Brett J. Payette

Brett James Payette

December 7, 1982 – August 3, 2013

BETHLEHEM, NH --Brett James Payette, who, although he spent the last two years teaching in Morocco, was a lifelong resident of Bethlehem, NH, died on Saturday, August 3, 2013 at Littleton Regional Hospital due to complications from acute pancreatitis. While his death was unexpected, Brett's impact upon so many lives was not. Brett's life was far too brief, but his existence revealed an important truth about how he lived: he made everything and everyone matter.

Brett's immediate family consists of his mother, Lynda, and his father, Jim, who were pretty damn close to being the most perfect parents on the planet by bringing a unique combination of love, discipline, and hijinks to teach, influence, and model him; his older brother, Brockton and Brockton's wife, Leslie, with whom he shared all things fraternal, particularly a penchant for discovering disturbing dives; his older sister, Tiffany, with whom sibling rivalry often turned into an intellectual joust – a battling that belied their incredible love and pride for each other; and a vast array of pets over the years from Knooska to Bucky to Jynda and their ability to elicit and reveal a varied gamut of responses from Brett based on who brought the animal to the house originally and how much of a mess it was likely to make. His grandparents, Clayton and Achilline Herbert, of Littleton, NH, from whom he gained a passion for how things worked, also survive Brett.

Brett was a lover: of the witticism and all who could bring it to him, especially really bad Prince Waverly imitations about towns in New Hampshire; of all things New England professional sports, especially the Red Sox; of fishing holes which no one will ever now know; of all things historical, but especially of the quotes and events that reveal true human spirit and possibility; of the "heavy ball," a pitch that defied description, but left opponents deeply disturbed by its debilitating effect in spite of its initial attractiveness to the hitter; of owning and driving horrible vehicles (clearly, a genetic inheritance from his father) – from the original "Deathmobile" – a ridiculous excuse of an Astro van to his current SUV of ugliness; and a passionate lover of the marrow of human existence – to live largely in this infinite world.

Brett was a possessor: proudly, of 103 ties; of the capacity for deep and sustained laughter; of the ability to write the most original text messages ever; of a fearlessness that allowed him to have all except head and face shaved clean at his one and only salon experience; of a group of loyal friends to whom he brought an unheard of level of kindness and generosity; and of a couple of trophy fish that inspire legend.

Brett was an educator: of students who knew profoundly that Brett cared about what he taught for content and who knew well that this man accepted the charge as caretaker of their intellectual and adolescent development with deep seriousness and commitment; and as one of his students from Morocco – a school connection that has revealed itself to be overwhelmingly touching and powerful – wrote about him: "he had something that most teachers lack and that is the power to make us love learning and to look forward to coming to his class with a huge smile on our face every single day of the week;" and as a graduate of Profile School and Lyndon State College – with several academic awards – and at work on his Master's, knew that it was through teaching that lasting change is possible.

Brett was a dreamer: truly, that when someone told him he looked younger than 30, he thought it was legit; of believing that even when challenges came your way, they only served to test and sharpen your resoluteness; of relationships with many, compassionate women, but in only one life-long love; of a place where fish jump into the boat and stay there; of bodies of water where he wasn't always in danger due to his dad's screwed up understanding of meteorology; and, most important, of that which was impossible to others, but wasn't to him.

Lists and resumes, pix and music, serve to remind us of what he did and who he was, but we all know the lie that the human experience plays on us. For words and images deceive us, they separate us from our ability to hold onto the big bear of a man that Brett had become, that beautiful loving man whose presence reminded us of a time long ago in each of us when we could see the world clearer and more honest, a world before we co-opted ourselves by letting the pushing and hauling of existence wear us away. Brett, in his simply innocent, yet wonderfully intuitive way allowed us to reclaim our right to our dreams of childhood. This is his legacy, a legacy without words, something that goes to that sacred space beyond what we are supposed to know as humans, but it is the space from which Brett operated: it is our most basic and primal space, the place where we know it is not just okay, but imperative to laugh loud and long, to wish for what is wistful and wonderful, and to be kinder in spirit than anyone has a right to expect. For a guy who made his living with words, it is his magnanimity – his largeness of life – that will ever guide us back to the space that we must all imperatively remember: live life as fully and fervently as you dreamed of as a child. Brett James Payette will be more than remembered; the example of his life demands that we care, love, and live better than we have ever before.

SERVICES -- Calling hours will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 at Pillsbury Phaneuf Funeral Home and Crematorium, 101 Union Street, Littleton, NH. A Memorial Service celebrating Brett's life will be held on Thursday, August 8, 2013 at Peabody Base Lodge, Cannon Mountain, Franconia, NH at 11:30 a.m. Committal will occur earlier at a private service held at Glenwood Cemetery, Littleton, NH.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that contributions be made to the White Mountains Region chapter of Lifebridge, a teen-mentoring organization, whose mailing address is PO Box 362, 70 Redington Street, Littleton NH 03561. Web address is http://www.lifebridgementoring.org.

Arrangements and care have been entrusted to the Pillsbury Phaneuf Funeral Home and Crematorium. For more information or to send a message of condolence, please visit our website at www.pillsburyphaneuf.com.