Bella M. Cotnoir

PUTNAM — Bella M. Cotnoir, 90, of Van den Noort St., died May 2, 2015, at Day Kimball Hospital. Born in 1924 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Leo and Clara (Laflamme) Cotnoir.

After earning her master’s degree in education from Annhurst Collage and UConn, Ms. Cotnoir worked as a Business Teacher at Putnam High School, Griswold High School, and Tourtellotte Memorial High School for over 30 years. 

Ms. Cotnoir was a communicant of St. Mary Church of the Visitation in Putnam and was a member of the National Educators Association, the Connecticut Educators Association, and the Retired Business Teachers Association. 

She leaves her son Paul Cotnoir and his wife Mary of Putnam; brother, Gerard Cotnoir of Putnam; and grandsons, Joseph and Daniel Cotnoir. She is predeceased by her brother, Leo Cotnoir, sister, Marguerite R. Cotnoir, sister in law, Leona Cotnoir and granddaughter Jessica Cotnoir. 

Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. May 7, in the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. A gathering will begin at 9 a.m. May 8 in the funeral home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial  at 10 in St. Mary Church, Putnam, with burial in St. Mary Cemetery. Donations: St. Mary Church of the Visitation Church Ministry, 218 Providence St., Putnam, CT 06260.  

 

John A. McNair Sr.

DAYVILLE --- John A. McNair, 45, died April 24, 2015, after a battle with cancer. He was born May 27, 1969.

He considered his greatest achievements to be his wife and children. He loved spending time with them, whether it was rock concerts, four wheeler riding, fishing, camping, fairs, amusement parks, school functions, watching his kids play sports, or just having bon fires. 

He leaves his wife Debbie (Bomster) McNair; his son and best friend, John Jr.; daughter Ashleigh and his new son-in-law Shawn Savage, his daughter Heather Sandberg; granddaughter, Elliana; mother Joyce Kay Langley; brothers Steve, David, George, and Matthew; sisters Sherry, Tammy, and Dorothy; in-laws Wallace and Karen Bomster, Chris and Dave, Matt and Kellie, Robin and Seth; childhood best friend Tim Galvin, and his pets Shadow, Abby, and Jade. 

Calling hours were April 30 in Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson and burial will be held later. Donations: Day Kimball Hospice and Home Care. PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.

 

Bernice DiUlio

EASTFORD — Bernice DiUlio, 90, of Eastford, died April 23, 2015, at the Matulaitis Nursing Home in Putnam. She was the wife of the late Salvator Paul “Pint” DiUlio. He died in 1977. Bernice was born April 15, 1925, in Webster, daughter of the late Frederick and Yvonne (Mayotte) Adams.

She had worked at the American Optical Company in Southbridge for many years, retiring from Schott Fiber Optics in Southbridge in 1992. Bernice made her home in Southbridge most of her life, moving to Connecticut in 1985 and eventually settling in Eastford. Bernice enjoyed cooking, baking, gardening, knitting, and reading. If you left her house hungry, it was your own fault! She enjoyed working at Potato Heaven every year until 2013.

She leaves her son Mark DiUlio (Rita) of N. Grosvenordale;  brother Fred Adams (Joyce) of Webster; granddaughters Kelly Newth (Peter) of Putnam, Angela DiUlio and boyfriend Tony of Brimfield, Mass.; great- granddaughters Jordan, Nicole; longtime friend and caregiver, Norma DiUlio. She is predeceased by her sister Marion Croke.

A Memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. May 16 at the Most Holy Trinity Church,  Pomfret. Donations: NECCOG Animal Services, P.O. Box 759, Dayville, CT 06241. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

Claire L. Greene

THOMPSON — Claire L. Greene, 90, formerly of Quaddick Town Farm Road, died April 26, 2015, at the Matulaitis Nursing Home in Putnam. 

She was born Feb. 19, 1925, in Thompson, daughter of the late Joseph A. and Delvina (Bourque) Lafontaine.  She graduated from Teacher’s College of Connecticut in 1945, later teaching English and typing at Arlington (Va.) High School, before moving to Sarasota, Fla., where she worked as a legal secretary for her husband, Gale.

She had made her home in Thompson and Sarasota, for many years, moving to Carriage Square in N. Grosvenordale  in 2008. She was a communicant of St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale.  

