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Suzanne Franklin
WOODSTOCK — Suzanne (Vaillant) Franklin, 66, of Stone Hill Road, died Aug. 8, 2013, in St. Francis Hospital in Hartford after a short battle with lung cancer. She was the wife of the late Richard W. Franklin.
She was born in 1946 in Putnam, the daughter of the late Eugene and Gabriel (Bardier) Vaillant.
She attended St. Mary’s School and graduated from Putnam High School in 1964. It was here that she met her future husband, Richard. Together they raised four beautiful daughters, who were the center of her universe.
Suzanne was a well known member of the community. As an active member of the Putnam Rotary Club for many years, she enjoyed serving as president from 2002-2003, receiving the Paul Harris Fellow Award. She also served as secretary for the Putnam Rotary Foundation. She was a “champion” for the Northeast Chamber of Commerce. She served for 11 years on the Board of Directors and in 2006 she served as the president of the organization. In 1996, Sue was the recipient of the last Athena Award presented from the Chamber. In 2008, she was recognized with the Chamber’s coveted Gold Key Award, an award presented for outstanding service. Suzanne was co-owner of Franklin Pharmacy and Home Health, Inc., and The Healthy Lady both formerly located in Woodstock.
Of the many accomplishments Suzanne has had, being a mother and Nana to 10 has been her greatest. She also enjoyed traveling to Aruba and Maine with friends and family.
She leaves her daughters, Amy Ponte (Rick) of Woodstock, Melissa Duncan (Jeffrey) of Woodstock, Rebecca Anderson (Otto) of Woodstock, and Allison Dumas (Justin) of Putnam; grandchildren; Jessica, Cody, Chase, Parker, Garrett, Dominic, Olivia, R.J., and Avery; one great-grandson, Aiden; brother, Gerry Vaillant (Sandy) of Putnam; aunt Jeanne Lavallee; her special friend, Patty Breault and her goddaughter Susan Byrnes who helped Suzanne greatly during this difficult time; her dog, Zoe. She is predeceased by two “sons” Erik Kohler of Germany, Ricardo Zulli of Brazil, and a son-in-law Joshua Peterson.
The Funeral was Aug. 14 in the East Woodstock Congregational Church. Donations: Richard W. Franklin Memorial Fund, c/o Citizens National Bank, 182 Main St., Putnam, CT 06260; or St. Francis Hospital Cancer Center, 114 Woodland St., Hartford, CT 06105-1299. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
David C. Lewis Sr.,
Air Force vet
EASTFORD — David Clark Lewis Sr., 68, of Eastford died Aug. 6, 2013, at home. Born March 18, 1945, in Willimantic, to George Aldrich Lewis and Catherine Margaret Earnest Lewis.
Known to family and friends as “Pops”. David attended Woodstock Academy before entering the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam era. After leaving the Air Force, David worked at Pratt and Whitney and for the State of CT, retiring in 1997. David was one of the most honest and sincere people you could ever meet. If he loved you and if he didn’t love you, you were the first to know.
He leaves his son, David Clark Lewis Jr.; daughter-in-law Kate Heckler-Lewis; granddaughter Salena Lewis; brother Richard Lewis; best friend Marty Dalbeck. He was predeceased by his parents, a brother Jeff and the love of his life Holly Magee, she died in 2004.
A Graveside Service with military honors will be at 10 a.m. Aug. 17 in the Grove Cemetery, Eastford. Donations: Hospice of NE CT, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam
Roma M. Billington
DANIELSON — Roma Marguerite Billington, 72, of Hampton, Va., formerly of Danielson, died July 9, 2013. She was born in 1941, daughter of the late Edmond & Marguerite (Barrette) Billington.
Roma’s kind heart and wonderful sense of humor will be missed by many. She had a very adventurous life growing up in Danielson, CT, raising three children, and eventually living a good portion of her retirement on the Island of Kauai before moving to Virginia to live near her sisters.
