Willie and Marie Brillant raised a large family of 15 children in Topsham that resulted in 39 grandchildren. They emphasized the importance of education to their children. One of their sons was Romain Brillant, for whom a separate BASAF Memorial Fund has been established.
Willie Brillant was born in 1888 in Brunswick. He was educated in local schools and worked at the Pejepscot Paper Mill for 43 years, retiring in 1953. Willie passed away in 1978 at the age of 89. Marie was born in 1891 in Brunswick, spent her life as a homemaker and passed away in 1959.
Their children, Adrian (Mickey) Brillant, Romeo Brillant, Doris Caouette, Joseph Heledore (Zeke) Brillant, Alcide Brillant, Romain Brillant, Yvonne Drolet, Annette Mercier, Jeanne D’Arc Levesque, Joseph Louis Brillant, Lucie Jean, Lucien Brillant, Robert Brillant, Jean Paul Brillant, Emilian Brillant, as well as family and friends of Mr. and Mrs. Brillant, established this fund in their honor.