PUTNAM — Putnam Middle School honor roll for the second marking period includes:

Principal’s List

Grade 6:  Samantha Barylski, Mirabelle Bates, Haley Cutler, Molly McKeon, Janete Morente Uz, Ellie Morissette, Andrea Prochowski, Jillian Romagnano.

Grade 7:  Emily Cournoyer, Elizabeth Foss, Ezra George, Kira Horan, Lydia Taft, Madison Toutant.

Grade 8:  Mitchel Barylski, Jason Becker, Ashley Burke, Lauren Carita, Aidan Ciquera, Scott Davagian, Doria Daviau, Morgan Foucault, Victor Krivosheev, Allison LaFortune, Sophia LeDuc, Brianna Long, Anastasia Piligian, Hannah Prestas, Keely Purdon, Benjamin Smith, Courtney Stott.

First Honors

Grade 6:  Coby Babbitt, Zoey Beaudreault, Ariana Bianchi-Bisson, Autumn Bocash, Matthew Chzaszcz, Tanner Clark, Jordan Dolbey, Rachel Farnsworth, Jaden Garcia, Jillian Gray, Sydney Grilo, Zoe Hetrick, Michael Ionkin, Hayley Kuhn, Emily Langlois, Kayleigh Lyons, Daytona MacDonald, Steven Merritt, Jordyn Poole, Joshua Porter, Kobie Saddler, Hannah Smith, Anthony Sonner, Justin St. Martin, Jennifer Tilley, Noah Tomkins, Yahel Savala.

Grade 7:  Kayla Anderson, Trinity Bailey, Morgan Blackmar, Emma Ciquera, Jacob Clinkscale, Montana Cook, Cole Davagian, Victoria Dias, Seyla Dodge, Dawnielle Dowd, Jewelia England, Olivia Golbranson, Andrew Kustov, Logan LeBlanc, Sierra Mainville, Katy Maryanov, Thomas Masso, Maggie McKeon, Chelsea Minaya-Torres, Simon Morente Uz, Tavia Orvos, Pari Patel, Jeffrey Reed, Megan Sessums, Megan Shippee, Alexander Strom, Jenna Tatro, Mariah Travisano, Jane Vongvirath.

Grade 8:  Tara Auger, Angela Bichard, Kira Clinkscale, Kerri Fulton, Jaidyn Gillette, Sophia Glaude, Dekoda Gray, Justin Haynes,Connor Holloman, Aliceya LaBonte, Tyler Langlois, Alyson Morris, Ericka Olsen, Mickenzie Olsen, Connor Pellitier, Daniel Porcic, Erica Rumsey, Nathan Sarachick, Savannah St. Jean,  Nicole Steinbrick, Samantha Tilley.

Second Honors

Grade 6:  Joe Andujar, Jaisha Crowell, Maxwell Dionne,  Nathaniel Dolbey, John Espinosa, Toni Field, Malaki Fitzgerald, Andy Garcia, Abigayle Gardner, Shayla Haggerty, Kyle Haynes, Jeremy Irizarry, Faith Johnson, John Johnson, Collin Lavoie, Carter LeBlanc, Ryan Metivier, Jade Montpelier, Anthony Navedo, Jasmine Neal, Chloe Newton, Charlotte Nichols, Megan Nicol, Lucas Perry, Violet Provencal, Hunter Roberts, Jacob Tatro, Caleb Wells.

Grade 7:   Olivia Allen, Lauren Blackmar, Mackenzie Blackwell, Christopher Bocash, Paige Brennan, Karissah Broughton, Addison Brown, Andrew Charaba, Shelby Charbonneau, Delaney Cross, Troy Davis, Lauren Deery, Gabriel Desrosiers, Michael DiColella, Kayleigh Gauvin, Angelina Gould, Trenten Haddock-Gould, Kylye-Annemarie Kupiec, Ariana Ladouceur, Julia Loomis, Kayla MacDonald, Mya Meadows, Evan Nicol, Jasmine Paulhus, Jenna Pontrelli, Sebastian Ramos, Haley Santiago, Yelisey Strukov, Hunter Toughette, Aislin Tracey, Jacob Tremblay, Christian Yorz, Jillian Williams.

