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Edward L. Guillette,
Army vet
THOMPSON — Edward L. Guillette, 87, of Oakwood Dr., Thompson, died Jan. 2, 2020, at the Pierce Memorial Baptist Home. He was born in 1932 in Webster, and was predeceased by his parents Wilfred and Malvina (Forcier) Guillette and brother George Guillette.
Edward proudly served in the U.S. Army and went on to be employed as an auto mechanic at Bancroft Motors in Worcester for 25 years. He retired at the age of 60 and enjoyed spending time with family and friends, playing cards, listening to polkas and going to the casino. Edward was a member of St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale.
He leaves his wife of 62 years Nancy (Tupaj) Guillette; a son Alan (Timalynn) Guillette of Thompson; a daughter Amy (Glenn) Orn of Dudley; siblings Lorraine Drobot of Webster, Bernard (Dorothy) Guillette of N. Grosvenordale; five grandchildren; Jake (Amanda) Guillette of Killingly, Kyle (Sarah) Guillette of Chelsea, Mass., LTJG James Duhamel of Key West, Fla.; Jillian Duhamel of Dudley, Laura Orn of Dudley; great grandson Logan Guillette of Killingly.
The Funeral Mass will be at noon Jan. 17 at St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale. Donations: Thompson Lions Club Inc., 30 Whittemore Ave., P.O. Box 28, Thompson, CT. 06277. Valade Funeral Home and Crematory, 23 Main St. N. Grosvenordale.
David Ross
PUTNAM — David Ross, 68, of Putnam, died Jan. 1, 2020 at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam. He was born June 24, 1951, in Brooklyn, N.Y., son of the late William W. Ross and Jean (Macdonald) Kerr.
David was a business manager for a software company. He was a graduate of Bryant College. David was a caregiver to his mother Jean until her death on Sept. 13, 2019. He enjoyed golf and the stock market.
He leaves his brothers William H. Ross (Rose) of Southington, James Ross of Enfield, and Thomas Ross of Enfield; his sister Leola Ross of Seattle; his step-siblings Robert Kerr (Linda) of Moosup and Karleen Gedney (Charles) of Moosup; nieces and a nephew. He was also predeceased by a brother Bob Ross.
A Graveside Service will be at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 18 at Maplewood Cemetery, 184 Salem Turnpike, Norwich. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Shirley A. Goodno
PUTNAM — Shirley A. (Ayotte) Goodno, 85, of Thurber Rd, died Jan. 9, 2020, at Day Kimball Hospital. She was the wife of the late Robert Goodno who died in 1987. Born in 1934 in Hamlin, Maine, she was the daughter of the late Warner and Arlene (Gorey) Ayotte.
Mrs. Goodno worked for Danco in Putnam as a machine operator until her retirement. She enjoyed reading, puzzles, crossword puzzles, bingo, and playing cards. She passed her love of reading down to her children and grandchildren. Rummy was her favorite card game and she usually beat everyone she played which made her chuckle and say, “better luck next time”. Before Bob died, they would play penny poker with the entire family and it didn’t matter if you won or lost because you were guaranteed a night of endless laughter. She and Bob spent most of their lives together on Quassett Lake where they raised seven children, creating wonderful memories. She enjoyed big family dinners and cookouts. She loved sitting outside doing her crosswords from sunup till sundown even in the middle of winter. Once she became a resident of Matulaitis Nursing home Wednesdays and Saturdays were her favorite days — that meant Bingo!
She leaves three sons, Michael Goodno (Ruth) of Hilliard, Fla., Glenn Goodno (Dawn) of Putnam, and Jeffrey Goodno of Groton; her three daughters, Jayne Wilcox (David) of Apopka, Fla., Valerie Goodno of N. Palm Beach, Fla., and Susan Gardner (Dale) of Putnam; three brothers, Richard Ayotte of Salina, Kan., Patrick Ayotte of Montreal, Canada, and James Ayotte of Windsor Locks; three sisters, Loreen Udal of Enfield, Carole Therriault of Bristol, and Lynn Dufault of Florida; 11 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her daughter, Claudette Berthiaume, three brothers Harold Ayotte, Donald Ayotte, and Joseph Ayotte and three sisters Pauline Tuttle (Ayotte), Regina Parris (Ayotte), and Joyce Seymour (Ayotte).
