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WOODSTOCK — Entrepreneur, community leader, pilot, and avid fisherman, Fernand “Fern” Edgar Phaneuf Jr., 88, died March 29, 2021.
He leaves his wife of 65 years Lorraine (Riendeau) Phaneuf; his two children, Anne Falvey and Michael Phaneuf, and his husband John Moniz: his grandchildren, Christopher Syrek (Tori), Gregory Syrek, Sean Falvey, Jessie Phaneuf-Moniz, and Anthony Phaneuf-Moniz, and his great granddaughter Grace Anne Syrek; nephew Jeff Cartier (Alice), and his niece Judy (Cartier) Favreault (Roland). He was predeceased by his sister Jeanette (Phaneuf) Cartier, his brother-in-law John Cartier Sr., his nephew, John Cartier Jr., and his son in-law, Daniel Syrek.
Born in 1933 in Woodstock to the late Fernand Phaneuf Sr. and Edourdina (Garceau) Phaneuf, he attended Woodstock Academy and graduated with the Class of 1951. He served in the U.S. Army in the Military Police Corp during the Korean Conflict.
Upon his return, graduated from New England Institute of Technology (formerly known as New England Technical Institute). Shortly thereafter, he started one of his first entrepreneurial ventures, Fern’s Radio & TV, later known as Fern’s Radio, as the successful sales and service distributor of Motorola Products. He also owned and opened Guardian Answering Service, In-Touch Communications, and Tower Sites, Inc.
Fern was also involved in his community. In his early years, he would be seen putting up Christmas lights for the Town of Putnam or serving as a volunteer with the Woodstock Volunteer Fire Department. Fern could not just do it, he had to lead it. He served as president of the fire department for three years and also served as president of the Smithfield Figure Skating Club in Rhode Island, one of the skating clubs where his son Michael trained in the sport. However, he is most known for his involvement in the Woodstock Fair. He served first as the superintendent of Grounds and then as general manager for 27 years. He was known for bringing in record numbers of guests and turning the three-day fair into the four-day fair that it is today. In his spare time, Fern enjoyed being on his boat fishing and traveling with his wife Lorraine.
A Celebration of Life will be held in the fall. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St, Putnam. Donations: Woodstock Fair for a scholarship fund being created in Fern’s memory by the Woodstock Agricultural Society and the Woodstock Fair. Send to Woodstock Fair, PO Box 1, S. Woodstock, CT 06287. Please earmark it for the Fern Phaneuf Scholarship.
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