Joseph Bourque, age 89, of Oxford, entered into rest on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Shady Knoll Health Center in Seymour. He was the beloved husband of 53 years of the late Grace (Pearce) Bourque. Joseph was born in Waterville, Maine, on July 6, 1936, the son of the late Albert and Valeda (Poulin) Bourque. He moved to Shelton in 1959, and then to Oxford in 2013.
Joseph served his country with the United States Navy from 1955 to 1959. He worked for many years at Housatonic Lumber before his retirement. Joseph was very active at St. Joseph Church in Shelton, where he was a member of the Men’s Club, served as a Eucharistic Minister, and was the Bingo caller. He also enjoyed square dancing with his wife.
He is the beloved father of Richard Bourque, and his wife Brenda, and Steven Bourque, and his wife Marisa. He is also survived by his cherished grandchildren, Eric, Kenny, Jennifer, Kelly, Jason and his wife Paige, and Jessica, great-grandchildren Derick and Elizabeth, and many nieces and nephews.
Joseph was predeceased by his son Michael and his daughter, Elizabeth, three brothers, Robert, Albert Jr., and Henry Bourque, and four sisters, Lucille Fletcher, Lorette Grant, Juliette DiBenedetto, and Evette Beaulieu.
Friends may greet the family at the Riverview Funeral Home, 390 River Road, Shelton, on Monday from 4 to 6 PM, and join the family on Tuesday for a Mass of Christian Burial directly at St. Joseph Church, 50 Fairmont Place, Shelton at 10 AM. Burial with military honors will follow at Mt. St. Peter’s Cemetery in Derby.