passing pg 1 1-18-24
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caption, page 1:
From left to right: Deana Roach (5th generation), Gary Nadeau (4th generation), William Nadeau Jr. (3rd generation), Gerard Nadeau (4th generation), Colin Nadeau (5th generation).
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Top: Bill's Bedding in the early 1980s. Above: Bill's Bedding today.
Bill's Bedding sees
'new' owners
By Deana Roach
Five generations!
A multi-generational family business hit a new milestone in Danielson. Bill’s Bedding is welcoming its new of owners, Deana Roach and Colin Nadeau.
Roach is the daughter of Gary Nadeau and joined the award-winning family business in 1995. Colin Nadeau is the son of Jerry Nadeau and joined the family business in 2013. They are the fifth generation to own and operate one of the longest family-run businesses in Windham County.
Bill’s Bedding & Furniture’s interesting history started in 1902 with George Despathy, who was a Canadian immigrant. George opened his first business in Baltic in 1902, moving to a larger location in Moosup in 1918. As his business and reputation grew, his son Wilfred joined the business making Despathy’s Furniture a household name for anyone who was looking to purchase quality furniture or bedding.
In 1930 George decided to expand the business to Danielson, and purchased a building on Main Street. In 1954 George decided to move his business again in Danielson. He purchased land and built a custom building on Main Street where Bill’s Bedding is today. The grand opening for this location was in 1955. George passed away a year later.
Wilfred took over the family business and the company continued to flourish under his ownership. Longtime employee William Nadeau and now son-in-law (married to Wilfred’s daughter Joyce in 1950) now was part of the sales team as well as the delivery team, and installed carpet in the evenings. Their twin sons, Gary and Jerry, would go to furniture shows with their grandfather Wilfred on occasion and have many fond memories of playing in the Moosup and Danielson stores. Willimantic and Vernon locations were opened, making Despathy’s Furniture a three-store destination.
Wilfred Sr. decided to partially retire in the early 1970s, and his son, Wilfred Jr. took over the reins. During this time, the Willimantic store was closed and the Vernon store was opened. The long closed Danielson store was reopened as “Outsville”. Disaster struck in 1970s when the Moosup store was leveled by a devastating fire.
Bill and Joyce, however, wanted to continue their family business. With the Danielson store still available, Wilfred Sr. (who passed in 1979) and his wife Rose helped them find the way to start not a Despathy Furniture, but a new furniture store — Bill’s Bedding.
With hard work and perseverance, they reopened the Danielson location in 1979 with only one floor of furniture and mattresses. The rest of the building was used as warehouse space. In 1980 their son Gary joined them in the business and Bill and Joyce expanded the building to add more warehouse space. In 1986 their other son Jerry joined them as their business grew.
Bill and Joyce retired in 1993, and transferred their thriving business to their twin sons, Gary and Jerry. For the next 30 years the brothers faced many triumphs winning many awards and numerous accolades; as well as difficulties — economic downturns, COVID, etc. They remained steadfast and resolute in their business practices and firm beliefs of quality and customer service. They also continued their parents’ philanthropic work with local schools and charities.
This past year Gary and Jerry decided to retire from the furniture business. With Colin and Deana firmly in place, the fifth generation seems ready to move forward with big ideas, but staying true to the over 100 years’ worth of customer service, quality and values that they have grown up with all of their lives.
Gary and Jerry said the best part about owning the store was meeting new people and the relationships they have built with them over the years (in some cases, multi-generational).
Gary added making these customers happy has always been a pleasure.
The hardest part?
Jerry suggested that the day-to-day problem solving was difficult, while Gary said that the business model was constantly changing over the years, and “keeping up with the online stores was something we have never really had to compete with before.”
What will they miss the most? That was an easy question for them to answer: the people. Whether it is customers, the co-workers, or their sales reps, the many relationships that they have built throughout their 30 years of being part of the community will forever hold a special place in their hearts.
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woman pg 1 1-18-24
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caption:
Presentation
Woman’s Board of DKH President Valentine Iamartino, center left, presents a check for $25,000 to Kristen Willis, director of Development, Day Kimball Healthcare, center right, as Woman’s Board members, from left: Elaine Turner, Beth Frost, Kim Lecuyer, Denise Archambault, Deb Cornman, Wanda Mineo, Heidi Hare, Cheryl Medlyn, and Arlene Barile look on. The donation will go towards the Woman’s Board’s pledge of $250,000 to support the purchase of Day Kimball Hospital’s da Vinci surgical system.
