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caption:

Driving
PSA's Jonte Rutty drives to the hoop in recent contest against Notre Dame Prep. Courtesy photo.


By Ron P. Coderre
Putnam Science Academy post graduate basketball standout Jonte Rutty verbally committed to playing basketball for Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J. The announcement was made on the PSA basketball twitter account Feb. 19.
Rutty, who came to PSA from Newburgh Free Academy in New York where he helped his team to the 2011 Section 9 Class AA championship, has been an impact player on the 2012-2013 Mustangs team which recently completed a 22-8 season by capturing the 2013 Northeast Prep Basketball Tournament.
“Jonte is a pure shooter who can spark a team because he’s capable of putting points on the board in a hurry,” said PSA coach Tom Espinosa.
This season, Rutty was the team’s third leading scorer averaging 11 points a game, while corralling four rebounds per contest.  His biggest asset was his ability to score beyond the three-point arc, where he led the area with 76 treys.
In moving on to Georgian Court University, Rutty will become part of an historic team at the New Jersey school.  The 2013-2014 Lions of Coach Enrico Mastroianni will be the first male basketball team in the history of the school, which is going co-educational after a long history as an all-female Catholic university.  The Lions will compete in the NCAA on the Division II level in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
“I’m very happy for Jonte, as he’s been a great teammate on the team all season.  One of the main reasons he came to our school was to get more visibility as a player and to avail himself of the opportunity to play at the next level,” said Espinosa.
The 6-foot, 5-inch Rutty should add versatility to the Georgian Court frontcourt as he’s capable of handling all three ‘big man’ positions.  He offers mismatch potential as well as his innate ability to knock down the long range three.
Rutty is the second PSA player this year to accept a college scholarship, joining Dayshon Smith who earlier committed to coach Archie Miller and the University of Dayton Flyers.  Rutty is also the second member of his family to play college basketball, following in the footsteps of his older brother Justin, a 2011 graduate of Quinnipiac University where he starred for coach Tom Moore’s Bobcats. 

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Anita Jarvais,
church member
THOMPSON — Anita Jarvais, 92 of Riverside Drive, died Feb. 20, 2013, in a house fire. She was the wife of the late Aldor Jarvais. He died in 1989.
 She was born Feb. 3, 1921, in Oakland, R.I., daughter of the late Henry and Alma (Rondeau) Rivet.
She had worked for many years at the Putnam Braid, retiring in 1983. She was a communicant of St Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale and a former communicant of St Mary Church of the Visitation in Putnam. She has made her home in Putnam for over 28 years, moving to Pineview Court Apartments in Thompson, June 1, 1989. She was a member of Ladies Auxiliary of the Putnam VFW Post 1523.
She leaves her grandchildren: Kirk Deslongchamps (Nancy) of Putnam, Scott Deslongchamps (Cindy) of Putnam, Todd Deslongchamps of Putnam and Elsa Campoverde of Webster, Anne Thomas (William) of Rochdale, Mass.; daughter-in-law Gwen Delp of Putnam;  great-grandchildren: Sarah, Austin, Lauren and her husband James, Derek, Hillary, Wendy, Buddy, Aldor, Samantha; several great-great-grandchildren; and sisters and a brother. She was predeceased by her daughter Ellen Deslongchamps in 2010.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Feb. 25 in St Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale,  with burial in St Mary Cemetery, Putnam. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

