Luigi “Lou” Pasquale grew up in Quincy, and he and Terry, his wife of 74 years, were longtime residents of Braintree.

But Lou, who died on Father’s Day at age 96, proved that you don’t have to live here to call Dorchester your home. He was a fixture in this neighborhood for three-quarters-of-a-century.

A mason by trade, he helped to build some of Dorchester’s landmark buildings with his own hands, including the Boston Bowl, which is where he was based for many years. In 2019, then-Mayor Marty Walsh was on hand as the city re-named the corner just outside the bowling alley’s entrance “Lou Pasquale Square.”

Last year, he rode in a convertible in the Dorchester Day Parade as the chief marshal, a role that has traditionally been served by a veteran. He never talked very much about his experience in World War II, but he did tell his legions of friends what compelled him to persuade his parents to let him sign up for Army service, even though he was technically too young to enlist.

“I told my parents I had to go in the service because [Hitler] is killing people because of who they are, and I can’t sleep,” he said in a 2019 interview.

Lou enlisted in time to see action in the Pacific, where he was wounded in an explosion on Okinawa. He recalled to the Reporter that as he lay wounded with a piece of shrapnel in his leg, he saw a heavenly white light – and made a pact with God.

“I said, ‘I promise to help an individual every day of my life. I told my Mum I’d make it home, and so if you help me through this, I’ll keep that promise.’”

Lou made good on that promise, and, and to the everlasting betterment of Dorchester, fate brought him to Morrissey Boulevard and the bowling alley. He mentored (some would say “saved”) untold numbers of wayward teens and young adults, some of whom he first encountered as troublemakers in the pool hall.

Lou was constantly calling in favors from his vast network of admirers to help out someone in need. He was active in all manner of philanthropy across the region, but he was particularly busy in helping out the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organization.

Later in his career, as the manager at Phillips Old Colony House, he charmed and danced with his guests, always on the lookout for a way to fulfill the long-ago pledge he made on a Japanese island battlefield. It was Lou’s relationships that made the Old Colony House a go-to spot for Dorchester functions and special occasions for a generation.

“I don’t expect anything,” he said at the time of the Pasquale Square dedication. “If you do something for somebody and you expect something in return, it has no meaning. But if you do something, and you don’t expect anything, it makes you feel good in your heart.”

Visting hours for Lou Pasquale will be held at the Sweeney Brothers Home in Quincy, on Friday, June 23, 4-7 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. John the Baptist Church in Quincy on Sat., June 24, 10 a.m. Those wishing to make a donation in Lou’s memory can send it to Disabled American Veterans, State House, Room 546, Boston, MA 02133.