Grade 8:  Payne Bates, Joshua Belleville, Hayden Belliveau, Brandon Cacciapuoti, Tristin Courteau, Rayna Desrosiers, Tyler Fitts, Tyler Hayward, Destanie Johnson, Tyler LaCasse, Chandon Lamoureux, Matthew Meagher, Jasmin Montpelier, Christopher Plante.

 

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Sandra Vaillant

PUTNAM — Sandra (Weaver) Vaillant, 63, died March 1, 2014, after a battle with cancer.

She was born Aug. 10, 1950, in Putnam, daughter of Esther Weaver of Killingly and graduated from Killingly High School in 1968.  She married Gerry Vaillant of Putnam on March 20, 1971, and has lived in Putnam for the last 43 years.

Sandra worked for many years as a bookkeeper at Franklin Pharmacy and most recently at the Medical Center of Northeastern Connecticut.  Nothing made Sandy happier than spending time with her family, especially her five grandchildren, who were the apples of their “Mem’s” eyes.  She loved watching them grow and play together; no matter what they were doing, they brought a brilliant smile to her face.  She loved being outside, enjoying the sun and tending to her plants and flowers.  She also loved the beach, especially Old Orchard Beach, Maine, where she spent many summer vacations.   Sandy was an avid reader and passed that love onto her children and grandchildren.  

In addition to her husband and her mother, she leaves three daughters: Meredith Crabtree (Jim) of  Brooklyn, Emily Mayo (Luke) of Coventry, and Angela Johndrow (Scott) of Eastford; five grandchildren: Molly and Sydney Crabtree, Trevor and Hailey Mayo, and Matthew Johndrow; three brothers, Thomas Weaver of Killingly, Robert Weaver of New Hampshire, and Francis Weaver of Norwich.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. March 6 at St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam. Donations: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.  The Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Ronald Champany

POMFRET CENTER – Ronald M. Champany, 77, of Pomfret Center, went home peacefully to be with his Lord Feb. 24, 2014.  He married the love of his life, Beverly (Becotte) Champany, on April 8, 1961. 

Ronald was born May 26, 1936, in Randolph, Vt., son of the late Merton and Irene (Beaudoin) Champany. 

He graduated from Windham  High School in 1955 and served for eight years in the U.S. Army Reserves. 

He owned and operated Champany and Son Inc. Builders for many years. He was a communicant of Most Holy Trinity Church in Pomfret. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, hiking and nature photography. Ronald was also an adventure traveler. He spent countless hours doing volunteer work within his community. 

Besides his wife Beverly, he leaves his children, Cynthia Lussier (Robert) of Darlington, S.C., Christine Durst of Woodstock, Rex Champany of Crawfordville, Fla. Shawn Champany of Pomfret, Ben Champany of Pomfret, Jason Champany of Pomfret; brothers and sisters, Richard Champany of Tennessee, Sydney Champany of Northfield, Vt., Jeanne Michaud of New Hampshire, Sonda Stepchuk of Michigan, Valerie Beauchene of Canterbury, Jacqueline Cholewa of Oregon, Linda Champany of Rhode Island and Janice Pollock of Canterbury; grandchildren, Samantha, Zachary, Laura, Cormac, Caleb, John, Madeline, Liam and Lexi. He was predeceased by his brother James Champany and daughter-in-law Laurie Champany. 

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. March 10 at Most Holy Trinity Church in Pomfret, with burial at the convenience of the family. Visitation is from 4 to 7 p.m. March 9 at Tillinghast Funeral Home, Danielson. Donations: The Pomfret Ambulance, P.O. Box 306, Pomfret Center, CT 06259; or Windham County 4-H Foundation, 326 Taft Pond Road, Pomfret, CT 06258. 