Terence Chambers,
town engineer
DAYVILLE — Terence P. “Terry” Chambers, 62, of Dayville, died Feb. 12, 2013, in Norwich after a brief illness. He was the husband of Jan (Coldreck) Chambers. They were married April 9, 1994.
He was born July 8, 1950, in Canada, son of the late Charles Douglas and Margaret “Dooley” (Redmond) Chambers.
He has made his home in Killingly for over 30 years. He was a civil engineer, a graduate of UConn, and attended boarding school in England. Terry was the Town of Killingly Engineer and head of the Killingly Public Works Department. In the early 1980s he worked in Saudi Arabia. In 1992 he founded Soil Technologies in Killingly. He went to work for KWP Associates and in 1995 became a partner. Terry was a member of the Danielson Rotary Club; NE Chamber of Commerce; served as a member of the Board of Directors on The ARC of Quinebaug Valley; a member of the Pomfret Rod and Gun Club and was a member of the Skeet Team. Terry enjoyed bass fishing and mountain bike riding and hiking with his son and dog at West Thompson Dam and Bluff Point. He had a great love for nature. He always enjoyed his travels to Africa, studying and speaking Swahili, with his dear friends Mike and Bev.
He leaves, in addition to his wife Jan and son Terence, a sister Alanna Goldberg (Josiah) of Roseburg, Org.; and a nephew; and much family in Canada and Ireland. He was predeceased by his siblings Robert, James, David and Margaret ”Red”.
Visitation was Feb. 23 at Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson. Donations: The ARC of Quinebaug Valley, 687 Cook Hill Road, Danielson, CT 06239.

Jay Erickson
WEBSTER — Jay E. Erickson, 50, of Webster,  died unexpectedly Feb. 21, 2013, at Hubbard Hospital.
He was born Feb. 5, 1963, in Montpelier, Vt., son of Betsy (Bowen) Erickson and the late Herbert Erickson. He made his home in Webster for the last three years, formerly of Billerica, Mass., Eastford, and Worcester.
Jay was an avid sports fan, and enjoyed the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox, UConn sports and NASCAR. He was employed at Lelanite Corporation of Webster and worked for several years at Color Technologies and Johnson Corrugated.
He leaves his former wife, Kim Erickson of Thompson; son Bryan Erickson of Thompson; mother Betsy of Eastford; brother Jeffrey (Debra) of Worcester; sister Jill Erickson of Cookeville, Tenn.; two nieces, Heidi and Molly; nephews Brad and Chad; his extended family, John, Patrick and Christine and best friend Jim Mahoney.
A Memorial Service was Feb. 26 at Eastford Baptist Church. Donations: National Multiple Sclerosis Society, CT Chapter, 705 North Mountain Rd, Newington, CT 06111. Jay gave the gift of life through tissue donation. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

Oliver Lapierre,
Vietnam war vet
EASTFORD — Oliver E. Lapierre, 76, formerly of Moosup, died Feb. 23, 201,3 at home, after a battle with leukemia. He was the husband of Marion (Ives) Lapierre. They were married July 27, 1970.
Oliver was born May 7, 1936, in Concord, N.H., son of the late George Arthur and Celia (Labonte) Lapierre.  
He was a graduate of Norwich Tech (Automotive). Oliver served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war, worked for the Plainfield DOT and was a Master Mechanic for the Motor Pool at UConn. He enjoyed metal and woodworking, modified stock car racing with Bill Slater, UConn sports, antique car shows, where he received several awards with his Model A, was an avid NASCAR fan.    
He leaves his wife: Marion; two daughters: Kim Stanton of Pomfret and Wendy Roy of Eastford; three sons: John Vinal of Eastford, Paul Vinal (Anna) of Putnam, David Vinal of Pensacola, la.; 11 grandchildren and one great-grandson; brothers: Roger Lapierre of Coventry, Maurice Lapierre of Plainfield, Arthur Lapierre of Moosup; sisters: Mary Conover of Eastford, Laura Baker of Moosup.
Services were Feb. 26 at Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St. Putnam, with burial in Calvary Cemetery, Concord, N.H. Donations: Oncology Department, c/o Dr. Renuka Dulala, Backus Hospital, 326 Washington St., Norwich, CT 06360.

