Lucien “Luc” Pierre Poyant, Jr. died Tuesday, August 6th, 2024 (as he would have commented for others…”first time”). He was the husband of the love of his life Diane (Lagesse) Poyant. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on July 4, 2024.
Known to his family as a “cat with nine lives” and a Timex that could take a licking but keep on ticking, he passed away at the wonderfully ripe old age of 87. If not for the love and care of his sweetheart Diane, there is no doubt his life and story would have ended long ago. The family knows well that every year beyond 1965, and then 1995, and again in 2011…were truly gifts from God.
Luc was born in Acushnet MA to the late Lucien Sr. and Anna (Loranger) Poyant on July 26, 1937. Younger brother to Jacqueline (Poyant) Trindade and the late Bernard “Bernie” Poyant and brother-in-law to the late Claire (Arguin) Poyant; and (brother) cousin to the late Henry Saulnier. Luc was extremely proud of his French heritage and that his paternal grandparents came to the USA from France.
Luc grew up on an 18-acre working farm in Acushnet equipped with a classic and well-known apple cider mill. Throughout the great depression, his family never had for want and were totally self-sufficient, right down to making apple cider vinegar. So much so, that they shared their surplus with struggling friends and neighbors during rationing war time.
A graduate of Fairhaven High School, he was the first in his family to attend college, earning a Bachelor’s Degree at Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMASS Dartmouth) and, with four children under the age of 5, his Master’s Degree in Education from Bridgewater State University.
He proudly served in the Army National Guard from August 4, 1957 to August 3, 1960.
After starting his teaching career in Marshfield Public Schools, he went into the private sector with the Rinehart Company where he traveled the six New England states and New York to teach penmanship. His handwriting was impeccable, and family and friends cherished receiving his frameable envelopes at Christmastime.
In 1972, Luc moved his family to Hyannis when he accepted a position with the Barnstable Public Schools as a 5th grade teacher at Centerville Elementary School. He would start each year with two sets of expectations on the chalk board – on one side was listed what he expected of his students and on the other was what his students could expect from him. Among his many accomplishments was the annual 5th grade trip to Washington, D.C. From planning to fundraising, he did it all with the help of JoAnn Kelly and many supportive Centerville parents. He even learned how to make Cape Cod quarter boards from an ‘old salt’ that could be auctioned off.
Following in his father’s example of public service, Luc proudly served as an elected Town Meeting member and served on numerous Charter Review Committees for the Town of Barnstable. On the County level, he served on the Charter Review Committee that created the Barnstable County Commissioners and the Assembly of Delegates and was the first person elected to serve as the Town of Barnstable’s Delegate. A Justice of the Peace, Luc “solemnized with dignity” over 2,000 weddings. And he and his daughter Lynne were part of the first class for the Barnstable Police Department’s Citizens Academy which resulted in decades of volunteer service to the BPD.
He was a communicant at Our Lady of Victory in Centerville and a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 2525.
With his many accomplishments, he was most proud of the beautiful family he and Diane were blessed with. Luc and Diane had four pretty great kids and their amazing spouses– Jerry and Jayne (Bonin) Poyant of West Barnstable, Lynne Poyant of Hyannis, Léna and Norm Bourque of Rochester and Don and Anne (Farley) Poyant of Eastham. From their love and the love of their children came the greatest gifts…the “Seven Wonders”: Amanda (Poyant) and Ken Kral of Little Deer Isle, ME; Kate Poyant and Tyler Polimeno of Saugus; Rae (Bourque) and Silas Robinson of Winchester; Nikita (Bourque) and Justin Colton of Rochester; Eric, Sam and Jeremy Poyant and Emily Welling of Eastham. Great-Grands: Owen and Caden Kral; Wren and Bodhi Colton and Margot Robinson and several nieces: Denise Bunnewith, Donna Poyant, Cindy Benedito, and Karen Trindade.
Luc and his bride Diane were blessed with many amazing adventures traveling the globe. They dog sledded the glaciers of Alaska, white water rafted in Tahoe, climbed the Masada and swam in the Dead Sea. And as Luc often said, spent the most romantic of them all with Diane visiting the seven colored sand beaches of Hawaii. The trip they loved the most was in 2018 with all of their adult children to Kilkea Castle in Ireland to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.
Ahead of his time for being a male totally immersed as a hands-on parent, his children remember well their “days with dad”. The family was very blessed as he was able to do the same for his grandchildren. Being of French descent, hugs and kisses were the norm and he proudly showed his children and grandchildren that real men do cry. Luc was a man of principle with firm opinions which he didn’t hesitate to share. He made many life-long friends.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to VNA Cape Cod and VNA Hospice, especially Elaine Cuccia, Cindy Mancini, and Anne Marie Kannally, for their thoughtful guidance and care.
Visiting hours will be on Thursday, August 15, 2024 from 4:00-7:00 pm at Doane, Beal, and Ames, 160 W Main St, Hyannis. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Friday, August 16th at Our Lady of Victory Church, 230 S Main St, Centerville. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to VNA Hospice of Cape Cod, 25 Communications Way, Hyannis, MA 02601.
