‘Fast Eddie’ Beaulieu, beloved Massachusetts car enthusiast, dies at 107

WESTPORT, Mass. — A beloved car enthusiast named “Fast Eddie” has taken his final lap after a long, happy life.

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Edmond Beaulieu, a lifelong resident of Westport, Massachusetts, died Tuesday. He was 107.

According to his obituary, Beaulieu died peacefully at his home. He was Westport’s oldest resident, WPRI-TV reported.

Born May 19, 1916, in Westport, Edmond Joseph Beaulieu was the son of Emile Beaulieu and Rose Delima Gagnon Beaulieu, the seventh of 14 children. His father was a farmer, according to the 1920 census.

Edmond Beaulieu was a car mechanic, according to the 1950 census. He was the former owner and operator of Beaulieu’s Garage in Westport, according to his obituary. He was still putting in hours at the shop when he was 102, The Providence Journal reported in a 2018 story.

When Beaulieu turned 105, his family celebrated by putting a birthday message wish on an electronic billboard that overlooked Interstate 195 in nearby Fall River, Massachusetts, WJAR-TV reported.

Beaulieu got the nickname “Fast Eddie” because of how quickly he walked around area car shows, WPRI reported.

“From what I’ve been told from his friends, he likes to go to car shows and when he does, he just takes off. They can’t find him because he wants to make sure he sees every car,” Mary Caouette, Beaulieu’s daughter, told WJAR in 2021. “They say he’s like the Energizer Bunny and they gave him the name Fast Eddie.”

Beaulieu began working on cars and other equipment as a teenager on his family’s farm, the Journal reported.

“I’ve been working on the stuff since I was 13 years old,” Beaulieu told the newspaper in a 2018 interview.

Local residents marveled at Beaulieu’s skills.

“He was the guy who could do anything with a motor vehicle,” Westport resident Rene Deschenes told the Journal.

Beaulieu’s first car was a 1927 Packard, and for more than 70 years he owned a wood-framed, air-cooled 1929 Franklin automobile, the Journal reported. He was still driving a 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo when he was 102, according to the newspaper.

He drove the Franklin from Westport to Portsmouth, Rhode Island, for a car show, the Journal reported.

“He’s got a following,” David Farias, of Portsmouth, told the newspaper in 2018. “He’s a big to-do in Westport.”

Beaulieu was a member of the Down Shifter, Cuz’s and Bristol County Car Club, according to his obituary. He was also the owner of the Boston Post Cane for the Town of Westport, which honors the town’s oldest citizen.

According to his obituary, Beaulieu had nine children -- he outlived five of them -- 22 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and 22 great-great-grandchildren. He was married twice and had 83 descendants.

He was married to Etta Louise Pettengill in 1939; she died in 1964. He married his second wife, Helen F. Mattison, in 1966. She died in 2017.

Beaulieu will be buried at Beech Grove Cemetery in Westport on Monday.

Like the automobiles he loved, Beaulieu was a classic. Citizens of Westport put together a car parade of more than 100 vehicles to drive past his home when Beaulieu turned 104, WJAR reported in 2020.

“Aw, man. He’s awesome, he’s an inspiration for everybody around here,” neighbor Brian Soares told the newspaper at the time.

Information from online vital records was used in compiling this report.