Rolland James Goulet 1936-2020
Rolland James Goulet went home to be with his Lord and Savior on September 19, 2020. “Rolly” was the youngest of three children born to parents Lester and Annettte (Brulotte) Goulet on August 6, 1936, in Nampa, ID.
Rolly spent his early years on the family farm in Nyssa, OR until the family moved to Lostine, OR where they purchased another farm. Rolly attended school in Wallowa until his junior year in high school. He was an excellent athlete and excelled in football and baseball. He often spoke about his back-to-back state championships with the Wallowa football team. The family then decided to move to Quincy, WA to take advantage of the Columbia Basin Reclamation Project. It was here he graduated from high school in 1955 and met the love of his life and wife of 62 years, Janet (Gebers) Goulet.
Together they started their family and by the time they moved to Chewelah, WA in the late 60s they were blessed with four of their six children. The move to Chewelah brought about many changes for Rolly because dry land farming in Steven’s County was difficult to support the large family.
Rolly was a jack of all trades and could fix anything. He used these talents to work successfully in several jobs. He was a millwright in Kettle Falls, then later a mechanic and truck driver for Colville Valley Concrete. He is remembered most as a log truck driver for Richmond Logging, which he did until he retired in 1998.
After his retirement, Rolly was able to share his love language through acts of service. He purchased his beloved backhoe and began volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and helped build many homes in the Stevens County. He supported the youth by serving on the Chewelah School Board for nearly eight years. He was a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus which completed many projects for the church and community. Rolly was totally committed to his Catholic faith and did whatever he could to help St. Mary’s of the Rosary. If you walked through the church today, you would see many of the things he built. God blessed him richly for his years of service to his family and friends!
Rolly was preceded in death by his father, Lester Goulet; his mother, Annettte (Brulotte) Goulet; his brother, Kenneth Goulet; daughter in law Tammie Goulet. He is survived by his sister, Dolores Caviness; his wife, Janet Goulet; his children; Kevin (Roxann) Goulet, Anchorage, AL, Sheryl (Lonnie) Hoxie, Chewelah, WA, Allen Goulet, Edgewood, WA, Tracy Goulet, Diamond Lake, WA, Margo (Frank) Maresca, Lewiston, ID, Lynette (Joey) McCanna, St. John, WA. Rolly was blessed with 16 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.
There will be a family celebration of his life on Saturday, October 3, 2020.