Donald E. Chesnel

Donald E. Chesnel passed away on January 12, 2025, in Portsmouth after a brief hospital stay. Don was born in Rochester on January 2, 1948, to the late Pauline Allaire Chesnel and Alphonse Chesnel. The oldest of four children, he grew up in Rochester and graduated from Holy Rosary High School in 1965. During his youth, he enjoyed participating in the Rochester Graniteers Drum and Bugle Corps, which instilled in him discipline he applied throughout his life. During his involvement with the Corps, he was named Rookie of the Year and Best Baritone Bugler. He married his wife Joan Beaudoin Chesnel on April 15, 1967, at Holy Rosary Parish in Rochester. They celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary before Joan passed away on November 14, 2024. Don was employed for 38 years with the U.S. Department of Defense at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, ME. He retired from federal service on January 3, 2005. He held various positions for the Code 950 Electrical/Electronics Group at the Shipyard, working his way up from an electronics trainee to marine electrician after completing the Work Skill Progression Program in 1967. He went on to receive many promotions, including electrical inspector, supervisor, general foreman, and shop superintendent of the Electrical/Electronics Shop. He was a supervisor at the Shipyard for over 28 years and completed assignments at off-site locations all over the U.S. and overseas. Don was a member of the Federal Managers Association since 1977. Throughout his career, he received many awards for outstanding performance as a manager. He also took numerous college level courses conducted by the Shipyard in conjunction with the University of Maine and the University of New Hampshire. Following his retirement from the Shipyard, Don worked at Pitney Bowes, Shortridge Academy, and Meals on Wheels, making many friends along the way. Don was a devoted member of the Rochester Elks Lodge #1393. He was initiated in 1975 and remained active in the Lodge throughout his life, holding a host of elected positions and serving on numerous committees. In 1996-97 he was elected President of the State Elks Association, where he served in several other leadership and committee roles. He was also Grand Esteemed Lecturing Knight of the Grand Lodge Association from 2023-24. He also participated in the Elks Ritual Program and Contest, where he won several awards throughout New England. He became a member of the Elks National Foundation in 1982 and is a permanent benefactor. A life-long volunteer, Don was also active in the New Hampshire Governor’s Conference on Volunteerism and the state Association of Volunteer Administrators. In 2001 he was appointed by the mayor of Rochester to the state Veterans Council, and in 2005 he was appointed by the governor to the Volunteer NH Board of Directors. Don enjoyed the Patriots and Red Sox, fishing, reading about American history, playing computer games, dining out, Joan’s spoiled pets, and spending time with his family, especially the grandchildren and great-grandchildren who filled his home with love, laughter, crying, and running. He also enjoyed taking rides to the beaches in Maine, especially Wells, where he and Joan spent a lot of time when they were young. He was predeceased by his wife Joan, his brother Dennis of New York City, his brothers-in-law Kenneth Doyle and Ronald Bennett of Rochester and Bernard Bennett of Barrington, and great-grandson Grady McDougal of Somersworth. He is survived by his sisters Valna Doyle and Rita Laurion and her husband Robert Campeau-Laurion of Rochester; his sisters-in-law Susan Gibbs Bennett of Barrington and Marilyn Simon Bennett of Berwick, ME; daughters Kathleen Spiers and her husband Percy of Rochester; Tina Ouellette and her husband Ed of Sanford, ME; Lisa Chesnel and her husband Matthew Sheehey of Arlington, VA; his grandchildren Brandon Spiers and his wife Melissa; Haley Spiers McDougal and her husband Connor; Devin Spiers Boyd and her husband William; Amber Ouellette; Peter and Patrick Sheehey; and his great-grandchildren Owen and Jackson Spiers; Finnigan and Quinn McDougal; and Autumn Boyd. Calling hours for Don will be on January 21, from 4 to 7 p.m., at R.M. Edgerly Funeral Home, 86 S. Main St., Rochester. The Elks will lead a service at the funeral home at 6:30 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary Catholic Church on January 22, at 10:30 a.m., 71 Lowell St., Rochester. A reception will be held at the Rochester Elks Lodge, 295 Columbus Ave., Rochester, immediately following the Mass. Interment for both Don and his wife Joan will be later this year at Holy Rosary Cemetery in Rochester. Donations in Don’s memory can be made to the Rochester Elks Charity Fund at Rochester Elks Lodge #1393, P.O. Box 1393, Rochester, NH 03866-1393

Donald E. Chesnel

January 2, 1948 - January 12, 2025