Peter Paul Mercier

 Peter “Pete” Mercier passed away at his home April 5, 2023, surrounded by his family and his dog, Duffy. Pete was born March 28, 1939 in Tampa, Fla., to Ed and Antionette (Przekop) Mercier.

He grew up in Enfield, with his identical twin brother Lee and his “Kid Brother” Bob. In his teens, he worked in the Connecticut River Valley tobacco fields cutting broadleaf for cigar wrappers, which were used in premium cigars world-wide. He was a talented carpenter, remodeler, plumber and sketch/calligraphy artist. He handmade and freehand lettered many wooden signs for his home, his friends and businesses. His world class geraniums adorned his handmade flower boxes around his home and his tomato plants were in a class of their own. A master welder at Electric Boat for many years, he was one of the few tradesmen who could weld in tight submarine spaces while using a mirror. In the 1970s, he joined UA Local 777, Connecticut Pipe Trades and worked many years on nuclear, hydro-electric and gas fired electrical generating plants. He moved very quickly from working with the tools to running multi-million-dollar jobs. Known as “the Cigar Smoking White Hat,” he completed hard money projects on time often ahead of schedule. It was important for whomever he worked for to turn a profit while maintaining an incredible record of safety. Anyone working under Pete knew that when you went to work under Mercier you needed to perform. He was rarely laid off, never missed work regardless of what time he went to bed and rarely took a vacation. He took pride in everything he put his hands on especially his home. The best weeks of his life were when he vacationed with family and friends at Salisbury Beach, Mass. He loved a good game of beach volleyball, seafood and scotch.

Pete loved to swing dance, twist and jitter bug. He loved Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones and all the other crooners of that era. “The 60s were a great time to be alive!” A great day would be enjoying family, friends and especially hanging out with the Brochu gang at his above ground pool which looked built in. The original and proud owner of a 1964 white Corvette remains in mint, original condition – a real cream puff. He was the life of the party and often was heard above the music. Pete loved golf and was a big fan of Arnold Palmer. “Drive for show, but putt for dough.”

Pete was especially proud of his Polish heritage on his mother’s side. For over 55 years, he meticulously maintained his grandparents grave site in Norwich. His command of the Polish language was limited to, “Hey Popolski, hush-tu-dite!”

Pete never had any biological children, but he was Dad to Paulette and Steve Dumont. He could be tough, but was always there for us. He gave very good advice and instilled in his kids the value of hard work. He was a good family man and often said he should have adopted “his Kids.” He was a great role model.

Pete is survived by his wife Joan; his faithful companion Duffy; daughter Paulette (Rick) Jaeger of Sutton, Mass.; son Steve (Bonnie) Dumont of Franklin; granddaughters Chelsea (Steve) Pizzi of N. Providence, R.I., and Erin (Kevin) Michaud of Lisbon; two great-grandchildren, Olivia and Tyler. He is also survived by his two brothers, his twin Leon (Jean) Mercier of Greendale, Wis.; his nieces and nephew, Lisa, Michelle and Timmy; and his kid brother Bob and his lifelong partner Maureen Griffin of Enfield.

He will be sadly missed by many. Plans for Pete’s Celebration of Life are in the works. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Connecticut Humane Society, Quaker Hill.

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