Township constable known for kindness

Brandon Twp.- Edward LaDouceur, a township constable and resident for more than 30 years, died Jan. 21.
He was 64.
LaDouceur was first elected township constable in November 1972 and was still constable at the time of his death, having never lost an election.
As constable, LaDouceur was a process server for the township. He also had his own process-serving business for 40 years and was a constable for Oxford prior to coming to Brandon.
‘He was really friendly, a very nice man,? said Karen McArthur, Brandon Township election coordinator.
She recalled LaDouceur would come in to the township offices and tell ‘kind of scary? stories about people he’d had to serve all hours of the day and night.
But even though he was often serving bad news, such as divorce papers, LaDouceur’s wife of 41 years, Kathleen, said he was the kind of person who could serve a person and that person would like him when he was done.
‘It was unusual,? she said. ‘He would talk to them and they would shake his hand when he was done. Not everyone, but a lot of people.?
With his death Oakland County has only one constable remaining in Rose Township.
Assistant Brandon Fire Chief David Borst said LaDouceur was the longest continuous running elected official in the township but he never knew LaDouceur as a constable, only as a friend and he never knew him to have an enemy.
‘He was the kind of guy that would do anything for anybody,? Borst said. ‘He was a very caring individual.?
LaDouceur was best friends with Borst’s brother Daryll. During his childhood, the Borst family lived only a few houses away from the LaDouceurs in Oxford and Edward and Daryll were in Boy Scouts and band together. LaDouceur eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Daryll Borst recalled that they were inseparable and their friendship never waned, even though Daryll Borst moved to Connecticut in 1968.
‘He was the connection to my youth,? Borst said. ‘He was just a wonderful person.?
A 1958 Oxford High School graduate he joined the Army soon after, playing percussion in the Post Band. Upon his return from the Army, LaDouceur found employment at Coulter and Conley in Oxford, before joining the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors. In 1992 he retired from GM after 27 years of service.
In addition to his wife, LaDouceur is survived by daughter Rochelle Baird and son-in-law Richard Baird of Metamora; brother Henry (Frieda) LaDouceur, Jr. of Louisville, Kentucky; father-in-law Steve White of Waterford; brother-in-law Carmen Spadaro of Saginaw; brother and sister-in-law Gerald and Sandra Bradow of Clio; and many dear nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Henry and mother Irene (Harmon) LaDouceur and sister Kay Spadaro.
Funeral was 11 a.m., Jan. 25, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lake Orion. Interment was at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Oxford.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Boy Scouts of America, Clinton Valley Council.