obituaries pg 8 12-26-13

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Julia A. Marcoux
THOMPSON — Julia Ashall Marcoux of Thompson died Dec. 18, 2013.
She was born Aug. 7, 1928, in St Helens, Lancashire, England. Her father was killed in a coal mining accident when she was 8.  Her mother remarried shortly before the outbreak of WWII in Europe.  Her late stepfather, Robert Ashall, served in the British Armed forces.
Enduring periods of relentless aerial bombardment from the German Luftwaffe against the nearby port city of Liverpool, she often spent the night huddled in an air raid shelter with her mother, Margaret (deceased), brothers Robert (deceased) and Thomas (deceased), along with her sister Margaret (affectionately known as Peg who died in 2007).  The only link to what was unfolding around them and across the world was the nightly broadcast of the BBC.  Her lifetime appreciation of newscasts, particularly radio, finds its roots in her wartime experiences.
After the war, Julia completed her professional training as a nurse and midwife.  She was particularly fond of working with infants and the elderly.  Her professional career took her to the Burtonwood US Air Force hospital outside of Liverpool, England, where she first met a young Air Force enlisted man named Albert (Pete) Marcoux Jr. from N. Grosvenordale.  They married April 23, 1955, at St Joseph’s Church in Peasley Cross, England.
They moved to Quaddick in 1961. She became naturalized U.S. citizen on May 14, 1959
Their marriage of almost 60 years produced eight children; Albert (Stephen) III of Keene, N.H., Ann Marie of Putnam, Richard (Christine) of Milwaukee, Michael (Cathy) of Putnam, Maureen Birch (Richard) of Thompson, Patrick of Sturbridge, Margaret Dugan (James) of Chittenden, Vt., and Julie Karen of N. Grosvenordale; 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law and brother-in–law; Muriel and Donat Charron of Quinebaug.
She worked as a registered nurse at Marianapolis Prep., Matulaitis Nursing Home and for many years on the maternity ward at Day Kimball Hospital.  She also provided elder care services and served as a consulting nurse at a local day care.  Her last professional position before retiring was as a shift nurse for The US Post Office in Hartford, CT.  Julia was a registered nurse and one of Connecticut’s first certified midwives.
Julia was a strong advocate for lifelong learning including taking personal enrichment courses at Quinebaug Valley Community College and getting a bachelor’s degree in professional arts from St. Joseph’s College, Maine. She was a member of St. Bernard’s Council Knights of Columbus Columbiettes, the Thompson Democratic Town Committee and The Thompson Historical Society.
She was a strong supporter and communicant of St. Joseph Roman Catholic church in North Grosvenordale.  She was especially proud of her family being selected in 1982 as the International Catholic Family of the Year by the Knights of Columbus during their Centennial year.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Dec. 21 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale (presided over by her son, Fr. Stephen Marcoux of the diocese of Manchester, N.H.) Burial was in St. Joseph Cemetery. Donations: St. Joseph School, 18 Main St. North Grosvenordale, CT; or The Immaculate Conception Convent, 600 Liberty Hwy, Putnam. Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.

Cecilia Desautels
DANIELSON — Cecilia B. Desautels, 88, of Danielson, died Dec. 9, 2013, at Pierce Memorial Baptist Home after a brief illness.
Cecilia was one of 11 children born to the late Leon and Antonia (Bigda) Zulkiewicz. She was born Jan. 6, 1925, at home on the family farm in West Woodstock and attended Putnam High School where she played varsity basketball.
She was affectionately known as “Bobchi” to her family and as “CI” to her friends.
In addition to being a great cook, Cecilia enjoyed flower and vegetable gardening, watching Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right game shows and was an avid fan of the UConn women’s basketball team. She was also very talented at word puzzles such as crossword and cryptoquote and also enjoyed knitting and crocheting.
Cecilia was a retiree of Danco Plastics in Putnam where she worked in assembly and finishing for over 30 years.
She leaves her son Jeffrey who with which she resided; her daughter Janice Valdez of Dayville, and her son John (Michele) of South Carolina; brother Fred of Putnam; four grandchildren, Nicole, Travis, Claire, and Orion; and two great-grandchildren, Kylie and Aubrey Cecilia; two special friends, Doris Atsales of Brooklyn and Pierrette McCartney of Danielson. She was predeceased by siblings Joseph, Millie, Julie, Helen, Toni, Frank, Shirley, Leo, and Adele; her infant daughter Joann, and her former husband John R. Desautels
Memorial donations: Pierce Memorial Baptist Home in Brooklyn. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