 

Gary E. Burton,

Vietnam war vet

WEBSTER Gary E. Burton, 65 of Webster, died unexpectedly, Feb. 22, 2014 at home. He was born Aug. 6, 1948, in Putnam, son of the late Ernest and Ellen (Bushey) Burton. 

He was a veteran of the Vietnam war serving with the U.S. Air Force. Gary was employed for over 25 years at Sanitary Dash in N. Grosvenordale. Gary enjoyed hunting fishing and watching football. 

He leaves his wife Nina Burton of Webster; his sister Jeanne Surozenski (Gary) of N. Grosvenordale; his nephew Ronnie LaBonte (Ericka) of Webster; his grandchildren Phillip, David, Lucien; his dog Brian and cat Coco. 

Burial with military honors will be in the spring in Munyan Cemetery. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

Aldona Rygelis

PUTNAM —  Aldona Rygelis, born Tercijonas, 83,  formerly of Maple Lane in Thompson, died Feb. 26, 2014, in Matulaitis Nursing Home. Aldona was born June 9, 1930, in Kaunas, Lithuania, the eldest of three children born to Ona Putvyte Tercijonas, educator of early childhood education, daughter of Vlada Putvis, founder of the Sauliu Sajunga, and Vincas Tercijonas, a renowned Lithuanian pediatrician.

Aldona was the wife of Juozas (Joseph) Rygelis (1920-2012), whom she married on April 16, 1950.

She came to the U.S. with her parents in 1949, having fled the Soviet invasion of Lithuania. In 1951. Aldona, at 20, had her first child, and soon, another. The young, rapidly growing family moved several times, following Joseph’s work, to Monroe, where they settled, until 1970. As the economy of Connecticut was going into a tailspin, the family, which now included Aldona’s elderly mother, moved to Kinnelon, N.J., where they lived until 1989, when they moved back to Connecticut to Thompson.

Aldona was a member of the Kinnelon Rotary Club, where she helped organize quilting projects, and the ASME Auxilary. She was also very active in the Catholic church and in the various Lithuanian communities she lived in, singing in the Women’s Choir, organizing community picnics and other events, and working with children’s camps. In retirement in Thompson, she assisted her husband, Joseph, in his jobs as, first, treasurer, then, director, of the American Lithuanian Catholic Archives (ALKA) in Putnam.  As a young woman, Aldona finished practical nursing school. Later in life she studied interior design and worked in the Amway network. She was a very skilled seamstress and knitter, able to make anything from clothing to household essentials to children’s toys.

She leaves five children, Aldona Jr., Antanas II, Vince, Regena, and Vita Cepkauskas, along with eight grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters.

A Memorial Mass was March 3 with burial in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Putnam. Donations: The Baltic Jesuit Advancement Project, 1380 Castlewood Dr., Lemont, Ill., 60439 (earmarked for the Kaunas High School); or The Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, 600, Liberty Hwy, Putnam, Ct. 06260 Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam..

 

Danny Cashdollar Sr.

DANIELSON —  Danny Cashdollar Sr., 47, of Mechanic St., died March 2, 2014, in Regency Heights Nursing Home.  He was the boyfriend of the late Tammy Balamut.  Born in 1966 in Hartford, he was the son of the late Danny and Sandra (Unk) Cashdollar.

Mr. Cashdollar worked as a machine operator for Siri Wire.

He leaves his son, Danny Cashdollar Jr. of Danielson; and his nieces and nephews Sandra Cashdollar – Holms, Tyrone Holmes, Nicholas Cashdollar, Nicky Cashdollar Jr., and Nicole Cashdollar. 

Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St. Putnam.

 

Richard E. Columbia,

WWII vet

PUTNAM — Richard E. Columbia, 88, of Wicker St., died Feb. 26, 2014, in Day Kimball Hospital.  He is the husband of Jeannette (LaPointe) Columbia.  Born in 1925 in Rogers, he was the son of the late Samuel and Anastasia (LaRose) Columbia.

Mr. Columbia was a veteran of WWII serving his country in the U.S. Army.  He came home and worked as a machine operator and textile worker for Putnam Finishing and Linemaster Switch.

