Charles S. Perkins,

U.S. Army vet

E. WINDSOR — Charles S. Perkins, 78, of E. Windsor, died July 21, 2015, while undergoing surgery at St. Francis Hospital. 

 Mr. Perkins was born on March 21, 1937, in Putnam,  the son of the late Charles Perkins and the late Mary Emma Daigle Perkins.  Charles was a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard.  

Charles enjoyed golf and snowmobiling.  

He leaves his wife of 53 years, Vivian Defilippo Perkins of E. Windsor; one sister, Cynthia Peterson of Pomfret;, two sons and two daughters in law, Charles R Perkins and Amanda Perkins of Gray, Maine, Craig Perkins and Stephanie Perkins of E. Windsor; two grandchildren, Ashleen Perkins and Brenna Perkins. He was predeceased by his parents, one sister, Phyllis Zapolski, and one brother, James Perkins

A private graveside service will be held at a later date. Donations: Putnam High School Athletic Association in memory of Charles S. Perkins. Pietras  Funeral Home.

 

Carlene Prassos

PUTNAM — Carlene Prassos, 71, of Woodstock Ave., died July 18, 2015, at home. She was the wife of Steve Prassos. They were married April 21, 1991. 

She was born May 31, 1944, daughter of the late Carl and Wanda (Wilks) Wilson. She was a paralegal secretary at the Law Office of St Onge and Brouillard for 15 years. She was a friend of Bill W., had made her home in Putnam for 25 years, and was a communicant of St. Mary Church. 

Carlene served on the Putnam Library Board for several years. She had a great love for her cat. 

She leaves, in addition to her husband Steve, her daughter Mistie LaTourette (Donnie) of Corinth, Maine; two grandsons Joshua Smith and David Smith, and a great-grandson Braxtyn; her brother Paul Wilson of Webster.

The Funeral was July 22 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in Grove Street Cemetery, Putnam.

 

Jace Silvestri

WEBSTER — Jace Kyle Silvestri, infant son of Kyle Gary Silvestri and Kayla Elizabeth Healy, died on the day of his birth July 20, 2015, at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester.

He leaves his parents and their families including relatives in Thompson. Bartel Funeral Home & Chapel, Dudley.

 

Gary A. Phillips Jr.

CANTERBURY — Gary A. “Bummer” Phillips Jr., 42, of Canterbury, died unexpectedly July 17, 2015. 

He was born Feb. 1, 1973.

He had a passion for racing motocross, raising chickens and spending time with family. Bummer left a lasting positive impact on everybody he touched. Bummer was a lifelong mechanic and would lend a helping hand to anyone in need. 

He leaves his mother and father Deborah and James Hankins; his son Tyler Castonguay; his sister Ann Marie Ross; his brothers Douglas, Steven, Richard, Michael; nieces, nephews, aunts and cousins

The service was July 24 at the Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

 

Joan Quinn

WEBSTER/HOBE SOUND, Fla. —  Joan Litchfield Quinn, 78, of Hobe Sound, died July 19, 2015, after a battle with cancer.   

Joan was born June 23, 1937, in Thompson, to Charles and Anne (Zabka) Litchfield. Following Tourtellotte Memorial High School, she attended UConn where she would meet her first husband, Francis Quinn.  Joan received her RN degree in nursing and later her MSN from UConn School Of Nursing. 

After working in various hospitals including St. Francis in Hartford, she would embark on her life’s passion; working with the elderly, immersing herself in the field of gerontology, geriatrics, and elderly care management. Starting one of the first pilot programs in care management organizations in CT, called Triage, and later CT Community Care, Joan’s company was instrumental in providing quality care management and transition services to individuals in the health care continuum.

She served as the first women Senior Vice President at Anthem Insurance Companies in Connecticut where she specialized in Medicaid, Medicare, and serving high risk elderly and children with complex needs.  She had great influence in the merger of Nevada and Colorado programs into both Anthem and Wellpoint.  Joan moved on to become the Executive Director of UnitedHealth Group, Evercare; the Interim Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association CT Chapter and would become the interim CEO of the National Alzheimer’s Capital Area Chapter in Fairfax, Va. where she was working until the time of her death.  Joan’s talents were many and she showcased them when she started Quinn’s Consulting, dealing with health and long term care, case coordination and transitionary care. 

Along the way Joan was an energetic and devoted board member and belonged to many national organizations such as the American Academy of Nursing, the Gerontological Society of America, and The National Academy of Certified Care Managers.  She loved the boards she worked on including those for Duncaster, McLean, and ProHealth Physicians.  Joan was also a published author and editor of many publications and was named a 2011 Notable Woman of Influence by the CT Women’s Hall of Fame.   Joan was a proud, determined, conscientious business woman whose priority was always to make those people around her the best they could be and she always took the time to show she cared deeply.  

Joan leaves her husband Paul Karapanos of Hobe Sound; three sons and their families, Eric, wife Tamara, Eric’s children Riley, Kelsey, and Carly;   Kevin, wife Mary-Eleanor, and children Tom and Brian; and Matthew, wife Jennifer, and children Alex, Zachary, and Ethan; brother-in-law John Lewis; her two nephews Jon and David and David’s family, wife Carrie, and son Andrew; eight 

The Mass was July 24 the Church of the Incarnation, Wethersfield. Donations: CT Community Care, 10 Enterprise Dr., Bristol, CT 06010; Alzheimer’s Association of CT, 200 Executive Blvd., Suite 4B, Southington, CT 06489; or VNA Care Network and Hospice, 120 Thomas St., Worcester, MA 01608. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.