James Leonard Durocher Sr.

James Leonard Durocher Sr. 83
Jim passed away Saturday, March 19, 2011, in Las Cruces. He was born June 23, 1927, in Ecorse, Mich., to Beatrice Pilon and Harvey Durocher Sr. He lived in the Detroit area until he joined the Army during World War II. He served in Europe with the 82nd Airborne Division. Upon his return, he worked for Bell Aircraft and Lockheed Aircraft at Holloman Air Force Base and for Bell Labs at White Sands Missile Range.
Jim lived in La Luz in the 1950s and in El Paso from 1960 to 1965. He moved to Boulder, Colo., in 1965 where he raised his family and had several business ventures. He came back to Alamogordo in 2000 to help care for his mother-in-law, Minnie Armijo. In the 11 years during which he resided in this community, Jim was a member of the Immaculate Conception Church and St. Francis de Paula Church in Tularosa.
Before meeting and falling in love with his wife of 50 years, Dorothy Jack Armijo, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Patricia Neal.
Jim leaves his wife, Dorothy Jack Armijo, and their eight children: JL "Leo" and wife, Laura; Jason; Kimberly and her husband, Randon; Michael; Maurice and his wife, Anni; Gregory and his wife, Amelia, all of Colo.; Germaine and husband, Francis Joseph, of New Hampshire; and Danielle and husband, Wesley, of Thousand Oaks, Calif. Jim was the grandfather of 42 grandchildren: Paolo, Tessa, Jessica (and her husband, Jason), Angela, Levi, Lia, Renae, Zeke, Caleb, Zeb, Rayden Jocelyn, Alivia, Mariah, Sierra, Hjalte, Loke, Aslak, Freja, Audrey (and her husband, Kyle), Mason and Siena, all of Colorado; Joseph, Caitlin, Kristin, Erin, Sean, Paul, Maureen, Kevin, Ryan, Moira, John and Evee, of New Hampshire; and Michelle, Emily, Maggie, Wesley, Max, Irene, Simon and Miles, of California. He had two great-grandchildren, Shadow and Aspyn, of Colorado.
Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 24, 2011, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, March 25, 2011, at the church with Father Juan Montoya, O.F.M., as celebrant. Inurnment will follow at Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery. A reception will follow.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in the name of Jim Durocher to Human Life International, St. Michael The Archangel Chapel, 4 Family Life Lane, Front Royal, VA 22630-0042. Visit on the Web at www.hli.org or call (800) 549-5433.
The Durocher family has entrusted their loved one to the care of Alamogordo Funeral Home to direct the arrangements. Cremation will take place at PCS.
To sign the online register book, please visit www.alamogordofuneralhome.org.