PUTNAM — The Woman’s Board of Day Kimball Hospital is working to fulfill a $250,000 pledge to support Day Kimball Hospital’s recently acquired da Vinci surgical robotic system. At its December quarterly meeting and luncheon, Woman’s Board President Valentine Iamartino presented a check for $25,000 toward the pledge which originated in April 2022.
To date, the Women’s Board has applied more than $71,000 toward its pledge. Funds for this commitment are raised through the gift shop at Day Kimball Hospital and various fund-raisers sponsored by the Woman’s Board.
“The Woman’s Board of Day Kimball Hospital has been a longstanding partner in the advancement of care at DKH,” said Kyle Kramer, chief executive officer, Day Kimball Health. “From their past contributions to our Maternal Child Health department to their current efforts toward the advancement of our surgical offerings they have consistently demonstrated a commitment to the engagement and support of our organization.”
The da Vinci surgical system enhances surgical capabilities and enables surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgeries including both laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgical procedures across multiple surgical services. This technology enables Day Kimball Hospital to bring much-needed additional treatment options in the areas of urology, colorectal surgery, gynecologic surgery, and general surgery.
“The Woman’s Board of Day Kimball Hospital proudly contributes to the advancement in healthcare for northeast Connecticut, Iamartino said. “Our ongoing commitment reflects our dedication, and helps ensure that our community hospital remains at the forefront of technology, and allows patients to have access to the very best care right here in our own community.”
Through the efforts of the 170 members of the Woman’s Board, along with the community’s support of its events, it is the mission of the Woman’s Board to raise funds to enhance the quality and services of Day Kimball Hospital. Established when Day Kimball Hospital opened in 1894, the Woman’s Board has served the hospital and community in multiple ways for well over a century, and has raised nearly $2 million to support important and necessary medical equipment needs at the hospital, including the hospital’s first ambulance in the early 1900s.
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pft rec pg 2 1-18-24
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Town of Pomfret
Employment Opportunity
Recreation Director
The Town of Pomfret is seeking a Recreation Director. This position is full-time/35 hours and includes some nights and weekends. A current CT driver’s license is required.
Must be a motivated self-starter with strong organizational and interpersonal skills, requires a working knowledge of Microsoft computer systems, website/social media knowledge as well as general clerical duties.
The Recreation Director performs administrative, supervisory, and professional work in the planning, development, and operations of a comprehensive public recreation program for individuals of all ages and interests.
Successful candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in related field or five years of related experience, able to lift up to 50 pounds, and available to work a flexible schedule. Salary is negotiable. This position is open until filled.
Applications and Job Description may be obtained online at www.pomfretct.gov or at the Office of the Pomfret First Selectman. EEO/AA.
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because pg 2 1-18-24
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Although we are already a couple of weeks into January of the year 2024, I would still like to offer my annual review of the year 2023. However, rather than fill this column with words or phrases that capture the year for all, I am providing three primary categories that can best describe what 2023 meant… to me.
ACHIEVEMENT: As most of you know, I completed my academic pursuits in 2023 by obtaining my doctorate in developmental psychology. In addition, I published my first two books and started a company. These achievements are significant to me because I worked (for many years) toward them. But as much as these achievements are marked by pieces of paper, I am prouder of the emotional successes I maintained behind them. I may have achieved an academic degree, but I did so with my personal friendships intact. And rather than seeking a job for another upon graduation, I have been given the creative freedom and support from my family to pursue my dream of forging my own career.
ABUNDANCE: Perhaps a bit unexpectedly, I am categorizing 2023 as abundant because I realized, when I resettled early last year in Germany, that I/we had accumulated lots of stuff! And then, as my dissertation moved into the defense stage and I began to clean up my office, I realized, again, that I had also accumulated lots of paper! I filled an entire large garbage bin with all of the paper I could finally free myself from. After tossing most of my office, I considered getting rid of more of my clothes in my already filled-to-the-brim closet. I can report, unfortunately, that I am still working on this… Likewise, the feeling of having way too much stuff also transferred to my social commitments in that I felt like I had too many things to do and too many places to go. My social quantity increased but it also felt like the quality of my social experiences may have suffered a bit.
ASPIRATION: Finally, 2023 showed me that no matter what goals or age I reach, I continue to aspire to more. Not more in the sense of adding to my stuff or bank account, but rather more in that I seem to perpetually establish new goals for myself. For example, I am currently working on two books and have an additional two more planned. I aspire to grow my company by hiring an employee (or two) and finding an office/retail space so that I can offer a bookstore experience for all the writers and readers in the world. And now that my schooling is complete, I am reinvigorating my German language learning so that I can improve my communication skills. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, I aspire to continue to improve my ability to be present for every experience, both the good ones and the challenging ones, I am lucky enough to have in 2024.
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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