His wife wasn't jealous. She fell, too.

                                Anita Fritz

                                The Recorder. Greenfield, MA

                                March 5, 2005

Howard and Lisa were introduced in 1999 by mutual friends. They immediately found a connection in each other, in their love of the outdoors, and in their reverence of family and friends. They also shared an interest in the inquisitive exploration of this animal called the Alpaca!. Howard and Lisa spent the next two years investigating the North American Alpaca Industry. They attended conferences and visited farms all over New England, getting their hands on as many alpacas as they could.

On a sunny July morning in 2002, Howard took Lisa high atop of Mt. Sugarloaf for a romantic picnic. The panoramic views of the Connecticut River and adjacent farm lands were always inspirational for both of them. On this particular day Howard brought along a pair of binoculars and asked Lisa to find the tobacco barn on the property he and his brother had recently purchased. After much redirection and refocusing Lisa gasped when she found the right barn. Across the back of it in letters five feet high and spanning sixty feet wide were the words. Lisa, will you Marry Me?    

In September of 2002 Howard and Lisa were married in the pastures of what was to become North East Alpacas. The only standing building on the 20 acre site, a 30 X 90 Tobacco barn was converted into a Country Wedding Dance Hall. Complete with pumpkins, hay bales, home style barbeque, and blue grass band they entertained 300 guests.  Soon after the wedding the ground breaking for their post and beam home was started. Their dream home was designed to incorporate the spectacular view of the meaningful Mt. Sugarloaf.  Pastures were planted, six acres of fencing installed, three timber frame barns were built and the dream of owning an alpaca farm was coming to fruition. 

The summer of 2005 saw many changes at the Beaudry Home. Lisa's oldest son Robert graduated from Worcester Polytechnical Institute and began a career in the Biotech field. He is currently employed by American Genetics Co. cloning protein drugs ( Cloning---mmmm - Maybe this will be useful someday in the Alpaca Industry!!!) Gina is at Worcester State College majoring in Public Relations. Nicholas is attending Holyoke Community College. He also joined the United States Marine Corps commencing in June of 2006. The other addition to the household was Chester a Blue Great Dane. At 6 months of age Chester weighed a whopping 110 lbs and can often be seen walking Howard down the cart road!

Howard is a professional Fire Fighter working his entire career for the Chicopee Fire Department. (The second largest fire department in Western Massachusetts, and don't you forget it!) He as been an integral member of the Department, currently assigned to Engine 3 as well as the Fire Department Rescue Boat. Howard also holds the position of Vice-President of Local 1710 and has served the city well, protecting the lives and property of the citizens of Chicopee, for the past 19 years.