WOONSOCKET- Deacon Robert A. Blais, 73, died Aug. 4 at Landmark Medical Center. He was the husband of Cecile A. (Lapierre) Blais.
Born in Woonsocket, he was the son of Albert W. Blais of North Smithfield and the late Helena (Hebert) Blais. He was a graduate of Mount St. Charles Academy.
Deacon Blais ministered in the Diocese of Providence for 25 years, and most recently served at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Woonsocket. He also served in the Korean War in the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged in 1963. He attended St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, Fla.
Deacon Blais was ordained to the permanent diaconate in the Archdiocese of Miami on May 2, 1987. He also lived in Pompano Beach, Fla. for 20 years.
In addition to his wife and father, he is survived by a daughter, Michelle Johnson of Georgetown, Ind.; two sons, Butch Blais of Woonsocket, and Brian Blais of Greenville; a brother, William Blais of Woonsocket; two sisters, Jeannette Dansereau of Tennessee and Suzanne Benjamin of Fla.; and four granddaughters.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Aug. 9 at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church. Burial was in Resurrection Cemetery, Cumberland.
