02/07/2022
Hello everyone. This week we were saddened to learn of the unexpected passing of Denis Nadeau. Denis worked for Bowley Builders for 25 years. We were very lucky to have him as part of our small family business for so long.
Like a family, you get to know someone over the long arc of time. Over morning coffee and homemade lunches. Shoveling snow. During all manner of successes and failures. As a teenager, I was tasked to assist Denis on holidays from school and during sweltering Summer days. From 2001 until his retirement in 2016, Denis and I worked daily together. We often butted heads and our arguments would escalate. He, the veteran carpenter with decades of experience. Me, the bosses kid (who once cleaned behind him) now directing his work. Over that arc of time we grew to communicate better and cultivate a mutual respect. Often, that respect was born in speaking with Denis of his passion for music and his love of vinyl - Jazz, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin. Mostly, it was cultivated through a respect of Denis’ craft.
He was, without question, as talented a carpenter as I have ever seen. He was ingeniously clever in the use and ex*****on of his tools. His peers would always exclaim that Denis knew “all the tricks.” One of Denis’ crowning achievements was a series of massive fir trusses shown in the accompanying photo. He built them, largely himself, patiently and with conviction utilizing only basic tools and a master’s eye. They are massively daunting and austere and command reverence. Like Denis.
The Bowley Builders family offers its sincerest condolences to Judy and Denis’ family. More information can be found here: https://www.bibberfuneral.com/memorials/denis-nadeau/4849639/index.php We will miss him and are better for having him as a part of our family. Rest easy.