Armand J. Drouin, 76, died April 24 in Hartford, CT after a long illness.  He was born April 17, 1943.  He was predeceased by his parents Sylvio and Irene (Soucie) Drouin, stepdaughter Andrea Hinde and aunts and cousins.

Armand grew up in Frog Hollow and attended Hartford public schools and technical school. He was a U.S. Army veteran serving in the Vietnam War,  1964-1966 in the 101 ^st airborne division.  He earned several service medals including the National Defense Service Medal and Viet Nam Service Medal.  He is a lifetime member of VFW #254.  Armand retired from Hartford Hospital after 37 years of service in the Maintenance/HVAC Dept.  As a young teen, Armand had newspaper routes and permits to shine shoes including at Bradley Airport and saved all of his pennies.  He was a professional bowler and won several tournament championships. He loved to travel and drive his Dodge Ram trucks.  He loved his dog Tango.  If you knew Armand, you would hear his hearty laugh and jokes often.

Armand leaves behind his son Jonathan Drouin and his fiancé Theresa Palega, sister Annette Kelly from California and several nieces and cousins.  During his many years of deteriorating health, he was humble and never complained and enjoyed his retirement visiting his sister Annette often and loving his nieces.  Armand greatly appreciated the compassionate care for the past 3 years given to him by Mary Pakulski, his former wife.  The family would like to thank Dr. Russomanno and his staff for their caring service for many years.

Visiting hours will be at Dillon-Baxter Funeral Home, 1276 Berlin Tpke., Wethersfield, CT on Thursday, May 2, from 5-8 PM.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, May 3, 11 AM at Christ the King Church, 601 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield, CT ,  followed by burial with full military honors at the State Veterans Cemetery, Middletown, CT.  Donations in his honor may be made to the CT Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Rocky Hill, CT  860-616-3688, or to the CT Humane Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington CT, 06111.  Please visit www.dillonbaxter.com to share a memory with the family.