Peter Paul Renault 

BRUNSWICK – On Jan. 8, 2022, Peter Paul Renault, 77, suffered a sudden cardiac event and passed away at the end of a week-long ski vacation at Deer Valley, Utah.

Born Joseph Pierre Paul Renault on Dec. 26, 1944 to Jean Yves and Jacqueline Renault in Montreal, Quebec, he spent his formative years in Quebec. He fondly remembered playing with all of his cousins in the summers in Quebec City. He had less fond memories of his years at the Jesuit high school, Loyola, where he attended Mass and gave confession daily. This led to his longstanding aversion to organized religion.

In 1960, Pete always said, his parents kidnapped him and his three siblings, Gilbert, Maureen and Thomas, and took them to Montgomery, Ala. Pierre quickly became Pete, and attended Huntington College starting at the age of 16. He went on to earn a master’s degree in Mathematics and Physics from Auburn University, also making him a lifelong avid Auburn football fan. War Eagle!

He married Judy Rickles in September 1970 and they moved to Columbus, Ga. where Pete taught math at the junior high and junior college level. After a time, they moved to Marietta, Ga., and both worked for Southern Bell. Pete became a very skilled telecommunications and computer technical consultant and supported major accounts such as Georgia Ports Authority.

After the divorce, Pete was promoted to AT&T Federal Systems in Washington, D.C. to provide nationwide technical support as AT&T entered the computer business. There he met Catherine Searle and they were married in October 1986.

Pete stayed with AT&T until he was offered early retirement in 1998. Pete and Cathy left the D.C. area and moved to Durham, N.C. with the idea of truly retiring in 1999. This lasted one month. While Cathy attended graduate school at UNC-Chapel Hill, Pete went to work for a small telecommunications company. Pete got a Honda VTX motorcycle, which was followed over a 20-year period by a Honda Goldwing and several Harleys. He loved riding on the back roads and put many miles on his bikes.

In 2007, a job opportunity for Cathy brought them to Topsham and Pete again found himself working for a telecom company, Fairpoint. Pete finally retired in 2014.

During his retirement, Pete brought his significant technical skills to the position of State Technical Coordinator for AARP Tax-Aide, and helped manage the program through several major technical upgrades of software, equipment, and, in recent years, dealing with how to operate in the COVID-19 environment. While he enjoyed that work, he loved even more meeting the clients and doing their taxes. Pete also volunteered with the Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers Winterization and Repair team who helped seniors in the Midcoast. He was particularly proud of a complicated handicapped ramp the team had recently finished for a local homeowner.

Pete and Cathy enjoyed riding the motorcycle, kayaking and hiking in the summer, and their annual ski trip out West every winter. They traveled extensively, including ten trips to various parts of rural France, and memorable visits to the five National Parks in Utah, and a trip to Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise and Glacier National Park.

Pete will be remembered for his prodigious memory, his outgoing personality and endless stories. He often got a person’s entire life story out of a five-minute conversation. He was also famous for remembering with incredibly detail where he had last seen a notable car or motorcycle, even decades later. He was a generous man who would go out of his way to help others and was quite patient with those less technically competent than himself.

Pete was predeceased by his parents; and brother-in-law, George Krock.

He is survived by his wife, Cathy; and their cat, BobbySox; siblings Gilbert Renault (Elizabeth) of Florence, Ala., Thomas Renault and his associate Peder Loberg of Albuquerque, N.M., and Maureen Renault Krock of Camden, S.C.; niece, Cameron Renault Schuetze (Jacob) and baby Cleo of Nashville, Tenn.; and nephew, Allen and his son Ryman. Pete is also survived by his in-laws Susan Sato (Tak) of Gorham, Sally Kent of Boothbay, and Reed Searle of Albuquerque, N.M.; as well as niece, Eleanor “Ellie” Sato of New York City and nephew, Liam Kent of Boothbay. There are also numerous cousins, too many to mention, both in Quebec and New England.

All arrangements will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations may be made to the Good Shepard Food Bank of Maine (https://www.gsfb.org), Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers (https://habitat7rivers.org) or the Lama Foundation (https://www.lamafoundation.org).