ALFRED – Marcel Denicourt, known in religion as Brother David, died at the age of 92 on Dec. 11, 2019, in Francis Hall, his home among the Brothers of Christian Instruction on Shaker Hill, Alfred, Maine.

He was born in Fall River, Mass., Oct. 18, 1927, of Frank and Blanche (Berube) Denicourt, the second child from a family of two boys. Raised and educated in St. Anne’s Parish, he attended Prevost High School before entering the Brother’s High School formation program in Alfred, Maine. Having formally joined the group in 1944, he celebrated 75 years as a religious teaching Brother this past summer.

A graduate of La Mennais College (Alfred) he enjoyed a very successful career in education, starting with a few years teaching high school in the U.S., including two years in Biddeford, Maine (St. Louis High School). At the age of 27, his request to serve in the missions in East Africa was granted. For 20 years he demonstrated impressive skills as a science and mathematics teacher, athletic team coach, and community bursar mainly in Uganda. In 1974, he was assigned to a plum position in the Seychelles Islands, the pearl of the Indian Ocean. In 1983, his administrative skills were tapped by the national government who asked him to serve in the ministry of education, becoming its Chief Executive Officer in 1993.

David returned to the U.S. when the Brothers closed their community in the Seychelles Islands in 1999. He rendered great service in various positions to the Alfred community and to Notre Dame Province before becoming actively retired in 2012. He was a one-man welcoming committee, always pleasant and courteous and gentlemanly dressed. He enjoyed golf, reading and music. Since suffering heart issues in 2008 which led to vascular dementia, his general condition was gradually but perceptibly diminishing in recent years.

David was recently predeceased by his sole sibling, Raymond, who died in Tampa, Fla., on May 3, 2019, at the age of 93. Br. Denicourt will be greatly missed by his religious confreres in the U.S. and in Canada and by the many people to whom he reached out especially while living on Shaker Hill. Thank you COMPASSUS Hospice for assisting in his care during his last week among us.

A more extensive and personal account of his career can be found at www.blackfuneralhomes.com.

The funeral will be held at 10:30, Wednesday, Dec. 18, in Notre Dame chapel in Alfred. The body will be received Tuesday at 4:45.

Arrangements are under the direction of Lafrance-Lambert & Black Funeral Home, 29 Winter Street, Sanford. Condolences can be expressed at www.blackfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in his memory towards the Brothers’ newest mission, a school in South Sudan.

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