By Deborah Larsen
John Phillip Paquette
John Phillip Paquette was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 15, 1923, the son of Peter and Laura Morrell Paquette. The Paquette family lived on Wilcox Avenue (now Driftwood Avenue) in Avon Township, and John attended Avon School. Before the war, he worked for U.S. Rubber Company in Detroit.
In February 1943, John entered the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the 133rd Infantry Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division. The regiment was involved in heavy fighting in Italy, and John was wounded in the leg on the Anzio beachhead on April 3, 1944. He was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart.
John was released from military service in November 1945. After the war, he married, started a family, and served as a probation officer. John and his family moved to Madison Heights, Michigan, in 1955.
John Phillip Paquette died at age 80 on November 19, 2003.