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Philip A. Raymond,
Vietnam war vet
PUTNAM — Philip A. Raymond, 78, of Cleveland St., died June 5, 2020, at home. He was the husband of Kathleen Raymond. Born in 1941 in Webster, he was the son of the late Arthur and Viola (Skotchless) Raymond.
Mr. Raymond was a proud Army veteran serving during the Vietnam war with Company C, 101st Engineer Battalion. On Nov. 17, 2013, he was united in marriage to Kathleen (Sawicki) Maynard. Mr. Raymond worked for many years as a mason for J&L Construction.
He was a member of the American Legion Post 76 in N. Grosvenordale and an honorary life member of the former Knights of Columbus 2087, St. Bernard Council in N. Grosvenordale. Philip enjoyed working out at the gym and staying healthy.
He leaves his wife Kathleen Raymond; his stepson Brian Maynard of Thompson; a brother Harold Raymond (Deborah) of Grosvenordale. He was predeceased by a sister, Karen E. Raymond. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. Donations: American Legion Post 67, P.O. Box 909, N. Grosvenordale, CT 06255.
Lucille Tetreault
Lucille Tetreault, wife of CMsgt Paul P. Tetreault (ret) for 61 years, went peacefully to see Our Lord June 5,, 2020. She died of natural causes.
Born Feb. 16, 1937, to Audila and Antonin Auger in Webster and graduated with high honors from Putnam Catholic Academy in 1955, She entered St. Vincent’s School of Nursing and graduated with a degree in nursing, June of 1958. She worked as a nurse at Day Kimball Hospital until she married Paul on Nov. 8, 1958, in Arlington, Va. She worked as a nurse at Prince George’s Hospital in Landover, Md., until she went with Paul to the Philippines where she did special Nursing Duties at the Clark AFB Military Hospital on South Vietnamese soldiers and special burn cases. There she met and shook hands with Movie Actor Jeff Chandler, who had to go to the hospital while filming “Merrall’s Mauraders.”
Upon arriving in Colorado Springs in 1961, Lucille worked as a nurse at the Memorial Hospital. Returning to Putnam in 1964, Lucille joined the Putnam Health Care Department, working with Charlotte Lenky. Besides doing visiting nursing duties, she was also the 1st Head Start nurse working at the old Putnam Grammar School, checking children’s health with Gerard Cotnoir. In the ‘70s, she took care of sales at the Tetreault Appliance Store. In 1980, she returned to visiting nursing till about the year 2000, where she started to cut toenails. Known as the Toe Nail Queen, she ran four clinics. Plainfield, Brooklyn, Putnam and Thompson till her retirement, in 2018. She compiled 60 years of nursing and in 2014 she received a prestigious Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing. She always said that she felt best when she was amongst the people that needed her care. Lucille left a legacy matched by none.
She leaves her husband, Paul; children, Monique L. Phelan of Danielson, Michael P. Tetreault of Summer Field, Fla., Mark A. Tetreault of Cologne, Minn., David J. Tetreault of Danielson; brother Maurice Auger of Putnam; grandchildren Kelsey Phelan, of Danielson, Christopher Phelan of Charlotte, N.C., Patrick Phelan of Danielson, Mathieu Phelan of Danielson, Eric Tetreault of Cologne, Melissa Tetreault of Cologne, Holly Tetreault of Pennsylvania, Misty Tetreault of Smyrna, Del.; great grandchildren Nariah, Tommy and AJ.
The Funeral Mass was June 12 at St. James Church, Danielson, with burial in the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown. Donations: Day Kimball Healthcare, Home Healthcare Department, P. O. Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
James J. LaRochelle
N. GROSVENORDALE — James J. LaRochelle, 60, died April 2, 2020, at UMass Healthcare Center Hospital, Worcester.
Jim lived in N. Grosvenordale for the 20-plus years. James was the head maintenance engineer for the Shaner Group in Southbridge.
He leaves his wife Laura J. Hackett; son Tyler Day, both of N. Grosvenordale; parents, Roland LaRochelle and Mary (Bachand) LaRochelle; brother Roland LaRochelle (Delores) all of Southbridge.
Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. June 19 at Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster. Please follow the state-mandated protocol by wearing a mask. A Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. June 20 in St. Joseph’s Church, N. Grosvenordale. Donations: American Diabetes Foundation.
Janet T. Phaneuf
PUTNAM — Janet Theresa Phaneuf died on June 7, 2020, of natural causes.
