Bouchard, Rachel A.

Rachel A. Bouchard, 93, of Rocky Hill, CT, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on February 26, 2021.

Rachel was born in Westfield, Vermont to Aime and Yvonne Fontaine, and grew up on a dairy farm with eleven siblings. Rachel was the fourth oldest child among nine brothers and two sisters. Though she grew up during the Great Depression, she always cherished her youth on the farm even though it was hard work. As a teen, she found employment in Newport, VT cleaning homes. In her 20's, she moved with her younger sister to CT and worked as a waitress. At about the same time, she reunited with Delphis Bouchard, a boy she knew from Vermont. Soon they were married, and spent over 65 wonderful and happy years together. They settled in Rocky Hill where they raised four children and Rachel became a devoted wife and mother.

In 1968, she and Del started Del's Oil Service, a business they built from the ground up and successfully ran for thirty years. Rachel was always developing new skills as the business expanded. She learned to dispatch the crew on service calls, handled the administrative side of the business, and managed the bookkeeping responsibilities. In her late 50's, she learned to do it all on a computer, a major change in the business. At age 60, still acquiring new skills, Rachel decided it was high time to get her driver's license, which she did on the first try.

She spent large amounts of the daytime and late evening hours working in the home office, yet Rachel, an excellent cook, made most every meal, including her delicious baked goods, from scratch. She also found time to can fresh vegetables from the garden.

Rachel is survived by her sons, Michael and Andre Bouchard; her daughter, Suzanne White; son-in-law, Robert White; granddaughters, Sarah and Amanda White; three brothers and two sisters; she was predeceased by her husband, Delphis Bouchard; daughter, Denise Kinkade; and granddaughter, Teisha Skeene; and six brothers.

Due to Covid-19 and the continuing issues related to larger gatherings, services will be private; a celebration of Rachel's life will be held at a future date. Please share expressions of sympathy, memories, or photo tributes at www.rosehillfuneralhome.com