Shelby M. Ball
WOODSTOCK — Shelby M. Ball, 56, of Route 171, died Dec. 16, 2013, at home. He was the husband of Rosaura Villanueva Ball. 
Born in 1957 in Morgantown, WV, he was the son of Ida (McCartney) Ball of Horseheads, N.Y., and the late Robert Ball.
Mr. Ball worked as a machine operator for Loos & Co. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and gardening.
In addition to his wife, he leaves his daughter, Tiffany Ball of Massachusetts; step-son Hugo Gonzalez-Villanueva of Woodstock; brothers, James W. Ball of Dayville, and Ryan D. Ball of Gillet, Penn.; sister, Susan D. Maynard of Horseheads.
A private burial for Shelby will take place in Abington Cemetery, in the spring.  Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Roland Bourbeau Sr.
PUTNAM — Roland A. Bourbeau Sr., 79, of Putnam, died Dec. 14, 2013, at home. Husband of Frances (Barrows) Bourbeau, they were married Jan. 20, 2007.
Born Dec. 5, 1934, in Webster, he was the son of the late Alfred J. and Eva (Lamiotte) Bourbeau.
He made his home in Putnam all his life, worked as a motorcycle mechanic for 20 years in Webster and Putnam until his retirement. Roland loved to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
In addition to his wife, Frances, he leaves his children, Maurice O. Raymond Jr., Daniel F. Raymond, Deborah L. Frazier, Jane E. Raymond; his sister Lorraine Daciau; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The Funeral was Dec. 19, at Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in Munyan Cemetery, Putnam.
 

Richard Asal Sr
Marine vet

THOMPSON — Richard “Dick” Joseph Asal, Sr. of Quaddick Town Farm Rd., died Dec. 19, 2013, at Day Kimball Hospital after an illness. He was born Dec. 6, 1929, he son of the late William and Henrietta (Burby) Asal.
Richard attended Plainfield public schools. Richard served in the U.S. Marine Corps, receiving an honorable discharge in 1954.

In 1955, Richard married Nancy Aileen Bell.

Priscilla Asal, Cheryl Bisson, Carla (Fred) Kress of Lakewood, Colo., Sandra Law, Kristine (Larry) Campos, Scott Asal of Jewett City, and Virginia Asal; 24 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brothers William, Sr. and James, Sr., and granddaughter Rebekah Piper Herron. Memorial gatherings were Dec. 21 and Dec. 23. Donations: Thompson Hill Fire Dept on Chase Rd, Thompson.

Frank J. Zolenski
E. HARTFORD —  Frank J. Zolenski, 85, of Woodycrest Dr., died Dec. 22, 2013, in Hartford Hospital.  He was the husband of the late Barbara (Fillmore) Zolenski.  Born in 1928 in  Chicopee Falls, Mass., he was the son of the late John and Veronica Zolenski.
Mr. Zolenski was an experimental machinist for Pratt Whitney. He enjoyed woodworking, volunteering at the Newington Veterans Hospital and with Military Honors Firing Squad. Frank was a communicant of Blessed Sacrament Church in East Hartford.
He leaves his son, Francis Zolenski (Cindy) of Pomfret Center. He is predeceased by his son Fred Zolenski and his daughter Bernice Zolenski.
Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St, Putnam.

John Ozaniak,
WWII vet
N. GROSVENORDALE — John A. Ozaniak, 86, of N. Grosvenordale, died Dec. 21, 2013, at St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester.
John was born in Webster, son of the late Anthony and Karolina (Vnuk) Ozaniak and lived in Webster most of his life.
He was a WWII U.S. Navy veteran.

He leaves his wife of 60 years. Lillian M. (Chupka) Ozaniak of N. Grosvenordale; a son, Stephen Ozaniak (Cathy) of Webster; a daughter, Pat Cahill of Dudley; two brothers, Stephen Ozaniak (Aurore) of Webster, Adam Ozaniak (Therese) of Webster; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister, Anna Yurkevicius of Webster.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Dec. 26 in St. Anthony of Padua Church, Dudley, with burial military honors in St. Joseph Garden of Peace Cemetery, Webster. Donations: Webster-Dudley Veterans Council, Veterans Way, Webster, MA 01570. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