She was born March 24, 1933, on Church Street in Putnam and lived within two houses of her birthplace her entire life. Her parents were John J. and Pauline A. (Labossiere) O’Brien of Putnam. She was predeceased by her husband of 49 years, Lawrence U. Phaneuf Jr.
She graduated from Putnam Catholic Academy in 1951 and was salutatorian of her class. She received an A.S. degree in business and secretarial science in 1953, from Annhurst College.
While a student, Janet worked part-time at the Day Kimball Hospital. After college she was employed as an executive secretary at the Frank Parizek Manufacturing Company. She then devoted her time to raising her daughter and managing all financial aspects of her husband’s business, Larry’s Plumbing & Excavating as well as her father’s business, John’s Package Store. She worked in the accounting office at Bugbee’s for eight years. When Janet sensed her place of employment may close she applied to the Putnam Public Library and started work there Nov. 23, 1982, and retired on April 30, 2015.
She enjoyed reading, especially history and mysteries. In her younger years she enjoyed playing softball, bowling, roller-skating and square dancing. She loved traveling whether it was a drive in the country or a three-week road trip. She and Larry hosted card games that ran into the wee hours. In the 1980s, Larry completed restoration of his midget racing car and joined the Atlantic Coast Old Timers. Janet occasionally accompanied him to meets.
When asked if numerous pets could take up residence in the house, she obliged. She raised and cared for canaries, parakeets, lovebirds, mice, tropical fish, turtles, rabbits, cats, ducks, chickens, guinea hens and geese. She also supported Larry’s decision to adopt two horses, which led to more horses, a bull, a cow and a mule. She fed the birds and squirrels that frequented her yard and truly enjoyed watching their antics.
Janet was known to be the unofficial photographer within any group. She enjoyed opening the home to others. She usually agreed to be the chaperone on school field trips and volunteered at the St. Mary School library. She became leader of a 4-H club for six years.
She leaves her daughter, Susan P. Phaneuf (Michael F. Chrzan) of Putnam; brother-in-law, Bernard Phaneuf and sister-in-law Janice Phaneuf of Woodstock; sisters-in-law Constance Black of E. Hartford, Elizabeth Phaneuf and Esther Phaneuf, both of Woodstock, 9 nieces, 4 nephews. Donations: Connecticut Audubon Society addressed to the Center at Pomfret, PO Box 11, Pomfret Center, CT 06259. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Geraldine Heidelberger
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Geraldine Therese Fayad Heidelberger, formerly of Pomfret Center, died June 6, 2020, in St. Augustine.
Born March 11, 1929, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to parents of Lebanese heritage, Gerry grew up in the culturally rich diversity of Brooklyn. This shaped her love of tolerance, other cultures, and equality. Part of her legacy is that she passed this on to her children, along with her love of Lebanese and Italian cooking and food.
Gerry used to regale her family with stories of life in Brooklyn at that time: riding on the subway to high school with her cello, taking voice lessons in Manhattan, and hooking her street hockey stick on the back of garbage trucks to get pulled along on her roller skates. She used to set her dolls up on her grandmother’s stoop and play house, hiding her baseball glove and ball, until the neighborhood boys got home from school. Then, she would abandon her dolls, grab her ball and glove, and go play. An avid Brooklyn Dodgers fan, the Dodgers broke her heart when they left New York, so she became a Boston Red Sox fan, much to the chagrin of the two Yankee fans in her family
Gerry was forthright. If you deserved it, she would give you a tongue lashing in one breath and hug you in the next. Her grandchildren chuckled at her frequently offered advice and thought it would be a good idea to make a bracelet for each grandchild with the letters WWTD on it, standing for “What Would Tita Do” (Tita is the Arabic word for grandmother.)
She was a Certified Operating Room Technician at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam. She loved her work.
She married Charles H. Heidelberger, her beloved Charlie, in 1948. They spent many retirement years traveling in their RV, eventually settling in north Florida. They were married for almost 67 years when Charlie died in 2014. Gerry had some health issues from that time on and moved to assisted living in St. Augustine.
She leaves her sons Jody, Chris (Diane); daughters Missy (Jay) and Lori (Sandra); grandchildren Jason (Courtney), Michael D, Shannon, Michael H, Austin (Ale), Lauren, Kiersten (Alan), Victoria, Christian, Katherine, and Owen; eight great-grandchildren. Donations: Toys for Tots, 18251 Quantico Gateway Drive, Triangle, VA 22171 (www.toysfortots.org); or The Salvation Army, https://www.salvationarmy.org.
