Henry J. LaPlante
San Carlos
Henry J. LaPlante died in his sleep on Sunday, November 19, 2017, in San Mateo, California. He was born on October 27, 1926 in Claremont, New Hampshire and was the son of Oscar and Adelia LaPlante. He was a longtime resident of San Carlos, California.
Henry enlisted with the Navy before graduating in 1944 from Stevens High School in Claremont, NH and entered Service shortly thereafter. In mid-1946, after the Axis surrendered, Henry returned to Claremont and began working for Joy Manufacturing. He married Shirley Kinnell on December 26, 1947.
After earning his A.A. from San Jose State University, Henry graduated from Stanford with an A.B. in pre-Law in 1951 and from Stanford Law School with an LL.B. in 1954. Subsequently, Henry was appointed to the California Supreme Court as Law Clerk to Chief Justice Phil S. Gibson and Justice Homer R. Spence. Executions were common then and he handled many capital cases including a triple execution in one day, which was later made into the 1958 movie, "I want to Live."
In 1957, Henry started working in the Legal Department at Pacific Gas & Electric Company, where he was ultimately promoted to the position of General Counsel. He was appointed Judicial Arbitrator for San Francisco Superior Court, was a trial court litigator for several years, made Appellate and Supreme Court appearances, and appeared before Congressional Committees. His last 15 years before retirement were devoted to Finance, Tax, Securities Exchange Commission, Pension (ERISA) and Corporate Law.
Henry had many notes and acronyms for jokes and after retiring from PG&E in October, 1987, he said that he was "heavily involved with D.A.I.D.W.P." (Doing As I Damn Well Please!) He was multi-instrument talented, but played piano in his later years because his wife, Shirley, also loved it. He had a crooked smile and often entertained others around him with jolly tunes and laughs. He was a clever and witty man, keeping people curious and having fun. Henry cared about the success of others and more than anything loved his family.
Henry was predeceased by his wife, Shirley (Kinnell), on November 25, 2006; his son, Richard LaPlante, on September 2, 2007; his parents, Oscar and Adelia (Gregoire) LaPlante; his brothers, Harry, Leo, Wilfred, Arthur, Ernest, Edward and William LaPlante; and sisters, Eva LaPlante, Alice (LaPlante) Giguere, Diana (LaPlante) Webb, and Leona (LaPlante) Denis.
He is survived by his son, Robert LaPlante; and his grandchildren, Andrew and Jacqueline LaPlante. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. Rene LaPlante and his wife Darlene, and by many nieces and nephews. Henry was much loved and will be deeply missed.
Memorial services are being planned. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Henry LaPlante will be gratefully accepted at National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) San Mateo County, 1650 Borel Place, Suite 130, San Mateo, CA 94402-3507 or http://namisanmateo.org/donate.
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