Joseph Hamel Saumur Memorial Video
Joe Saumur was born August 12, 1915 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He lived on the family farm which was in the French section of the county. He went to elementary school in a one room schoolhouse located on the corner of the family's farm. As a high school freshman, he and a few other boys integrated a girl's high school. By graduation time he was the only boy left in the graduating class. After graduation he was not able to go to college since it was during the depression. He had to run the farm while his dad got a job in town working for the state highway maintenance department to supplement the family income. In 1938 he married Agnes Myerchin who he met at a church dance in Tabor, Minnesota. He was selling farm equipment when in 1941 his brother, Frank decided to come to California to find a work in the aircraft factories. He, his brother and his brother in law, Don Blue decided to go and look for a job there. Later, after getting a job at what was later known as North American Aviation, he sent for Agnes and his two children. They rented a two bedroom house in the city of Bell. In 1947 he purchased a house in what was then called Bellflower where he still lives although it is now in the city of Lakewood. He joined St. Bernard Catholic Church and transferred his Knights of Columbus membership to the local council. He worked most of his working career at North American Aviation or Rockwell as it was later known. He worked as a toolmaker and eventually became a tool engineer and later as a manufacturing engineer working on the Shuttle program. He did work a short time at Douglas Aircraft during one of the typical layoffs which occurred in the industry. He also at times had second jobs to help support the seven children. These included doing sewing machine repair and installing chain link fences. While his sons were in Boy Scouts at the St. Bernard he helped out with that program. His hobbies were helping his family with various home improvement projects, car repairs and as a member of Bellflower council of the Knights of Columbus where he was Financial Secretary for many years. His family now consists of 7 children, 17 grandchildren and 34 great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
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