Kenneth A. Smith
PUTNAM — Kenneth A. Smith, 61, of Putnam, formerly of Douglas, Mass., died June 9, 2020. Throughout his years, Kenny often put the welfare of others before his own, and even during his last days he never lost that quality.
Kenny spent many days outdoors with his much-loved dog Cookie. He enjoyed fishing. He understood that hard work was worth nothing if we don’t take the time to be with each other.
He leaves his partner Belinda Kacmarcik; his father Andrew Smith; daughter Heather Jackman; son Matthew Smith (Lana); three brothers, James, Mark, Andy (Holly); two grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased by his mother Shirley. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
Autumn Brook Chase
DAYVILLE — Autumn Brook Chase, 25, of Ballouville Rd., died unexpectedly June 5, 2020. Born in 1995 Putnam, she was the daughter of Luke Chase and his wife Rose of WV and Pamela (Bernier) Chase of Putnam.
Autumn was employed at the Superior Bakery in N. Grosvenordale. She had a huge heart and loved to make people laugh. Autumn volunteered at the local soup kitchens taking care of those who truly needed her. She was known for her chili and loved to picnic.
During the warm weather her time was spent at the Indian Well, camping, having bonfires, and she enjoyed getting her stepmom swimming. She was an animal lover. Cleaning her car was not a chore to Autumn. When it was time to settle down, she enjoyed her “Cuddle Buddies” stuffed animals. Autumn was also a great lover of music. She leaves her son; Lovell Bryant Stewart Galaza of Willimantic; three brothers, Jacob Chase of Moosup, Christopher Baton of MA, and Phillip Baton of Norwich; grandmother, Sandra Lawrence of Willimantic. She was predeceased by her grandparents, David Arthur Chase, James Lawrence and Francis and Marie (Perretti) Bernier.
Donations: His Oaks Ministry, 147 Union Rd., Eastford, CT 06242; or Our Friends of Assisi Food Pantry, 77 Water St., Danielson, CT 06239. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Joanne L. St. Onge
DANIELSON — Joanne L. (Meagher) St. Onge, 56, died June 10, 2020, at home. She was born April 14, 1964, in Webster. She leaves her husband of 30 years, Kirk L. St. Onge; two sons: Justin and Walter St. Onge of Danielson; two step-daughters: Jill St. Onge of Dudley and Dawn St. Onge of Putnam; five grandchildren; her parents, Gerald Meagher of Southbridge and Sandra (Norman) Meagher of Worcester; sisters: Elen Neiduski of Danielson, and Patricia Manzi of Thompson; a brother. A graveside service will be at 11 a.m. June 26 at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson. Donations: Dana Farber Cancer Research; or Hospice Care of Northeastern CT., 320 Pomfret St., Putnam, CT. 06260. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home.
Joyce Perreault
DANIELSON — Joyce M. (Hermans) Perreault, 82, wife of the late Robert G. Perreault, died May 30, 2020, at the Westview Nursing Home. Joyce was born May 4, 1938, in Worcester, daughter of the late Alfred C. and Anna (Carney) Hermans. She worked for several offices and after 31 years of service, retired from working at the Killingly School Cafeteria in 2001. She had a devout faith in God. She leaves her son Michael R. Perreault of Killingly; her daughter Sheila Millette (Mark); two granddaughters and three grandsons. She was predeceased by her baby daughter Denise Ann; her sister and her brother Donald Hermans. A Memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. July 24 at St. James Church, Danielson with burial at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson. Donations: St. Jude Research Hospital. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
Richard E. Doyle
CANTERBURY — Richard E. Doyle, 84, died June 3, 2020, at home. He was the husband of Sally F. (Gorman) Doyle who died in 2019. He was born in New Haven, son of the late Edward E. Doyle and Rose (Roy) Doyle. Richard owned and operated Doyle’s Autobody for 53 years retiring in in 1962. He leaves a son Wayne Doyle (Dawn) Marlborough; two daughters Kathleen Loomis of Putnam, and Keely Doyle of Plainfield; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; a sister Arline Scheibeler of Plainfield.
A Celebration of Life for family and close friends will be from 1 to 3 p.m. June 21at 495 Westminster Rd., Canterbury, CT. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
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