Ronald A. Boucher M’74
Source: https://www.sevendaysvt.com/life-lines/obituaries/obituary-ronald-boucher-1947-2025/
Ronald Antonio Boucher, 77, of South Burlington, left for his next great adventure on Monday, November 3. He bid us “adios, as they say in Ireland” from the Arbors at Shelburne, following a short illness and a longer journey with Alzheimer’s.
Ron was born on December 24, 1947, in Newport, Vt., the son of Altheo George Boucher and Cora Lussier Boucher. He was one of five children and grew up speaking French and working farm chores while perfecting the art of pranking his older sister.
By some miracle, Ron graduated high school and went on to attend Lyndon State College, majoring in education. However, he was stronger in his minors — billiards, table tennis and golf — and decided to take a year off from his education to “travel and work.”
In 1970, during his year of self-evaluation, Ron saw Gloria for the first time while sitting under a tree with his twin brother. He watched her walk by, pointed at her and said to his brother, “That’s the one, right there.” On July 1, 1971, they were married. They lived in Brattleboro, where they welcomed their first daughter, Jennifer, and later moved to South Burlington, where they were joined by their second daughter, Aimee. True to form, Ron rarely called them by their actual names. Jen became “J-Bird” or “Blondie,” and Aimee was “Squirt” or “the Aimster.” Gloria called him “Ronner,” and he called her “Geej.” It was a family of nicknames.
Once he was married, it was time to get to work. With Gloria’s support, Ron returned to college to obtain his bachelor’s degree at the University of Vermont in 1972 and then a master’s degree from Saint Michael’s College. He worked for many years in human services before changing his career path to finance, eventually wrapping up his financial adviser career as a first vice president at Wells Fargo Advisors in Burlington. Ron enjoyed nothing more than helping other people achieve their goals. He genuinely cared about people and never stopped wondering how he could make their lives better.
Ron had a passion for recreational sports. Over the years, he played basketball (his twin brother, Reg, said, “Running into him was like running into a building”), softball (“It was an absolute pleasure to see him sliding across the infield”) and his great love: golf. He was proud to be a decades-long member at Vermont National Country Club and never stopped talking about the day he met the course designer, Jack Nicklaus. (Story has it that Nicklaus gave him an autographed cap, which Ron planned to donate to a charity auction, but we can now confirm that it is actually squirrelled away in his man cave among his golf trophies and memorabilia.)
He also loved to travel and visit significant historical places. With Gloria, he traveled to Cuba, China, Peru, Ecuador, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Turkey and the Caribbean. When Gloria expressed a desire to one day bring their daughters to Spain to see her grandparents’ homeland, Ron said, “Why not go now?” So they did.
He treasured his cross-country motorcycle trips with his brothers and friends — out West or down South — and a highlight was visiting Graceland, the home of one of his idols. (He was equally thrilled when on Prince Edward Island to visit the setting of Anne of Green Gables. Whether real or fictional, he loved stories of determined people who rose from humble beginnings to achieve success.) When on these trips, he would sometimes make unusually long phone calls home to chat (but not because he missed us — just because he said he was worried that we might miss him).
Ron is survived by his wife of 54 years, Gloria; his daughters, Jen and Aimee; and his grandchildren, Lu (17) and Gracie (13). He is also survived by his twin brother, Reg; siblings Monique, Conrad and Alan; and many nieces and nephews, sisters-in-law and friends.
Ron’s family would like to thank the staff of the Arbors for their compassionate care during his short time there, the University of Vermont Home Health & Hospice program, and his wonderful team of doctors and health practitioners, who provided him comprehensive and compassionate care.