She leaves her daughter Leslie Atsales; son Michael Baranski; sisters; Laura Briggs, Carol Smith, Donna Dinquel; brothers; Edmond Billington, Rene Billington, Leo Billington, Steven Billington and Joseph Billington; granddaughters; Shayna Atsales, Oceanna Baranski and Rochelle Baranski. Roma is predeceased by her son Edward Baranski III and grandson Edward Baranski IV.
Visitation is from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 16 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam, followed by her Funeral Service at noon in the funeral home. Burial is in Holy Cross Cemetery in Danielson.
David M. Szafarowicz
AUBURN — David M. Szafarowicz, 33, of Oxford St., died Aug. 3, 2013 in Leominster, Mass. He was the husband of Justina (Chickering) Szafarowicz.
Born in 1980 in Worcester, he is the son of Michael Szafarowicz and the late Stephanie (Nedoroscik) Szafarowicz.
Mr. Szafarowicz worked as an auto mechanic for Jim & Sons in Worcester. He enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and could fix anything with a motor.
In addition to his wife and his father, he leaves his children; Joshua Szafarowicz of Webster, Damion and Alysha Szafarowicz of Auburn, Raya and Teagan Boudreau of Sudbury, Mass., and Austin Pittman of Eastford; his sister, Kathryn Shead (Benjamin) of Thompson; nieces and nephews Isabelle, Zachary, and Samuel Shead all of Thompson; and his maternal grandfather Stephen Nedoroscik of Douglas, Mass.He was predeceased by his maternal grandmother Jane (Chojnacki) Nedoroscik, and his paternal grandparents, Eugene and Regina Szafarowicz.
Visitation was Aug. 9 in Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.
Frederick J. Daigle
PUTNAM — Frederick J. Daigle, 76, of Putnam, died Aug. 6, 2013, in Day Kimball Hospital. Born in 1936 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Joseph and Gertrude (Hoffman) Daigle.
Mr. Daigle worked as a mill hand at Hale Manufacturing.
Mr. Daigle enjoyed talking with his friends on his CB radio with his handle being “Snowman”. He also was able to repair CB radios on his own. But, he was most passionate about the love that he showed to his pet dogs.
He leaves a brother Roger Daigle (Johanna) of Pomfret and Punta Gorda, Fla.,, and a sister Rosalie Andrews of Seminole, Fla.; nieces and nephews.
The Service was Aug. 13 in West Thompson Cemetery. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes.
David Flath
POMFRET CENTER — David (Dave) Edward Flath, 74, son of the late Ruth Stiles and Elmer A. Flath, born March 3, 1939, in White Plains, N.Y., and long-time resident of Pomfret Center, died Aug. 7, 2013, after a three-year battle with lung cancer.
David was active in the Pomfret Lions Club, the Republican Town Committee, the Pomfret Economic Development Commission, the Red Cross, and was the chair of the Pomfret Board of Finance.
He was a graduate of East Hartford High School, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and earned his MBA at Nichols College, Dudley. He also served in the Coast Guard. He loved and supported girls’ softball, as a fan and coach, was an avid golfer, an active parishioner of Christ Church, Pomfret, and was a sports enthusiast, who loved the Cleveland Indians and UConn women’s basketball.
He was an accomplished artist and founder of Common Sense Payroll, LLC.
He leaves his wife, Sandy; children Dayna Flath (Mike Fineran), and Leslie Flath Ganz (Mark); grandchildren Hannah and Paloma Flath and Clara and David Ganz; brother Robert Flath; nieces Jen Cague, Rebecca Cague, husband Glenn Greenstein and son Liam, Karen Hunter and husband Larry, and nephew Bobby Flath.
A Celebration of his life will be held at 5 p.m. Aug. 16 at Christ Church, 521 Pomfret St. Donations: Community Kitchens, PO Box 502, Danielson, CT 06239. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
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