She leaves two sons, Jay Greene and his wife Olya of Harper Woods, Mich., and Jeff Greene and his wife Amy of Sarasota; grandchildren Tynan, Casey, Jordan, Michael, Daniel and great-grandson Royal Jaylen. She was predeceased by her daughter Marilyn Greene in 1985 and her husband Gale K. Greene in 1986. 

Funeral Service was May 1 at the Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in Munyan Cemetery, Putnam

 

Duval Service

DANIELSON — Joyce C. Duval, 84, of Danielson, died March 26, 2015. She was the wife of Romeo Duval Jr. 

A Graveside Service will be 11:30 a.m. May 9 at Holy Cross Cemetery, Maple Street, Danielson. Donations: St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38101-9908. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

Paula Lefebvre

WEBSTER — Paula J. (Menzigian) Lefebvre, 49, of Webster died April 25, 2015, in the Harrington Hospital at Hubbard, Webster.  

She was born in Webster, daughter of the late Paul and Isabel R. (Barbour) Menzigian and lived here all her life.  

She leaves her husband of 20 years, Ronald R. Lefebvre; two sons, John Cygan of Webster and Aram Charles of Kentucky; two daughters, Lynn N. Shea of Milton, Mass., and Sarah I. Cygan of Webster; two sisters, Virginia Menzigian of Thompson, and Marlene Menzigian of Florida; aunt and uncle Edward and Ruth Menzigian of Rutland, Mass. 

A graveside service was April 30 in E. Thompson Cemetery. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

Stacia Zadora

ROGERS — Stacia (Schap) Zadora, 84 of Rogers, died April 16, 2015, at the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence . She was born in West Warren, Mass., May 28, 1930, daughter of John and Julia (Zajac) Schap.

Stacia was the wife of Stephen Zadora Sr, who died Aug. 21, 2010. She leaves four sons: Stephen (Stoge) and his wife Linda of Rogers, Alan of Elmer, Okla., Richard (Maynard) and his wife Paula of Thompson, David (Patricia) of S. Killingly; grandchildren Michael, Chris, Bryan, Shannon, Troy, Kimberly, and Travis Zadora, Stacy Dalpe and Mandy Nelson, great-grandchildren Megan, Macy, Nathan, Parker, Daniel, Noah, Tessa, Tatum, Tyler Zadora, Keagan Ford, David, Devin, and Alivia Dalpe; sisters Helen Deloge of Dayville, Mildred Daigneault of Brooklyn. She was predeceased by her granddaughter Heather Zadora, brothers, Rudolph and Stanley Schap and her sister Wanda Labrec.  The Funeral Service was April 23 at Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson, with burial at Holy Cross Cemetery Danielson.

 

 

 

 

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Catalbasoglu

 

 

By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC column is dedicated to Putnam resident Richard Preble, the man with the license plate RWP-13, not to be mistaken with RPC-13.  Preble is noted for his golf game which he plies at Quinnatisset Country Club each summer and his ‘Catch – 5 game’ which he hones at the Putnam Elks Club every week.

The Aqua Turf Club in Southington was the site of the annual Connecticut Sports’ Writers Alliance Gold Key dinner that honored four of the State’s most noted athletes.  Among the honorees was 1988 Killingly High School graduate Tracy Lis.  She was joined on the dais by former National Hockey League player Craig Janney of Enfield, Derby High School grad and ex-Yale running back John Pagliaro and longtime FCIAC commissioner and referee John Kuczo.

During her four years at Killingly, Lis was an offensive scoring machine, tallying 3,681 points, a Connecticut high school record for both men and women that still stands today.  Following her high school basketball career, Lis moved on to Providence College where she continued her assault on the record books.  The 1992 PC graduate racked up and impressive 2,534 points for the Lady Friars, another record that remains intact to this day.

According to an article in the Hartford Courant (Monday, April 27, 2015), Lis stole the show when it was her turn to deliver her Gold Key acceptance speech.  Midway through her acceptance, Lis paused and asked girls’ basketball player Kiah Gillespie of Capital Prep to join her at the podium.

Gillespie who earlier was honored by the writers had joked about only scoring 2,000 points during her recently concluded high school career.

“Be proud of what you do, what you did – be proud of yourself,” Lis said to Gillespie.  “Never, ever say you only scored 2,000 points.  That’s amazing.”

