Obituary of Ernest L. Lavigne Jr.

ERNEST L. LAVIGNE JR October 8, 1945 - June 23, 2018 Poughkeepsie, NY Ernest L. Lavigne Jr, 72 of Poughkeepsie, NY passed away on Saturday, June 23, 2018. He began his journey on October 8, 1945, in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Warwick Veterans Memorial High school and went on to earn a Bachelors of Science at Johnson & Wales College. Much of his life was spent serving in the United States Navy. He enlisted in the Navy February 25, 1963. He served on the USS Wasp, USS Falcon, and USS Exploit. On May 29, 1966, he had the honor of being on the prime recovery ship for the Gemini 9 Spaceflight. He received countless awards, medals, ribbons, and commendations. He retired on April 1, 2001, as Chief Yeoman after serving 38 years. He continued his journey at the US postal service as a letter carrier for 11 years. He is survived by his wife, his loving children, grandson and his sweet bird Jasmine. He enjoyed gardening, currency, the Narragansett Brewery, the New England Patriots and all things Rhode Island. A celebration of Life will be held on October 8, 2018, at Moonstone Beach in Rhode Island. "The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us but those who win battles we know nothing about" Fair winds and following seas- We'll miss you Dad.