Louis R Coulombe, long-time employee of The Sidwell Company (Sidwell), passed away on October 25, 2017.
“Louie,” as he preferred to be called, worked for Sidwell from 1943 until his retirement in 1987. During that time, he was an integral part of Sidwell’s growth from a small, family-owned enterprise to a leader in the GIS industry. Recalling the time he joined Sidwell, Louis R. Coulombe once stated, “There were just four other people, so everyone was able to do everything. We had to. We just pitched in and did what had to be done.” Louie was introduced to drafting early in his career, later becoming the manager of the drafting department. He was Sidwell’s first Project Manager, representing the company to its local government clients. At the time of his retirement, Louis R Coulombe said, “My work involved education and training for our customers and for our own people.” He really enjoyed working with clients who had little or no knowledge of mapping, once stating, “It was great to come back a year later and see how well they were getting along.” He also stated, “After I helped a customer with a problem, I would go back to our office to be sure our people understood exactly what the customer needed.”
Louis R Coulombe was a pioneer and innovator in the field of land records and legal descriptions, leading the development of the use of aerial photography as a foundation for cadastral mapping. While perhaps unknown to others in the field, the industry owes a great debt of gratitude to Louie for his contribution to the development of modern cadastral mapping standards and specifications.
“I was more than a little taken aback when I was asked if I would consider replacing Louie at the time of his retirement.” states Randy Kobiella, Sidwell’s Director of Production. “Let’s be clear – there was no replacing Louie Coulombe! I knew that his were big shoes to fill. I worked very closely with Louie and he was a wonderful mentor for me. I will cherish everything I learned from him. He taught me what our customers do and how they use Sidwell’s products and services. Louie was a master at presenting very technical information in a way that was informative, accessible and entertaining. I can’t begin to describe how much I learned about customer relations during the time I spent working with Louie. Our customers loved Louie and to this day, I am still asked about him by those who knew him.”
Neal Carpenter, Sidwell’s President, states, “When I started at Sidwell in 1978 as a drafter, Louie was a larger-than-life figure at the company. He was considered our greatest expert in land records and legal descriptions, and was always willing to help others learn the craft. It is not an overstatement to say that Louie was one of the major contributors in the evolution of The Sidwell Company, and was a great influence on me personally. What Louie taught me that I value the most to this day is the importance of treating customers with the utmost respect, and to approach your work with a positive attitude and humor. I had the honor of working in the field with Louie at the end of his career at Sidwell, co-presenting at conferences and user meetings. I will never forget his unique approach to teaching and presenting. Louie remained a friend of Sidwell until very recently, visiting us on occasion. I will miss him dearly but will always cherish his memory.”
His obituary may be found at the following website: http://www.yursfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/st-charles/louis-r-coulombe/.