Some pg 9 12-26-13

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By Ron P. Coderre
RPC here, cleaning out the “sports in-box” while trying to also squeeze in a few more hours of Christmas shopping before the stores close on December 24.
Congratulations on a New Baby
There’s a new addition to the northeastern Connecticut community.  William Mulcahy Andersen arrived at 10 a.m. on December 10 just in time to enjoy his first Christmas.  William is the son of Brian and Susan Andersen of Thompson.  He came into the world weighing exactly 9 pounds and stretching out at 21 inches.  In addition to mom and dad, William was welcomed by his 5-year-old twin big brothers, Jack and Braden Andersen.
RPC is pleased to announce that mom and baby boy are both doing well.  Mom, who is the Development Officer at Marianapolis Prep, didn’t have much time to rest as she had to get the Andersen household ready for Santa Claus.  She’s expected to be back to work and active in the Putnam Rotary Club sometime after the start of 2014.
Back In The Saddle
For those of us who read the fine print in the Transactions section of the daily sports news, it was a welcome site to see news coming out of Washington, D.C. regarding the Nationals baseball club in Syracuse of the International League.  The Nats announced that Billy Gardner Jr. will be the team’s manager this upcoming summer.  He’ll be joined by pitching coach Paul Menhart.
If the names Gardner and Menhart sound familiar to local baseball followers, both are southeastern Connecticut products and should be known by many from our area.  Gardner, Jr. is the son of former Minnesota Twins manager and former major league journeyman player for the former New York Giants Billy Gardner, Sr.  The younger Gardner, who played at Waterford and Mitchell College and had some year’s in the minors, has been coaching at a number of minor league spots throughout the country.  This appears to be a good move for the very likeable Gardner.
Menhart, who once pitched in the major leagues for the Toronto Blue Jays is a knowledgeable baseball man with years of coaching experience under his belt.  He played for the good New London American Legion teams coached by Jimmy O’Neill.
Gardner, who also used to blow the whistle for the Eastern Board basketball contingent and Menhart should form a good combination for the Washington Nationals.  Let’s hope the next step might be some place in the major leagues for the pair.
Local College Hoops Update
The primary college news this week emanates as it has been lately from Quinnipiac University, where former Marianapolis players Ike Azotam and Ousmane Drame continue to shine.  Azotam was named the ECAC New England Player of the Week for his performance when he averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats who went 1-1.  
In a loss to Rider he had 24 points and seven boards and in a win over Vermont he posted 18 points and 13 rebounds.  His numbers in the Vermont game were the 32nd time he’s had a double-double, which is second on the all time list at Quinnipiac.  He’s also only the sixth player in school history to surpass 1000 points and 800 rebounds in a career.  Drame had 14 points in the victory over the Catamounts.
In its most recent game the 6-4 Bobcats lost 69-58 to Lehigh University.   Azotam once again was high scorer with 18 markers while Drame contributed 14 points.
From The Annals Of Putnam Sports History
January 1903: Putnam High School girls were defeated 12-4 in basketball by Connecticut Agricultural College (Could this possibly be the current University of Connecticut?  I believe this was prior to Geno Auriemma.).  The team bounced back to beat Killingly 24-13.
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Find something to cheer about.

