SOUTH DEERFIELD — While a nine-year battle with colon cancer and more than 130 chemotherapy treatments would keep most people from working their day job and giving back to the community, Frank Marchand opted to look on the brighter side.

Even as he fought the battle of his life, the plumber of 48 years still got up for work far earlier than most people, kept the jokes coming and even brightened the atmosphere at Cooley Dickinson Cancer Center for his fellow patients. Marchand died at home on Aug. 23 with his wife of 14 years, Manon Pilon, by his side. He was 68 years old.

“Frank never left anyone without hot water or a toilet … He just got up every morning and put on his boots, I don’t know how he did it,” Pilon said, adding that Marchand’s chemotherapy bracelet often became a part of his work uniform. “I hope there’s a VIP room in heaven, because this man was so good and generous.”

Pilon, who described Marchand as the “love of my life,” said he died at their home in Deerfield with herself and his sister, Evelyn Close, who was visiting from Tennessee.

“He was strong, very strong, even at the end,” she said. “Frank didn’t want to die in a nursing home … so he died in his bedroom with the people he loved.”

A legacy of work in homes and in the community

If you ask a homeowner in southern Franklin County, there’s probably a good chance Marchand did some work for them, even while he was doing chemotherapy treatments with Dr. Barrett Newsome at CDH’s Cancer Center.

Newsome, who worked with Marchand for the nine years he was battling cancer, said his longtime patient always powered through chemotherapy treatments, all while trying to keep a bright outlook on life.

“He continued to work throughout the entire time — I don’t think he ever took a period of time off, except after his surgeries,” Newsome said, noting that Marchand often went to work with his chemotherapy pump on. “It was kind of his mission to share his experience and put the word out, basically that message being life is short, life is fragile, enjoy each moment and if you love someone, reach out and tell them now.”

All through his treatments, Marchand often brought tons of snacks and other refreshments to the Cancer Center for his fellow patients.

The last time Newsome saw Marchand was at the annual Bikes Fight Cancer charity fundraiser at Tree House Brewing Co. earlier this summer. Newsome, who was riding in the event, said he saw Marchand speaking to a group of people about his experience before the cyclists hit the road. Marchand went on hospice shortly after that.

“I think that speaks to Frank, just before going on hospice, he made it a point to go out and speak to the masses,” Newsome said. “He was really determined to deliver his experience and his message in the hopes of other people benefiting, and that’s probably the most striking thing that stands out about him.”

Before his cancer diagnosis, Marchand was a dedicated volunteer while living in Whately. If you ask people in town about the 1980s water crisis, they’ll likely point to the work Marchand and his fellow Planning Board members did to help stabilize the situation.

Whately resident and former longtime Planning Board member Tom Litwin said Marchand was a key player in helping the community respond to the crisis because, after all, if you’re having water troubles, there’s not many better people to call than a plumber.

“Frank was on the ground floor for all of that and the community owes him a great amount of credit for helping in a literal disaster situation, where lots of families in East Whately didn’t have water,” Litwin said. “As a small community, there wasn’t any structure in place for dealing with a problem that large, and it literally had to be organized from the ground up — and Frank and Paul Fleuriel played a large part in that.”

Not only that, Marchand also played a lead role in mobilizing the community to renovate the dilapidated Smikes House on Chestnut Plain Road, volunteering numerous hours to the project to turn the building into two affordable rental units.

“As long as he didn’t get an emergency plumbing call, he was there on Saturdays and Sundays,” Litwin said, adding Marchand also championed housing during the town’s master planning process. “He never asked for any credit or anything, it was just remarkable … his overarching camaraderie and commitment made it fun to work with Frank, and he was a person you could count on.”

Marchand was born in Frankfurt, Germany, to Gerald and Edrie Marchand, and his family moved to the Franklin County area when he still young. He graduated from Frontier Regional School and went to auction school, but soon found his passion was being a plumber and solving problems for people.

Nine years ago, Marchand was diagnosed with colon cancer. When New England Public Media reporter Karen Brown, a customer, heard his story one day while he was working at her house, she took out her tape recorder and let it roll. Marchand’s story made it beyond the borders of New England, as NPR featured it on its April 23, 2023 broadcast of “Weekend Edition.” The story can be read or listened to at bit.ly/478fSrC.

In August 2023, Marchand told his story — as well as plenty of jokes and humorous stories — in “I Can Die Happy Now,” a performance at the Shea Theater Arts Center. His performance, which opened with Marchand rising out of a coffin onstage, can be watched on YouTube at bit.ly/473FJAC. All of Marchand’s proceeds, about $1,770 and an additional $500 from the theater, went to purchasing refreshments at Cooley Dickinson’s Cancer Center.

One year later, Marchand is gone, but those who knew him — friends, customers and fellow patients at the Cancer Center — were all part of his battle, and whether they knew it or not, helped him keep fighting.

“I found that if I could make other people laugh,” Marchand said at the Shea Theater, “that would make me laugh.”

A celebration of life will be held at Wrisley Funeral Home in South Deerfield on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 1 to 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Cooley Dickinson’s Cancer Center. Pilon said people should write “healthy snacks from Frank Marchand” to continue her husband’s legacy.