In her concluding remarks Lis said, “An athlete is only as great as their family, friends, their supporters and their fans.”

Lis, who later went on to a brief career in the former Women’s Basketball Association and enjoyed a barnstorming tour with the famous Harlem Magicians, remains a magnet wherever she appears.  Since 1992 when she graduated from college her record of a total of 6,215 points in eight years is astonishing.  The fact that her high school and college marks remain standing is a tribute to the quality athlete she was in her prime.

Yale Dream Becomes A Reality

As a young man Putnam Science Academy senior Hacibey Catalbasoglu grew up in the shadow of Yale University in New Haven.  The son of the owner of Pizza at the Brick Oven, Kadir Catalbasoglu, Hacibey’s dream was to go to an Ivy League school, preferably his dream school Yale University.  On March 31, Hacibey’s dream came through, but not without a little suspense.

On that fateful March day Hacibey received letters from three Ivy League schools where he had applied, Brown University, Cornell University and Yale.  He decided to open the letters in order from least favorite to the school he had always dreamt of attending, Yale University.  The results, Brown, a rejection; Cornell, same results; Yale, congratulations, welcome to the class of 2019.

“I just stood there for a second.  I didn’t say a single word.  I couldn’t believe what happened. I felt like reality ceased to exist,” said Catalbasoglu of his acceptance.

The acceptance was also Hacibey’s father’s dream for his son who had worked in his father’s pizza place, which is located in the heart of the Yale campus, since he was five years old.  From the pizza place to Yale, “to the place where Louie dwells,” Hacibey’s dream is now a reality.  

Hacibey, who was also a member of the Putnam Science Academy nationally ranked basketball team, is a serious student.  He plans on studying environmental engineering at the school made famous by “The Whiffenpoof Song.”  

During his time as a student at Putnam Science Academy Hacibey has been busy preparing for the future.  He’s worked on projects on how to efficiently extract oil from dried up oil reservoirs and how to clean industrial waste water with fruit peels.  If all of Hacibey’s aspirations are fulfilled in the next four years, it will be testimony to the fact that “if you dream it, you can do it.”   

Putnam Man Records Ace in Florida

Despite the itch to play golf in northeastern Connecticut, the weather conditions haven’t reached the ideal spot on the golf weather gauge yet.  In Florida, however golfers continue to enjoy real great golf weather.  A Putnam man recently took advantage of his extended stay in the Sunshine State, as he recorded a ‘golfer’s dream,’ the elusive hole-in-one.

Tom “Zimmer” Auclair, the former well known baseball coach at Tourtellotte Memorial High School, currently spends his winters in Avon Park, Fla., with his wife Jan.  A regular at Quinnatisset Country Club during the summer months, Auclair spends a good deal of time at River Greens Golf Course in Avon Park during the winter.

While at River Greens, Auclair aced the par three, 125-yard, 3rd hole using his trusty 9-iron.  The shot, which was clean and true off the club, was witnessed by his playing partners and fellow club members Peter March, Gil Heir and Jim Anderson, a former Pennsylvania State Amateur champion.    

While most golfers struggle and dream of getting that first hole-in-one, this is Auclair’s third career ace.  The others were recorded at Quinnatisset Country Club and Raceway Golf Club in Thompson.  Congratulations, Zim.

Tiger Golfer to Join Hall of Fame

On Saturday, June 20 Aaron Siekierski, a 2004 graduate of Tourtellotte Memorial High School,will have his plaque placed on the Athletic Hall of Fame “Wall of Honor” alongside 36 other names commemorating some of the best athletes ever to grace the courts, fields, and courses of northeastern Connecticut.  

The accolades that Siekierski accumulated while a golfer for the Tigers certainly make him a worthy entrant into the hallowed chambers of the Hall of Fame.  During his four years on the Thompson campus Siekierski was a varsity member of the golf team and an All State selection. As the team captain he led the Tigers to the 2004 State Championship in his senior year.

Prior to coming Tourtellotte, Siekierski’s golf talents were recognized at a young age as he won the prestigious Jack Kelly Open, then part of the Mountain Dew Tour, which was held at Raceway Golf Club in Thompson.  He recorded back-to-back scores of 66 in capturing the Kelly.