In addition to his wife, he leaves his son, Richard A. Columbia (Linda) of Putnam; grandchildren, Nicolas Columbia (Crystal) of Putnam, and Michelle Smith (Brad) of Putnam; and his great-grandchildren, Mya, Veronica, Kailyn, and Nicolas.

The Mass of Christian Burial was March 1 St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam with burial in St. Mary Cemetery.  Donations: St. Mary Church of the Visitation, 218 Providence St., Putnam, CT 06260. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Sandra Wilson

PUTNAM — Sandra Wilson, 66, of Putnam died Feb. 21, 2014, at home. Sandra was born Nov. 4, 1947, in Putnam, daughter of the late Merton and Alice (Demers) Harvey. 

She worked as an LPN for Regency Heights Nursing Home in Danielson for 35 years.

She leaves her two children Trevor Wilson of Putnam and Jenifer Raymond of Putnam; two brothers Merton Harvey Jr., (Joan) of Venice, Fla.,, Dennis Harvey (Candace) of Columbia; three grandchildren Paige, Cayden and Madison Raymond. 

Donations: American Cancer Society, 825 Brook St., I-91 Tech Ctr., Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3045. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

‘Peggy’ Rohr

WEBSTER — Margaret A. “Peggy” (Macuga) Rohr, 60, of Webster ended her journey on this earth Feb. 24, 2014, after a battle with cancer. 

She was born in Webster, daughter of the late John and Theona (St. Andre) Macuga.

Margaret attended St. Louis School of Webster and graduated from Bartlett High School in 1971.  She then attended Dudley Hall Career Institute.  She worked at Russell Harrington in Southbridge for 25 years as the payroll supervisor.  She then retired as the accounting manager at Fletcher Tilton PC in Worcester after 20 years.

She leaves her husband of 33 years, Raymond Rohr; five stepchildren, Tammy Weiss  (James) of Thompson, Annette Bratica (Stephen) of Milford, Mass., Kristine Place (Steven) of Webster, Tracy Hakala (John) of Dudley, and Jason Rohr of Burlington, N.C.; seven stepgrandchildren; sisters, Andrea Brass of Marlborough, Mass., Anne Jackel (Walter) of Webster, Marion Brezniak (Thomas) of Rockland, Maine,  Betsy Welch of Worcester. She was predeceased by her brother, John Macuga in 1998.

 The Funeral was Feb. 28. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

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By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC sporty shout out is sent along to Kathy Guertin of Putnam, who is one of the Putnam Clippers most avid rooters.  Guertin, who works in the design department at Chase Graphics, is excellent in her field and loyal to Putnam on the athletic field.

Putnam Science Academy was fitted for the glass slipper Feb. 25 when the Mustangs received word that they had been invited to the National Prep Championship Tournament.  The invitation is the first in the brief history of the Cinderella program, which has been coached throughout by Putnam native Tom Espinosa. 

According to word from Espinosa, the initial tournament contest is against St. Thomas More from Oakdale.  The Chancellors are a team that the Mustangs defeated earlier in the season in a close game played on the St. Thomas More campus.  (Note: The National Tournament game was played on March 4 in New Haven at Albertus Magnus College prior to the publication of the Putnam Town Crier.)

On the day prior to the invitation the latest National Post Grad Rankings were updated with Putnam Science Academy occupying the 5th spot.  St. Thomas More was in the 2nd spot, while Brewster Academy, one of the four teams to beat the 28-4 Scientists this season ranked as the top team in the nation.  A pair of Virginia schools, Fisburne Military School and Hargrave Military Academy is in the 3rd and 4th spots respectively.

The second half of the Top Ten includes New Hampton (NH) 6th; Massanutten (VA) 7th; Northfield Mt. Hermon (MA) 8th; IMG Academy (FL) 9th; and South Kent School (CT) 10th.  The Scientists have beaten both Northfield Mt. Hermon and South Kent School.

