Beaudette, Oliver. J.

O. J. Beaudette dies in hospital here, at age 80. Industrial leader lived in city 53 years. O. J. Beaudette, pioneer carriage maker and one of the first industrialists to engage in automobile body building, died at 8:54 p. m. Wednesday at Pontiac General Hospital. He was 80 years of age and the immediate cause of death was pneumonia. He was admitted to the hospital Dec 30. Solemn High mass will be sung at 10:30 Saturday morning at St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, of which he was a member. A Rosary service will be held at 8:30 p. m. Friday at the Brace funeral home. Interment will be at White Chapel. The body will be at the Brace Funeral Home until time for the service. Mr. Beaudette is survived by his widow, Louise I. Beaudette, one son, O. Leo Beaudette; three grandchildren. Active bearers will be Donald S. Patterson, Clarence K. Patterson, Harry M. Pryale, Harold A. Fitzgerald, Vance Day and Dr. Aaron D. Riker. Honorary bearers include Dr. H. B. Lowes, D. R. Wilson, Dr. L. A. Farnham, R. Jay Brace, H. H. Thatcher, Andrew W. Dickinson, Clinton McGee, Robert Traub, Ralph Stone, Lynn Halstead, William BRyant, W. Walter Smith, Hugh A. McPhearson, Charles L. Waldo, J. S. Stockwell Jr, Harry Y. Fitzgerald, H. M. Thatcher, Harry Thompson, Harold L. Ward, Samuel J. Patterson, Roy Williams, William J. Fisher, Irving J. Corwin, Harry O. Whitfield, Lawrence Whitfield, John Miller, William Mahon, David J. Moreland, Lee Dunlap and Frank S. Milward. Few individuals contributed more to the growth of Pontiac in its early days than did Mr. Beaudette, and his carriage works at the turn of the century was one of the community's leading industries. Many of Pontiac's leading citizens of today, and especially among the men of more mature years, had their start in the Beaudette works and recall many busy months and years in the organization. Although twice sealt staggering blows by major fires, the concern continued in business and survived to greet the than infant automobile industry as one of the first builders of bodies for the motor driven vehicles. After growing into one of the first automobile body builders of the early days, the Beaudette company was the forerunner of the present Fisher Body division here. The Fisher interest purchased the Beaudette firm and shops in 1922. One of the small groups of men who laid the foundation for the present industrial development of Pontiac, Mr. Beaudette's activities in the carriage manufacturing business eventually led directly into the building of automobiles. The fact that Pontiac was once a carriage building center made a ready convertible into a thriving automobile town. Born in Three Rivers, province of Quebec, Canada, Aug 24, 1863. Mr. Beaudette moved with his parents to Bay City, when but 4 months old. He was educated in the schools of Bay City until 13 years of age and three summers worked in a saw mill. He quit school at 13 and went to work full time at the saw mill, Which occupation he followed. From 18 to 20 he was a wagon makers apprentice in Bay City, He then orked for two years at Daunt & Sharp buggy manufacturer in Bay City. The next five years were devoted to the carriage manufacturing business for W. F. Stewart two years in Pontiac and three years in Flint. At the age of 27 years, Mr. Beaudette became superintendent and a partner in the carriage manufacturing business carried on in Pontiac by W. F. Stewart. Two years later he bought out Stewart;s interest and formed the O. J. Beaudette Body Works. That was in 1893 when POntiac has a population of about 6,000 persons. Pontiac and Flint became great carriage centers and the Beaudette company turned out carriage and cutter bodies and gear woodwork. The first Beaudette plant included the buildings of the old King Foundry. Beaudette sold his product to the Pontiac Buggy Company, then owned and operated by Edward M. Murphy and which later became the nucleus for the Oakland Motor Car Company, which grew into the Pontiac Motor company: C. V. Taylor Manufacturing company of Pontiac; The Wolverine Body Company then operated by Frank G. Jacobs; R. D. Scott & Company, a big plant on the railroad between Orchard Lake Avenue and Jackson street, which burned to the ground; Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works, managed by A. G. North; Dunlap Vehicle company, all of Pontiac, besides concerns in Jackson and other Michigan cities. Twice disastrous fires swept through the Beaudette plant in 1901 and 1903, causing great damage and losses that would have discouraged a less courageous person than O. J. Beaudette. Both times he rebuilt and went on with the work of manufacturing. It was a struggling business until advent of the automobile. This as a line of work for which the Beaudette plant as admirably fitted and the owner was not slow to avail himself of orders for bodies from Olds Motor company in Lansing; small orders from the Oakland Motor Car company, Studebaker Jackson Automobile company and others. first orders for bodied for Ford cars came to the local concern in 1902, when the Ford company was a small plant on Piquette Ave., Detroit, which was managed by the late Walter E. Flanders. Prosperity came with the Ford business and the Beaudette plant expanded from time to time to take care of the additional needs until it had a capacity of 2,200 bodies per day, mostly open models. Some of the painting and trimming was done on both open and closed bodies in a building on Osmun street. In 1922 O. J. Beaudette decided to sell his business to the Fisher Body company of Detroit at which time he retired from active manufacturing. He devoted his time since to looking after his private business. The Beaudette home is at 87 Franklin Blvd. Mr. Beaudette was a member of St. vincent de Paul Catholic Church and of the KNights of Columbus. Mr. Beaudette married Louise Vasbinder in Flint, April 15, 1890. She was a native of Pinegrove, Mich. The Beaudettes had but one child. Oliver Leo, who was brought up in his father's business and retired from manufacturing at the same time his father did. His home was at 269 West Huron St. Possessed of a retiring disposition, the elder Beaudette took little active part in civic affairs, but watched the expansion of Pontiac with great interest. He enjoyed the company of his friends and until recent years had been an enthusiastic golfer. He never held public office, but was for years a director of the former Pontiac Commercial & Savings Bank.