial information at the top of this page; then switch it to 'Satellite View'. The Bedard plot is pinpointed with a red icon.

OBITUARY for Pancho's daughter, Jackie Morton

Jacqueline A. (Bedard) Morton of Epping, New Hampshire, died on January 14, 2012, at age 71. The wife of Michael J. Morton for 50 years, Jackie was born on September 22, 1940, daughter of the late Avila and Alice (Roy) Bedard. Formerly of Naugatuck, Connecticut, she and her husband had lived in Southbury, Connecticut for 24 years before moving to New Hampshire in 2009. She was a graduate of Waterbury Catholic High School, after which she attended Post College. Previously employed by the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce as secretary to the retail division manager, she had worked for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper as a dictation clerk from 1977 to 1989, after which she accepted an office manager position with the Alderson Funeral Homes, where she worked for 20 years, retiring in 2009.

Jackie's interest in horses developed when she was very young, having owned two horses as a teen (one of which was a fantastic barrel racing horse). Her affection for horses continued well into adulthood; and in 1982 she purchased a registered Morgan mare (her beloved Anna), which she owned for more than 26 years. In 1984, the Mortons bought a property in Southbury where 'Anna' and another Morgan mare, 'Westwind', enjoyed the meadows of the couple's small farm — which they had dubbed 'Rayfield Farm', in honor of a very dear friend.

After many weekend trips to New Hampshire, which started in the early 1990s, Jackie and Mike came to love that state and decided to retire there in 2009. They also created many good memories with dear friends during weekend getaways to Northampton, Massachusetts, and enjoyed numerous bus trips to other points of interest.

A member of the American Morgan Horse Association for many years, Jackie also belonged to the AARP and had served for several years as president and secretary of the former Parents and Friends Association of the Waterbury Regional Center in Cheshire, Connecticut. One of her favorite hobbies was creating wedding cakes for family and friends; and one of her favorite pastimes was reading, especially books pertaining to the Civil War (an interest that had intensified after her visit to the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania).

In addition to her husband Mike, Jackie was survived by two daughters — Cheryl A. Morton of Torrington, Connecticut, and Michelle J. Morton-Curit (and her husband Roland) of Epping, New Hampshire; three brothers — Dennis B. Bedard of South Burlington, Vermont, Paul R. Bedard of Dawsonville, Georgia, and David P. Bedard of Littleton, Colorado; two step grand-daughters — Rachel and Mariel Curit of Otisfield, Maine; several nieces and nephews; and many cousins.

Calling hours took place at the Mulville Funeral Home in Waterbury, Connecticut, on Wednesday, January 18, from 5 to 8pm, and on Thursday at the Sacred Heart Church in Southbury from 10am until the start of her funeral Mass at 11. Interment was at Calvary Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, following a graveside service on Saturday morning, January 21. The family requested that memorial donations in Jackie's name be made to the DDS (Department of Developmental Services) West Region Activity Fund in Waterbury, Connecticut.