Kenneth Dominique

WASHBURN - Kenneth Dominique, of Washburn, born on February 25, 1943 in Saint Francois, NB, Canada, 79, proud father, singer, storyteller, composer, and man of eclectic knowledge and talents gave his final performance on December 18, 2022 before earning his eternal reward in Heaven but prior to receiving the only Christmas gift he had asked for.

“All I want for Christmas is a glass of chocolate milk.”  Is where we will start in the life of our beloved father.  This is a great example of how he could have such a simple want of a glass of chocolate milk but on the flip side take great pride in bragging up all of his children’s accomplishments.  These idiosyncrasies were present in many facets of his life where he could be just as enthralled in watching scientific documentaries and theories of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking but also watch The Flintstones, Inspector Gadget, and Mr. Bean.

Dad had numerous medical maladies over the past several decades. He suffered from a rare form of dementia often misperceived where memory remains intact, but a person’s behavior changes. While a blessing he knew all his loved ones to the very end, it prevented him from his greatest passion of singing and playing his guitar as although it brought him great joy, it would now make him tearful, even when he was happy.  Dad enjoyed singing for others and had always been quite proud that his voice had made it over the airways and listened to by others.

Dad was a food connoisseur and had a fantastic knack of loving all the foods your doctor tells you to avoid like hot dogs, French fries, bologna sandwiches, McDoubles, Cadbury chocolates, donuts, and well, I think you all get the point.

Dad had vast interests and talents.  He loved sports, specifically the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Red Sox and was quite opinionated when they were awful and grumbled every time Bob Stanley came out of the bullpen.  He grew a fantastic garden, and we have great memories of picking fresh vegetables on a hot summer day.  He was a tinkerer where he had great skill of cobbling things together and make them work, at least for a little while. He loved taking his famous short cuts which often added hours to our trips.  His thriftiness was legendary.  He never paid retail and was always in search of a bargain deal and by deal, free was always the best bargain.  He was an avid reader of various topics such as history, astrology, and science.  He was a composer and song writer.  He had several product inventions. He loved ancestry, which was quite a feat when you start with 12 siblings.  Although dad never went to college, he was intelligent and instilled the importance of studying and pursuing higher education in his children.  He always said his greatest accomplishment in life was his children and while he bragged us up endlessly, much to our embarrassment, we are thankful he instilled a strong work ethic and for us to strive to be successful.

A week prior to his death, Dad told me he didn’t want to die.  As a Catholic, I told dad God would not let him suffer any more than he could take. When it was time, He would come save him and I would accept it.  After he would have his 20-year-old physique, the ability to run a 5-minute mile and his jet-black hair back.  Dad laughed. Even though there is a hole in our hearts, we are blessed.  We were able to say goodbye to our father. There are many who have never had as many years as we did with our dad, nor have a chance to say goodbye, so we won’t be selfish.  We do urge you all to have those awkward and difficult conversations with your loved ones.  We honor him and hold his memories and stories close.  Those will live on and never die.  Watch over us and guide us.  We love you and will miss you so much Dad.  We will see each other when it is our time.  For now, be at peace, be free and it’s time for you to sing again.

Kenneth was predeceased by his father Magloire (Mike), mother Adrienne (Oakes), siblings Jean Guy, Roger, Joan (Landry), Geneva, Gary, and Dorina (Belanger)

Kenneth is survived by Jeannine (Roy) Dominique, the mother of his children and constant supporter and confidant, son Danny of Washburn, daughter Vicky and her husband Dwayne Conley of Bangor, son Mark of Brewer, his grandsons Joshua and Benjamin Conley of Bangor and step-grandson Wesley Howes of Hampden.  His is also survived by his brothers Clarence, Robert (Bernice), Leonard (Lucile) and sisters, Madonna Michaud (Robert), Cynthia Soucy (Clermont), Mona Ouellet (Gilles) and numerous nieces and nephews.

We want to thank the staff at Caribou Rehab and Nursing Home for dad’s care with special thanks to Phil and Bonnie who answered our call when dad needed care and to David for his diligent care and love at the very end, including tuning his guitar so he would be ready to sing again after he passed.  Dad would view spending money on flowers as a colossal waste of money.  Instead, we invite you to donate to the Catholic Foundation of Maine or a charity of your choosing in his memory if you wish, or simply buy yourself a burger and a glass of chocolate milk to remember him.