Adelard A. Beauchene; 50-Year County Resident

Adelard A. “Frenchy” Beauchene, a 50-year resident of the county, died Tuesday in his Ventura home. He was 78.

Beauchene was born Oct. 4, 1918, in Central Falls, R. I.

After joining the U. S. Army in June 1940, Beauchene fought with the 1st Infantry Division, known to history as the “Big Red One.” Beauchene saw combat in some of World War II’s fiercest battles in Europe, including the D-day invasion of Normandy and the repulsion of Nazi troops during the Battle of the Bulge, family members said.

After the war, Beauchene settled in Ventura County and joined the Ventura chapter of the Operating Engineers. He was a member of the union for more than half a century.

Beauchene suffered a severe heart attack in 1977, requiring the implantation of a pacemaker. Advised by his doctor to exercise regularly, he began walking in an area near the Pepsi plant and his home off North Ventura Avenue.

During his walks, Beauchene began collecting aluminum cans littering the roadsides, braving even the coldest weather. In three years, he saved enough cans to take his wife, Pauline, on a trip to Connecticut.

As the price of aluminum rose, so did the number of Beauchene’s trips, which included visits to Las Vegas and Santa Maria. After receiving a tricycle from a friend, he added a basket fashioned from a piece of fencing and began pedaling his way to more money.

Beauchene, riding his tricycle with Old Glory flapping from a flagpole, soon became a fixture on Ventura Avenue and the surrounding area. Passing motorists would wave and honk their horns, and workers in the oil fields above the Avenue began saving their beverage cans for his daily visits.

In addition to his wife of 50 years, Beauchene is survived by a brother, Robert Beauchene of Connecticut, and a sister, Marcelle Rizzuti of Florida.

A rosary will be recited at 7 tonight at the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home in Ventura. Visitation will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. today at the mortuary.

Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Saturday at San Buenaventura Mission. Interment will follow at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Beauchene’s name may be made to the American Heart Assn.