Florence Lussier
PUTNAM — Florence A. Lussier, 78, of Munyan Road, died unexpectedly Feb. 20, 2013, at UMass Medical Center in Worcester. She was the wife of Nelson LaRose. They were married June 28, 2008, in St. Anne’s Church in Ballouville. Her first husband Roger A. Lussier died April 30, 1998.
She was born Oct. 8, 1934, in Danielson, daughter of the late Napoleon and Corrina (Glennar) Perreault.
Florence had made her home in Putnam most of her life, a communicant of St. James Church in Danielson. She was employed at the US Button in Putnam for over 40 years as a quality control inspector. She retired in 2010. She operated Flo’s Ceramics in Putnam for over 20 years. She will be remembered for her sense of humor, and could always make people laugh. She enjoyed dancing with Nelson and had a great love for music.
In addition to her husband, Nelson, she leaves her daughter, Carol LaBelle (Steve) of Dayville; sons, William Lussier (Reagan) of St. Petersburg, Fla., Gregory Lussier (Michelle) of Clearwater, Fla.; grandchildren, Shannon, Jarred; great-grandchildren Jade, Christian, Ella; step daughter, Norma LaRose of Woodstock. She was predeceased in addition to her husband Roger, her son Dennis Lussier in 1984, her siblings, Leo, George, Irene, Lucien, and Donald.
A Celebration of Life was Feb. 23 at Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in the spring in Munyan Cemetery. Donations: All Children’s Hospital Foundation, PO Box 3142 St. Petersburg, FL 33731- 3142; or American Stroke Association, 2550 US Highway One, N. Brunswick, NJ 08902.

Paul Bergeron,
carpenter
DANIELSON — Paul M. Bergeron, 49, of Danielson died Feb. 19, 2013, at UMass/Memorial Healthcare, Worcester, after being stricken ill Feb. 1.
He was born in Ware, Mass., and raised in E. Killingly, where he attended Killingly High School and later obtained his GED. He lived in Webster, Dudley, Maine and northeast Connecticut until recently moving to Danielson.
Mr. Bergeron was an excellent carpenter. He owned and operated his own business and later worked for other contractors until 2005. He loved playing the guitar and music in general. He went fishing often. He was an ardent fan of the Miami Dolphins. He was a former member of St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale.
He leaves three children, Joshua A. St.Jean of Danielson, Matthew E. Bergeron of Killingly and Emily B. Bergeron of Charlton; three grandchildren, Alexis, Hunter and Dakota St.Jean; mother, Dorothy (LaBonte) Bergeron of Thompson; three brothers, Ernest Bergeron Jr. and Keith Bergeron, both of N. Carolina and Stephen Bergeron of E. Killingly; a sister, Virginia Thurlow of N. Carolina. He was predeceased by his father, Ernest Bergeron Sr. and by a sister, June Anne Haney.
The funeral was Feb. 25 in Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, Webster.

Karen Chabot,
mother of 3
THOMPSON — Karen M. (Cote) Chabot, 59, of Thompson died unexpectedly Feb. 23, 2013, at home.
She was born and raised in Webster, the oldest child of Henry and Patricia (Cyr) Cote. She graduated from Bartlett High School in Webster. She lived in Thompson for many years.
Mrs. Chabot first worked at Hull’s Forest Products in Pomfret, and while there learned how to drive 18-wheeler trucks.  She was later employed as a bus driver for Fox Tours. She was currently working as a dispatcher for the Worcester Regional Transit Authority.
She leaves her husband of 16 years, Peter N. “Pete” Chabot; a son, Michael D. O’Donnell of Niantic; a daughter, Kerri P. Lojko of Oxford, Mass.; two grandsons, Kaleb O’Donnell and Aidan Ryan Maloney; a brother, Daniel Cote (Margaret) of Chepachet; three sisters, Kathy (John) Wolchesky of Putnam, Patricia Shead and her boyfriend Dennis Tackson of Thompson, and Christine Groh (Lance) of N. Grosvenordale. She was predeceased by her son Ryan H. O’Donnell in 1998.
The funeral will be held at noon Feb. 28 in the Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, Webster, with burial in St. Joseph Garden of Peace, Webster.