While in high school, Siekierski was crowned the 2003 Massachusetts Junior Amateur Champion at Duxbury Yacht Club, followed by being named the 2004 Connecticut Player of the Year.  Following his high school graduation he was a four-year member of the UConn golf team, becoming the team’s captain in his senior year.  During his time at UConn the Huskies won the 2005 Yale Spring Invitational.

Siekierski turned pro in 2009, and played professionally until 2013.  He holds course records at Connecticut National Golf Club with an eight under par 63 and at Dudley Hill Golf Club where he recorded a 10 under par 62.

(If you have news worthy sports information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

 

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By Ron P. Coderre

All girls’ softball teams saw action this week as most are on the downward side of a 20-game schedule.  Two magic numbers occurred in Plainfield during the week in which the Lady Panthers posted a 2-1 log.

In a Plainfield victory over Tourtellotte, Lady Panther coach Jimmy Langlois won his 100th career softball victory as Plainfield mentor.  In the very next game, a 14-0 shutout of Ellis Tech, Plainfield senior Keri Lehtonen recorded her 100th career hit.

Tourtellotte, Woodstock and Ellis Tech each won games after being beaten by Plainfield.  The Putnam Lady Clippers also posted a 2-1 week.  Killingly and Marianapolis were all winless.

Plainfield’s Lehtonen Enjoys Banner Week

Plainfield opened its softball week with a hard fought 4-1 win over Eastern Connecticut Conference opponent Tourtellotte in what could be termed Keri Lehtonen week in Pantherland.  Lehtonen yielded only two hits to the Lady Tigers and posted nine strike outs in picking up the pitching verdict.  The win was #100 for coach Jimmy Langlois.  Chivon Burns had a double and three runs-batted-in in support of Lehtonen.

The Lady Panthers followed up the win with a 14-0 white washing of Ellis Tech as Lehtonen recorded her 100th career hit, a first inning single.  Later in the contest she added another single and scored two runs.  Abby Horan had a double and two RBI’s for Plainfield.  The Lady Panthers ended their week on a sour note, losing to archrival Griswold 12-4, despite a 4-for-4 day at the plate for Lehtonen.  Plainfield is 4-6 on the season and 1-3 in the ECC – Medium Division.

Putnam opened its week on a disappointing note, losing 12-8 to Constitution State Conference – East Division opponent Norwich Tech.  The Lady Clippers bounced back with a resounding 15-0 shutout over another CSC – East opponent Windham Tech.  Mackenzie Livingston limited the Mighty Tigers to just two hits.

In another offensive showing, Putnam ripped Grasso Tech 21-4 as Livingston was the winning pitcher and had three hits.  Putnam is 4-7 overall and 3-2 in the CSC – East.

Ellis Tech also rebounded from its loss to Plainfield by taking out its vengeance on Grasso Tech 18-0 in a game called after five innings.  Winning pitcher Sheridan Murphy was Ellis Tech’s leading hitter with two hits and a pair of runs-batted-in.  Lizzy Patton had a remarkable six RBIs in the win while Sarah Tellier had four hits and Sydney Tetreault contributed a pair of doubles.  The Golden Eagles are 7-4 on the year and 5-1 in the CSC – East.

The Lady Techsters continued their winning ways with an easy 22-4 win over Parish Hill as Murphy had a five-hit afternoon.  Jackson added a double and triple and Tetreault chipped in three hits in the victory.

Michaela Godzik’s fifth inning single proved to be the difference as she drove in the winning run in 5-4 Tourtellotte victory over Lyman.  Earlier in the inning Crystal Daly’s double had knotted the score at 4-4.  Christina Kopacz was 2-for-3 for the 6-4 and 2-1 ECC – Small Division Lady Tigers.

Killingly, which went scoreless in three games, was upended 4-0 by Wheeler, 15-0 by Waterford and 20-0 by Fitch.  The Redgals are 2-8 on the season and 1-3 in the ECC – Medium Division.  Woodstock lost a tough 5-3 decision to very good East Lyme team.  The Acads raised their record to 6-4 overall and 1-3 in the ECC – Large Division with a 10-0 shutout of Windham.  Angela Caponi struck out 11 Whippet hitters in picking up the victory in the circle.  Marianapolis, which is 3-7 was shutout 8-0 by Suffield Academy.

(This week’s wrap-up only includes games played through Friday, May 1.)