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George R. Duclos passes at age 86

Written by Marine Log Staff
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George Raymond DUclos

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, Somerset, Mass., reports that George Raymond Duclos, age 86, died peacefully on February 15, 2020 surrounded by his family.

Born in 1933 , George Duclos joined Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding at 22 years old and, with the support of his partners and his family (especially his wife, Pauline), grew the business to become recognized worldwide as a premier builder of small commercial vessels including high-speed catamaran ferries, pilot and patrol boats, tugboats, and research vessels.

The company had built nearly 400 vessels upon his retirement in 2011. If asked, he would say his greatest joy and satisfaction came from working with his family and all the talented people at the shipyard.

Throughout his career, George Duclos was acknowledged for his success, with accolades including, an Honorary Doctorate from Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

When not at the shipyard, George and Pauline enjoyed their home on the Watuppa Pond, boating along the East Coast on their boat ‘Gemini’, or skiing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He loved to ice skate and ice boat with his uncles and family. He and Pauline were among the first to water-ski on the Watuppa Pond, behind his boat ‘Dragon Bee Hind,” which he had built in his early teens.

George was also an accomplished cabinet maker, crafting heirloom furniture for his wife and family.

George was very involved in the surrounding community. He was a founding parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Church in Westport, Mass., Cub Scout leader in Westport Pack 100, founding member of the Fall River Marine Museum, founding member of the Watuppa Yacht Club, serving as Commodore several times, and a longtime member of the Bristol Yacht Club, where he served as Race Committee Chairman for several years. He was a frequent Race Committee member for all types of small sailboat racing on Narragansett and Buzzards Bays, on the Watuppa Pond and for the 1980 Olympic Sailing Trials in Newport, R.I.

His funeral to which relatives and friends are invited will be Saturday, February 22, 2020 from the Potter Funeral Home, 81 Reed Rd., Westport, Mass., 02790 at 9:00 A.M. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Grace Church, Westport at 10:00 A.M.

Calling hours will be Friday from 5-8 P.M.

George will be laid to rest at Beech Grove Cemetery in Westport, Mass. Flowers are acceptable or memorial donations can be made to the Our Lady of Grace Church, Building Fund, 569 Sanford Rd, Westport, Mass. 02790. For directions or to sign the online guestbook, please visit www.potterfuneralservice.com.

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