Services will take place in the Spring. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. Donations: IHSP (Interfaith Human Services of Putnam) food bank/diaper bank, PO Box, Putnam, CT 06260; or Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, 1 E Wacker Dr Ste 1730, Chicago, IL 60601-9553.
Frances M. Johnston
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Frances Mildred Johnston, 96, died, Jan. 1, 2020, at Saratoga Hospital in Saratoga Spring.
She was born Oct. 2, 1923, in Bowdoinham, Maine, daughter of the late Frank and Lucy (Partello) Johnston. Frances worked as a supervisor at The Southern New England Telephone Company in Putnam during her 20s. Frances was an active member of the Putnam Baptist Church and sang in the choir. She had a real affinity for Putnam and had made lots of friends while she lived here.
She worked for the Gazette Newspaper as a secretary.
She leaves a daughter Lucy Johnston of Scotia, N.Y.; grandchildren Matthew Powell of Rotterdam, N.Y., and Justin Powell of Duanesburg, N.Y. She was predeceased by her sister Lucille Ferry and brother Leslie Johnston.
Graveside services were held in Grove Street Cemetery, Putnam. Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
James H. Staplins Jr.
PUTNAM — James H. Staplins Jr., 85, of Putnam died Jan. 13, 2020, at Davis Place in Danielson.
He was born July 6, 1934, in New London, son of the late James H. Staplins Sr. and Emily (Biltcliff) Staplins. He was the husband of Adele Rita (Tetreault) Staplins. They were married on April 18, 1960, in St. Mary’s Church in Putnam.
James was employed by the State of Connecticut DOT as a heavy machine operator for more than 30 years.
He leaves his wife Adele Staplins of Putnam; his son James J. Staplins (Darlene) of Pomfret Center; his daughter Denise Staplins of Putnam; grandchildren Eric Staplins of Pomfret Center, Amanda Bernier of Putnam, Angela DiPasquale (Josh) of Pomfret Center and Andrea Bernier of Putnam; great-grandchildren Savana, Axton, MacKenzie and Ryder; sister Emily Allard (Richard) of Putnam. He was predeceased by a grandson Christopher Staplins in 2008 and his sister Margaret Tupplin.
Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 17 with a prayer service at 7 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam. Donations: American Kidney Fund, 6110 Executive Blvd., Suite 1010, Rockville, MD 20852.
Dr. Jake Stymiest, Ph.D.
FOSTER, R.I. — Dr. Jake L. Stymiest, Ph.D., born in North Bay in Ontario, Canada, and resident of Foster, died unexpectedly Jan. 2, 2020.
Jake was born July 2, 1977. He graduated from the University of Alberta with a PhD in organic chemistry and pursued postdoctoral studies at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. A published research scientist, his work was important to the field and he was valued for his contributions and his friendship by his many colleagues.
Jake he loved to gather with those dear to him and share a toast and a story. He had a beautiful sense of humor, a great intellect and a joy for life. He was an avid outdoorsman and incredibly proud of his Canadian heritage and the life skills taught to him by his parents.
Jake married Alessandra in 2013. He became a dual citizen in 2017 and leveraged his standing to celebrate all holidays in both countries and to improve his options for sports teams.
He leaves his wife, Alessandra Folz; his parents, Lynne and Don Stymiest; his brother, Andrew Stymiest; his nieces and nephews, Taylor, Hayley, Breanna, Grace, Parker, Ronan and Marguerite; family and friends: Patricia and Ronald Folz, Sosanna Folz and Todd O’Malley, Shawn Gilmore, Jaime and Bill Ford, Miranda Stymiest and Julie and Lonn Rider.
A Visitation and Blessing is at from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St, Putnam. Donations: Ronald McDonald House in Toronto, Canada: https://2060.thankyou4caring.org/pages/tribute-gift-form.
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