The Story

Owner, Mike Beaulieu, firmly believes in the power of fitness and its ability to provide for a long, healthy and productive life. He has mirrored his morals and principals instilled in him by his grandfather and has built in honor of and based the name of Mensch CrossFit off the type of man his grandfather always was.

MENSCH | men(t)SH | a person of integrity and honor.

Charles J. Richardson Jr. was an American war-hero and, without a doubt, a major contributor to “The Greatest Generation.” He joined the Navy when he was eighteen years old and was assigned as a gunner on a dive-bomber that was later, unfortunately, shot down in WWII. He was captured by the Japanese Army and tortured as a prisoner of war for six months before being released. This is likely why he developed a heart condition known as Beriberi, which is caused from starvation. After WWII, he continued his commitment to his country and served in the Korean war. After retiring from the Navy, Charlie worked as a civilian contractor for the Pentagon working on flight simulators and the development of electronic warfare.

During his military service, he fell in love with his wife, Dorthy, before they could understand what the other was saying (she was from Quebec and only spoke French). They later married and had six children. During her thirties, Dorthy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) which eventually confined her to a wheelchair. This led to a significant degradation of her mobility until she ultimately became a quadriplegic. Charlie chose to retire early in order to dedicate his time to taking care of the love of his life.

Charlie led a life to be looked-up to. He taught Mike to respect authority and your elders, always do the right thing, learn as much as you can about as many things as possible, be accepting of all people, and always love and cherish your wife and family. As Charlie would say, “Take care of things and they will last forever.” Charlie believed in always striving to be the best you can and never stop incessantly working towards your dreams.