William Gliniecki,
owned business
DUDLEY — William R. Gliniecki, 64, of Dudley, died Feb. 23, 2013, in St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester, after a short illness.
He was born in Webster, the youngest of the 5 children of Joseph and Gertrude (Waldron) Gliniecki and was a lifelong resident. He graduated from Bartlett Trade High School.
Mr. Gliniecki worked in construction all his adult life. He owned and operated Energy Fabricators for 30 years and built several Kindercare Centers during that time. For the last 13 years, he worked for GVW in Boston as the superintendent of construction. He retired on Dec. 1 because of illness. He was a certified diver in his youth and also enjoyed fishing.
He leaves his wife of 44 years, Judy M. (Barney) Gliniecki; three children, Corey W. Gliniecki of Dudley and twins Shawn J. Gliniecki of Dudley and Dawn M. Gliniecki and her fiancé Patrick Pringle of Southbridge; a sister, Eleanor Coonan of N. Grosvenordale. He was predeceased by three brothers, Joseph, Raymond and Robert Gliniecki.
The Funeral will be at 10 a.m. March 1 in Scanlon Funeral Service, Webster, with burial in St. Anthony’s Cemetery, Webster. Donations: American Cancer Society, Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701.

Benita Hebert
THOMPSON — Benita J. Hebert, 33, died Feb. 15, 2013.
Born in Worcester, she was the daughter of the late Earl Hazzard and Esther B. “Robin” Hebert and she lived in Webster most of her life before moving to Thompson.  Benita was a dietary aide at Lanessa Extended Care Facility and at Webster Manor.  She was a member of the Nipmuc Indians.
She leaves her fiancé of seven years, Troy A. Muscato, to whom she would have been married to on Sept. 7, 2013; a son, Dominic Muscato; two daughters, Kionna Hazzard and Miranda Hebert, all of Thompson; a brother, Pedro Hebert of Webster; five sisters, Nola J. Parmentier of Putnam, Naomi Hryzan of Putnam, Amy Melendez of Putnam, Erica Hebert of Oxford and Laura Hebert of Virginia; her step-mother, Sharon Hazzard of Webster.
A prayer service was Feb. 22 at Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

Doris Green
DANIELSON — Doris Mary Green, 82, of Westfield Village, died Feb. 23, 2013, at Day Kimball Hospital, after a long battle with cancer. Doris was born Nov. 12, 1930, in  Danielson, daughter of Ferdinand Dion and Jeanette Poirier-Dion.
She worked  at Whitley’s Ice Cream Soda Shop during her teen years. In the early 1940s she went to work at V. LaRosa Spaghetti Co. in Danielson where she met Clifford W. Green of Pomfret. They were married Aug. 12, 1950, at St. James Church and had three children. She was later employed by Gant Shirt Company in Wauregan and Danielson Curtain Company until her retirement in the early 1980s.
She leaves two daughters, Linda L. Green of Dayville and Gloria J. Williams (Fred), of Pomfret Center; a grandson Clifford C. Green of Danielson; a granddaughter Brittany M. Williams of Pomfret Center; a niece Ruth Richardson of Danielson. She was predeceased by her husband Clifford W. Green June 14, 1990, and a son Michael C. Green Feb. 24, 2009.
A Mass of Christian Burial was Feb. 27 at St. James Church, Danielson with burial in the Spring at Bartlett Cemetery. Tillinghast Funeral Home, Danielson.

