LEWISTON — The city’s Franco-American community lost one of its most energetic and devoted supporters Sunday when Androscoggin County probate judge Robert L. Couturier succumbed to illness at the age of 70.

“I have never known a stronger advocate for the French heritage, language, culture and traditions than Robert Couturier,” said Rita Dube, executive director of the Franco-American Heritage Center. Couturier was a patron of the center, showing his support both financially and with regular attendance at the center’s events, she said.

“He is the first one who gave a substantial donation to bring the French Symphony of Boston to the center” in 2001, she said. It was the fledgling cultural venue’s first major symphony performance. “And thanks to him, we were able to do that.”

The lawyer had been honored by several French and Canadian organizations for his efforts to preserve French language and culture in North America, including one presented by the French consul-general, said Lewiston Mayor Larry Gilbert.

Couturier was tireless in his contributions to the local community, friends said. “He was a very compassionate person, generous of his time and energy, especially for the elderly and less fortunate,” said friend Susan Lagueux.

“He was also a very strong supporter of education,” she said, pointing to the Martin Scholarship Fund for local students of French families, which Couturier helped oversee.

Couturier’s French fluency and prominent role in the local Franco community made him a popular lawyer, Dube said.

Couturier preceded Gilbert as Lewiston mayor by some four decades, running the city in 1965 and 1966 at the age of 25. He was the nation’s youngest mayor at the time, and even newspapers in Los Angeles featured stories about him, said Gilbert, who was living on the West Coast at the time.

Couturier was elected state senator the year after his mayoral term ended, and he went on to work as a lawyer in Lewiston for 40 years. In 2010, he was elected to a third term as Androscoggin County judge of probate.

“He was very civic-minded, very caring about the community in providing service,” Gilbert said. “He will be missed.”