Leonard Mailloux

Leonard "Len" Mailloux was born on October 10th, 1952 to Tom and Doris Mailloux and died peacefully November 16th, 2016 next to his wife Dianne and dog Gaia at Hope Hospice in Providence, RI.

As the eldest of four in a French Canadian family, he proudly claimed that his unruly behavior as a child made life easier for his younger siblings. When he wasn't roaming around the streets of Gardner, MA, he was a camp counselor at the David R. Collier Boy Scout Reservation, where he met, wooed and, in 1974, married his wife Dianne.

Together, Len and Dianne raised two good, exemplary men, Derek and Brett, who were the pride and joy of Len's life. The years were filled with dogs, Boy Scouts, summers in Limerick, Maine, and football. On Sunday's in the fall you could find Len sitting with his family as they screamed at the TV, rooting for the Patriot's. Other days, Len was busy in his garden, which he called "his chapel."

Many might think of Len as a bleeding heart liberal, but he would often say he was a "realist," which to him meant a liberal with a gun. You could easily spot Len in a crowd with his fierce swagger of a walk, low hanging ponytail, cashmere sweaters and sports coat. It was a family joke that the character of Dr. Johnny Fever from "WKRP in Cincinnati" was modeled after Len.

Len had a long career as a radio journalist, which included stations in Keene, NH; Springfield, MA; KVIL in Dallas, Texas; WPJB in Providence, RI; and finally, 105.7 WVBF (now WROR) in Boston. He began teaching adjunct courses at several Boston colleges and eventually went back to school himself to earn his Master's Degree in May 2008. Len had been at Simmons College, since September 2008; and he was fiercely proud of the young adults he worked with. He tried to inspire them to be free thinkers with his humor, wisdom (and occasional ghost story), while they challenged him to be the best professor he could be. His students say his mantra was, "Always tell your story. You never know who needs to hear it."

Len's heart was filled with passion and energy. It was abundant with a desire to lift others up and it worked hard doing so. On November 9, 2016, the warranty on Len's heart expired and he suffered a heart attack, never to regain consciousness. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 42 years, Dianne, his eldest son and daughter-in-law, Derek and Megan Andelloux, his youngest son and daughter-in-law Brett and Hope Mailloux, his grandson Parker Mailloux, and his step-grandchildren Spencer, Tyler, Matthew and Ethan Smith. He is also survived by his father, Tom Mailloux, and his siblings Jim Mailloux, Diane Meany and Shirley Mailloux-Randall. He is predeceased by his mother, Doris Mailloux and his grandson Becket Mailloux. He will be missed by Dianne's family too: Virginia Krul, Karin Cyr, and Dana Krul and their families.

A "Celebration of Life" service will be on Sunday, November 27th, 2016 at 1:30 PM followed by a reception at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, One Benefit Street, Providence, RI and is open to all. In lieu of flowers, donations in Len's name may be made to the Communications Department Faculty Award Fund at Simmons College, 300 Fenway, Boston, MA 02115, or to a charity of your choice. The Faculty Award is an annual scholarship given to a Junior or Senior at Simmons College.