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By Ron P. Coderre
It’s great to be back on the computer keyboard following a whirlwind week in Florida.  This week’s RPC sporty shoutout goes to my good friend and faithful backup Doc Cody.  Thanks for filling in so ably while I was away Doc.
You can run but you can’t hide.  Regardless of how far you may wander from dear old Putnam, it seems that you inevitably run into someone from the Antique City or from the area.  Of course that happened to our foursome of Rick Carnahan, Roger Franklin and Doug Valentine on the recent sojourn south.
On the Southwest Airlines flight from Providence to Tampa we had the pleasure of being joined by the Providence College Friars who were headed to the Sunshine State for an encounter with the University of South Florida.  Yours truly was sandwiched between Bryce Cotton and New London’s Chris Dunne.  Our foursome was surrounded by players, coaches and team personnel throughout the airplane.
While waiting for our luggage and golf clubs we had the opportunity to speak with Head Coach Ed Cooley.  The affable Cooley was a true gentleman as he always is.  He sends his hellos to all his friends in Putnam but especially to his college roommate at Stonehill College Lance Coderre and a special greeting to Lance’s dad, Moe Coderre.
By the way, the Friars easily handled the USF Bulls and then much to our disappointment they slapped the favored Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish with a loss at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.  Enough said about that.
While enjoying an après golf libation at McAllister’s Restaurant in Lakewood Ranch, Doug Valentine and I ran into Putnam residents Ted Bazinet and Peter Aucoin who were enjoying an afternoon luncheon with their lovely wives, Lorraine Bazinet and Betty Aucoin.  Were they ever surprised to see us?    
Prior to teeing off at one of Bradenton’s finest golf facilities, the 27-hole River Strand Golf and Country Club, my gregarious brother-in-law, Mr. Rick struck up a conversation with one of the starters, who just happened to be former Eastern Board Basketball Official Phil “Yogi” Yering from Waterford.  Yering related many stories of his officiating days in Putnam.  He especially wanted to be remembered to two of his favorite coaches, Tony Falzarano and Dave Vitale.
On the one abnormally cold day we encountered (55 degrees), we ventured to Pirate City, the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  We enjoyed a brief chat with former Pirate great Manny Sanguillen and watched the optimistic Buccaneers workout.
If you can pick up the gist of these notes, a good time was had by all.  The return to Providence and some chilly temperatures greeted us and made us yearn for the warmth of Florida.
Softball World Series MVP
Can you imagine someone batting .979 and hitting five home runs over a six game span?  That’s what Pomfret resident John Smutnick did during the Senior Softball USA 2013 Tournament of Champions in Auburndale, Fla., over the weekend of Feb. 7-9.  Smutnick, playing for the South Florida Heat, helped his team to its second consecutive title in the 60 Year Old Division.  For his effort, Smutnick was named tournament Most Valuable Player and was honored with a commemorative bat and ring.
The red hot Smutnick is in great demand, as he’ll be playing in five tournaments in the next six weeks.  He’s also participated in the Roy Hobbs World Series in Fort Myers.  There were 33 teams from throughout the U.S. and Canada entered in his division.  Playing for the Midwest Nine from Springfield, Ill., Smutnick led the Niners to a second place finish, as he continued his hot hitting.  He batted .565 over the eight-game tourney, while anchoring the defense at shortstop.
Smutnick and his wife Laura are enjoying the warmth of Florida as they play golf everyday that John isn’t on the softball diamond.  They’re in the South Central Florida area where they are surrounded by many friends from northeastern Connecticut and Quinnatisset Country Club.
Local Whistle Blower in Worcestr
Danielson resident Corey Pothier, a member of the Eastern Board of Basketball Officials, is quickly and quietly moving up the officiating ranks.  Pothier has been doing women’s college officiating for the past few years in addition to a full slate of high school games.
Feb. 20 Pothier was part of a three-man crew that refereed the NCAA Division II contest between the College of St. Rose and Assumption College at the Laska Gymnasium in Worcester.  Pothier’s partners for the contest were Amy Davagian, and Michael DoCouto.  Pothier, who has great court presence and sense, had a flawless game as the Lady Hounds of coach Kerry Phayre easily beat St. Rose to raise their record to 18-6 overall and 15-5 in the rugged Northeast-10 Conference.   
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: What’s important is not how busy you are, but why you are busy – the bee is praised, but the mosquito is swatted.

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Special Dance
The fifth annual Father Daughter Dance, sponsored by the Putnam Recreation Department and the PHS girls’ basketball team, was Feb. 23 at St. Mary Church Hall. More than 100 young ladies attended. Left to right: Cynthia Briere, Gabrielle Simpson, Fran Alcindor, Kenzie Kaylor, Ashley Espinosa and Jackie Breau. Courtesy photo.