The Mustangs go into the National Tournament after winning the Northeast Prep Basketball Tournament with victories over Redemption Christian Academy and Lee Academy.  Putnam’s Jordan Butler, who was immense in the two-day tourney, was selected as the Most Valuable Player as he averaged more than 20 points and ten rebounds per game.

The 6-foot, 7-inch Jordan, who is headed to Norfolk State in September, was joined by his teammates Anthony Durham and Danny Upchurch on the all-tournament team.  Hyde-Woodstock placed Dexter Thompson on the team along with Redemption’s Tyler Wright, who averaged 15 points and five assists, rounding out the squad.

Daytona Rain Doesn’t Stop Thompson Resident

The Daytona 500 won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. despite a six-hour rain delay, didn’t deter the enthusiasm of the huge crowd in attendance.  It also didn’t deter or dampen the spirits of Thompson resident Bill Chvirko, who enjoyed a ride that most people who are NASCAR enthusiasts would put on their ‘bucket list.’  Chvirko, a former Tourtellotte Memorial High School basketball and baseball standout, spent a “great week in Daytona.”   Topping the week was Chvirko in the passenger’s seat taking a lap around the Daytona Speedway in the Pace Car with former driver Brett Bodine.

In his own words Chvirko said, “I now feel I’m one of the select few people who have gone supersonic and exceeded 155 miles per hour in an automobile.”  Bill, you get RPC’s checkered flag of the week.

Coaching Milestones

Two well known coaches, one on the high school level and the other in the college ranks, who do their work only 25 miles from Putnam, reached significant milestones last week.  Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma of the UConn women Huskies coached the 1000th game of his basketball coaching career in the recent victory over the University of Houston.

Around the same time Ron Pires, the head coach at E.O. Smith High School, picked up his 500th career high school coaching victory in a win over Bloomfield.  Pires, a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University where he was a basketball and baseball standout, is well known in our area having taught at Helen Baldwin School and Parish Hill.

The affable Pires picked up the significant win in a 60-56 overtime contest over Bloomfield.  Pires is in his 35th season at the Storrs school.  The energy he exudes on the sidelines is an indication that he isn’t ready to give up his coaching job anytime soon.

Auriemma, the celebrity coach of the Huskies, won his significant game by beating Houston 92-41. Auriemma arrived on the Storrs campus in 1985 as a little known individual and has transformed himself and the basketball program into celebrity status as the top program in the history of women’s basketball.

Since Auriemma’s been the standard at UConn RPC has had the opportunity to meet him on several occasions.  The first was in the summer of his arrival when the late George Dropo had the “young coach” as a member of his foursome in the Day Kimball Hospital Golf Classic at Pautipaug Country Club.  As the organizer of the tournament I never realized the celebrity he would bring to our area in years to come.

In more recent years our paths have crossed at Assumption College, where Geno and Kathy Auriemma’s son Michael Auriemma was a member of the Greyhound basketball team.  Geno and Kathy very seldom if ever missed a game on the Worcester campus.  The Auriemmas were always cordial to everyone, including RPC, when approached with small talk of questions.

Congratulations and many more years of success Ron Pires and Geno Auriemma.

Updating the Collegians

Freshman Paul Brooks, the former Putnam Science Academy center, continues to improve each week at Worcester State University.  In a recent 67-58 victory over Framingham State, Brooks led the Lancers to victory with an impressive 16-point performance as WSU raised its record to 11-14 and 8-4 in the MASCAC.  Brooks will lead his team into the MASCAC Tournament quarterfinals next.

Meanwhile at Quinnipiac University junior center Ousmane Drame, the former Marianapolis standout, continues to shine and collect the honors.  Last week Drame was selected the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the week.  This is the second time this season that Drame’s garnered the award.

From The Annals Of Putnam Sports History

February 1915: Putnam High School defeated Falmouth High School 18-17 and then beat Southbridge High School 58-15.  (Information contributed by Willie Zamagni)

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Become the most positive enthusiastic person you know. 

(If you have sports items worthy of publication please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

 

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