Normand M. Laurendeau Obituary (1944 - 2012)

On May 20, 2012, after a nine-month battle with leukemia, Brunswick resident Normand Maurice Laurendeau, age 67, passed away in his home surrounded by family. He was born on Aug. 16, 1944, to Maurice and Lydia Laurendeau of Lewiston, Maine. He graduated from Lewiston High School in 1962; from Notre Dame University in 1966; from Princeton University in 1968; and he received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1972. In 1972, he married Marlene Carlos of California. About three months later, with his wife’s support, he moved to Lafayette, Ind., to pursue his dream of becoming a professor, and joined the faculty of Purdue University, Indiana, rising through the ranks to Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 1982, and retiring in 2007. He achieved the Ralph and Bettye Bailey Professor Emeritus of Combustion. He wrote a textbook, Statistical Thermodynamics: Fundamentals and Applications, published in 2005, in addition to his other numerous publications. His academic interests were in energy and environment, with a focus on laser-based diagnostics, pollutant formation, and the energy-religion dialogue. He was co-chair for a conference, The Energy Transition: Religious and Cultural Perspectives, held in 2010, under the auspices of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS). He was a continuing Visiting Scholar at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS), at Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, Calif. He was also a Research Associate at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Norm was a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was also a member of the Combustion Institute and of the American Chemical Society. He was an avid reader; he enjoyed swimming at the Laurendeau family "camp” in Buttermilk Cove; watching his favorite sports teams; and being with family in Maine and California. He was a life-professed Lay Dominican, and also served as a sacristan at All Saints Parish in Brunswick. He is most remembered by his family for his hearty laugh and being a great teacher/mentor. Surviving is his wife of 40 years Marlene Carlos Laurendeau of Brunswick; his son Jules Laurendeau of Topsham; his brother Phil Laurendeau (and wife Carol) of Brunswick; sister Lorraine Laurendeau Pandolfe (and husband Tom) of West Hartford, Conn.; sister-in-law Lidia Carlos Reynes of Castro Valley, Calif., (and her husband Charles Reynes); and mother-in-law Odette Carlos of Oakland, Calif.; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his mother Lydia, his son Andre, his father Maurice, his father-in-law Luiz Carlos, and his stepmother Sheila Laurendeau. Funeral arrangements are by Stetson’s Funeral Home 12 Federal St. Brunswick, with visiting hours from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, May 24 at the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12 noon at St. Charles Borromeo Church-All Saints Parish on Friday, May 25. A reception will follow in the parish hall. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Hospice House Development Fund at CHANS Hospice Care, 60 Baribeau Dr., Brunswick, Maine. Memorial condolences may be expressed at stetsonsfuneralhome.com