Van Buren--- Gilman Joseph Edmund Grandmaison ("Gil") was born on December 31, 1934, in Madawaska, Maine to Edmond Grandmaison and Marie Berthe (Déry) Grandmaison.  He was the fourth of five children.  Gil was raised and educated in Madawaska.  In his teen years, he was an active member of the school track team, and spent many carefree hours racing an old "beater" up and down Bridge Street in Madawaska near the Fraser Paper complex.  He was a driver for Grandmaison's Taxi – the family taxi business – and his driving adventures sometimes took him far out-of-state.  After graduating from Madawaska High School in 1953, Gil worked at Fraser Paper for about 7 years, then entered the United States Army, in which he served for about 2 years.  In the Army, Gil was stationed in Germany, where he served as a chauffeur; he was sometimes directed to drive important generals to various locales.  Gil was able to visit beautiful countries like France and Italy while in the Army, but his favorite memories were always of his time spent in Germany.

After Gil returned home from the Army, he worked at Fraser Paper for about six months, then began a new chapter in his life for which he would forever be remembered: he began renting the Gayety Theatre in Van Buren, Maine – taking control of the Gayety in late March of 1962 – and began renting the Van Buren Drive-In Theatre up the street from the Gayety about a month later, eventually purchasing both theatres.  Because of his business interests, Gil moved to Van Buren and rented a room from Edwidge Saucier above Saucier's IGA; it was there that he met his future wife – Earline Saucier – and they were married in Van Buren in late September of 1964.  In mid-1965, Gil and Earline opened the Gayety Theatre Dairy Freeze in the left storefront of the Gayety Theatre Building; this proved to be a very successful business, and they happily served ice cream, burgers, hot dogs, and popular deep-fried foods for 5 summers.  Always a workaholic, Gil began a part-time job at the United States Post Office in Van Buren around 1969, and within a few years, he was employed as a full-time Letter Carrier.  It was in that capacity that Gil helped to save a woman's life in September of 1988; he recognized that something was amiss at a particular address, and – getting personally involved – he took actions that resulted in the woman getting the medical attention that she needed.  In August of 1982, Gil and Earline opened Gayety Arcade and Video in the right storefront of the Gayety Theatre Building, and this grew to become a favorite local VHS rental store.

Over the course of many years, Gil could be seen in many locations throughout Van Buren: selling tickets at the Gayety Theatre for 22 years; cooking his famous French fries in the canteen at the Van Buren Drive-In Theatre for 28 summers (nobody cooked French fries better than Gil!); working behind the counter – or playing pool – at Gayety Arcade and Video for 8 years; and working for the United States Post Office in Van Buren – initially as a Letter Carrier, then later as a Window Clerk – for about 30 years.  Gil worked as a Window Clerk at the United States Post Office in Lincoln, Maine for about nine months in the mid-1990s, and he also worked as a clerk for Dead River Co. in Van Buren for a short time in the early 2000s before he fully retired.  Gil was an active 4 ^th -Degree member of the Knights of Columbus Council in Van Buren for many years, served as a budget-committee member of the Town of Van Buren for a few years, and served as a Director of the Gateway Federal Credit Union in Van Buren for about 18 years.

Gil loved cars – he owned a Buick convertible in the late 1950s and a Mercury convertible in the early 1960s – and his favorite foods and beverages included pineapple, peanut butter, turkey pot pie, pepperoni pizza, beef lo mein, ice cream, almost any candy bar or dessert, hot chocolate, and root beer.  He watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy every night, and Wednesday nights won't be the same without him sitting in his recliner watching Blue Bloods!

Gil died unexpectedly on November 2, 2021 while walking on what the family called "the drive-in road", only moments from home.  Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his older siblings, Marcelle, Réal and Gaston. He is survived by: his wife of 57 years, Earline (Saucier) Grandmaison; his two sons – Dayton and Jason – both of Van Buren; his two grandsons – Daniel Grandmaison and Isaac Grandmaison – both of Sidney, Maine; his younger sister – Nancy (Grandmaison) Cyr – and his brother-in-law – Georges Cyr – both of Madawaska; and many nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 13, 2021, at St. Bruno-St. Remi Catholic Church, Main St., Van Buren. Interment will be private in Maine Veterans Cemetery, Caribou. Arrangements are a service of Lajoie Funeral Home, 118 High St., Van Buren.