Dr. Roger Paul Vancour, 90, of Framingham for the past 50 years, died Wednesday, April 11, 2012, at Beaumont Rehabilitation Center, Northborough. Born and raised in Oxford, he was the son of the late Henry and Rosanna (Fountain) Vancour. He was the husband of 65 years to Alice (Trombly) Vancour of Framingham. Mr. Vancour graduated from Oxford High School and Holy Cross College in 1943 with a bachelor of science in physics. After graduation he served in the US Army Signal Corps during WWII as a communication specialist and bugler. He was stationed in Europe, the Philippines, and Japan. Upon his discharge from the Army, he went on to earn his master's in physics from Boston College and his doctorate from Fordham University, New York, in 1951. He was a teacher at Boston University, Boston College, and Northeastern Evening Graduate School. In 1957, he went to work for Pratt-Whitney in Connecticut, where he worked on nuclear reactor shielding and spacecraft shielding problems. In 1959, he became a research physicist at the Air Force Cambridge Research Labs and remained there until his retirement in 1987. He investigated particle motion and magnetic field changes during magnetic sub-storms and the aurora borealis. He was active in the Framingham Little-Big League where he coached for many years and he was a member of the board of directors. He also assisted with the Boy Scouts and was a troop committee member. Mr. Vancour was a devoted Catholic and was a member of the St. Anselm Parish, where he served as a lector since 1965 and eucharistic minister since 1976. He was a member of the St. Anselm Parish Council, where he served as president for three years and volunteered on the bingo committee where he also served as co-chair. He was also a religious educator at St. Anselm and St. Jeremiah in Framingham. He was a member of the group of speakers for the Archdiocese Office of Spiritual Development in the mission program and spoke at 18 parishes between 1982 and 1986. In addition to his wife, Alice, he is survived by his two sons, Ron of Maynard and Roger and his two children, Kristin and Roger Jake Vancour, all of Northborough. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his funeral on Wednesday, April 18, at 10:30 a.m., at the Norton Funeral Home, 53 Beech St. (corner of Union Avenue), Framingham, followed by a funeral Mass at 11:30 a.m., at St. Anselms Church, 100 Landham Road, Sudbury. Burial will follow in the family lot in St. Stephen Cemetery in Framingham. Visiting hours are Tuesday, April 17, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the funeral home. For directions and online guestbook, please visit: www.nortonfuneralhome.com. Expressions of sympathy in his memory may be made to the , 311 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA 02472.
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Published in The Framingham Tab from Apr. 14 to Apr. 22, 2012
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