Boys pg 9 12-26-13

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By Ron P. Coderre
The Jim Crabtree era at Killingly High School opened its second season on a positive note.  After going 7-13 in his initial season at the helm of the Redmen, it appears that the “Crabtree system” has caught on at Killingly.  Boosted by the return of some solid veterans and an influx of new talent, Crabtree is proving to Killingly that they can win with hard work, something the players need to accept.
The Redmen opened the season with a convincing win over an always tough Montville team.  Woodstock, raising its Class L Championship banner didn’t have much time to revel in the glory of last year as it was beaten in its home opener against Ledyard.  The Centaurs are 1-1 after an opening road win at Ellington.  Tourtellotte, Putnam, Ellis tech and Plainfield combined for a 0-7 log in the opening week.
After trailing Montville 17-14 in the first stanza, Killingly erupted for 24 second period points to take a comfortable 38-26 lead to the locker room at halftime.  In the second half the offense stalled, scoring only 23 points in 16 minutes but the defense came through to preserve the victory for the now 1-0 Redmen.
Killingly put three players in double figures with Nick Hewitt and Austin Taylor leading the way with 14 points apiece.  Shaun Audet chipped in 12 points in the victory.
Woodstock opened its season much the same way as it did last season with a 58-55 victory over pesky Ellington.  Following a slow first quarter in which it scored only six points, Woodstock exploded and controlled the tempo in the final three stanzas.  Senior Will Bourgeois, out all last season with a torn ACL, returned, inspiring the Centaurs scoring 16 points.  Senior guard Chris Lowry was the team high scorer with 17 points and returnee Trent Peters chipped in 11 markers.
Ledyard, which is projected as one of the top teams in the Eastern Connecticut Conference this season, spoiled the Centaurs 2012-2013 Class L title celebration, posting a narrow 63-58 victory.  During the celebration, which delayed the game start by one hour, the Colonels chose to remain in the locker room rather than watch the festivities.  The unsuspecting delay probably had something to do with the game outcome.
The contest was close throughout with visiting Ledyard going back to the familiar locker room at intermission in front 33-30.   The second half was pretty much even with Woodstock squandering opportunities to tie or go ahead in the game. Relying primarily on his starting five, coach Greg Smith noted his players may have been tired at the end.
Lowry led all scorers with 27 points, including a pair of three-pointers.  He was joined in double digits by Adam Converse, who posted 16 points and Bourgeois with 12.
Putnam lost its initial two games of the season, 80-65 against Wheeler and 61-48 against Goodwin Tech.  The Clippers trailed throughout against Wheeler and never threatened the visiting Lions after the second period.  Jordan Tetreault (16) and Steve Dakai (15) were the Clippers top point producers.
Putnam travelled to Goodwin Tech and after scoring 22 first period points were able to score only 24 markers in the final three quarters.  Tetreault with 18 points and Tylor Genest with 11 were the only two Clippers in double digits.
Tourtellotte coach Tony Falzarano may have to wait a while to pick up the three victories he’s looking for to reach 600 in his coaching career.  The Tigers appear to be tranquilized as they were beaten 70-42 by visiting East Windsor and 52-34 by the Griswold Wolverines who came snarling into the Tigers Den.
Kaevon Safford (15) and long range bomber Mike Jezierski (14) were the Tigers top scorers against East Windsor.  The offense took a sleeping pill against Griswold as Tourtellotte was unable to put anyone in double digits.
Plainfield opened at home with a tough assignment, New London.  The Whalers sailed off with a 69-49 win against the Panthers who were led by Steve Jankowski (14) and Will Robinson (12).
Ellis Tech inaugurating it new gymnasium with the Ellis Tech Tournament finished last in the four-team event losing its opener 53-50 to Parish Hill and the consolation contest 56-36 to Norwich Tech.
Putnam Science Academy Suffers Rare Loss
Putnam Science Academy took a road trip to Western New England University for the Basketball Hoopfest and came away with a disappointing 66-61 loss at the hands of a very good Wilbraham & Monson team.  The two teams battled throughout but the Mustangs were unable to muster the offense needed to pull off the victory.  In a rare showing of offensive ineptitude, the Scientists placed only three players in double figures, led by Jordan Butler (13) and followed by Jalen Terry and Chaise Daniels with 10 apiece.
The next stop for the travelling troupe was the St. Andrew’s Tournament in Barrington, RI, where the offense magically reappeared in a 83-59 win over Vermont Academy.  Able to generate more offense, the Scientists placed five men in double digits.  The team was led by Anthony “Bull” Durham and Butler with 14 apiece, followed by Dan Upchurch and Kyle Menard with 11 points each and Terry with 12.  The Mustangs stand at 9-2 entering the mid-season break.
Hyde-Woodstock could manage only one win in the three games it had on tap last week.  The Wolfpack opened with a one-point squeaker 67-66 over Lexington Christian.  The trio of Kenny Grant (20), Dexter Thompson (16) and Damon Gomes (13) were Hyde’s top scorers.
The Bob Southall Classic at Loomis-Chaffee School in West Hartford was the next stop for the Wolfpack and that’s where their luck seemed to run
out.  They suffered consecutive losses at the hands of Redemption Christian 59-46 and Kimball Union 72-49.  Grant with 28 markers was the lone bright spot in the loss to Redemption.  Thompson (17) and Grant (11) were the only two scorers in double figures in the Kimball Union contest.  Hyde-Woodstock is 6-3 on the season.
Pomfret lost its opening round game in the Rivers School Tournament to Millbrook School 65-46.  Cam Winston with 17 points was the only player to reach double digits for the Golden Griffins.  The Griffins rebounded from the loss with a pair of convincing victories to raise their record to 3-2.
Brewster Academy was Pomfret’s first victim as the Griffs won 63-44 behind Winston’s 19 points.  They capped the week by beating St. Sebastian 48-32.  Once again Winston led the way with 17 points.  Jeff Iyalekhue chipped in 13 points and corralled 10 rebounds for the winning Griffins who held the Saints to just five points in the first half.