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By Ron P. Coderre
Now that the high school and prep school seasons and tournaments have concluded, all star games have become the order of the day.
The Putnam Rotary Club Ray Brousseau Memorial Senior All Star Shootout, originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, was the victim of snow and rescheduled for the following Tuesday, March 26, weather permitting.  A full reporting of both the girls and boys games will be featured in Putnam Town Crier Sports next week.
Fortunately, for the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Basketball Festival, both the boys and girls contests dodged the weather bullet.  The games were held on separate dates and at separate locations.  
The boys played on Wednesday at Maloney High School in Meriden and the girls on Thursday at North Branford.  Both contests had a local connection.
The Class LL vs. Class L contest had Woodstock coach Greg Smith on the bench for the Class L unit as one of the coaches and Centaur standout Ian Converse was on the floor representing the area.  
Converse as has been his habit this season didn’t disappoint scoring 10 points and providing offensive spark in a losing effort, as his team went down 113-93.
In the female game on Thursday, Putnam coach Willie Bousquet was on the bench for the Class S team with his star, Ashley Espinosa.  
The team was beaten by Class M 81-71.  Espinosa, who continues to nurse a knee injury, saw limited action, playing about one minute each half.
Notes
Woodstock Academy climbed back into the State rankings following its 52-49 win over Trinity Catholic in the Class L title game.  The Centaurs, who were unranked the previous week, finished 3rd in the New Haven Register Media Poll and 3rd in the Hartford Courant poll …The Hartford Courant recognized Woodstock’s Ian Converse as the Best Male Individual Performer in the entire State Tournament playoffs.  
The paper also recognized Woodstock as The Best Student Section, noting “the arena rocked with the Centaur fans who were the loudest and appeared to have the greatest numbers.
Surprisingly, Converse prior to the team’s State tourney run hadn’t received a great deal of attention from college coaches.  
That changed on Saturday, March 22 for the 6’5” Converse as he received an invitation for a workout at NCAA Div. II Assumption College in Worcester.
On hand for the CHSCA All Star Festival at Maloney High School was former Centaur Dennis Kelly, who reports he thought Converse was equal to or better than all the players in the LL vs. L game.
News from Marianapolis Sports Department reports that senior, 1000-point scorer Sydney Latour was named the 2013 SENE Player of the Year.  Her teammates, junior Jillian Bodreau and sophomore Julia Ford were recognized with second-team All Conference honors …Former Killingly High School three-sport standout Kirk Kaczor, who is the coach at Lyme/Old Lyme High School was one of the coaches in the CHSCA Class S vs. Class M contest.
Look for the Putnam Town Crier Sports high school and prep school all stars who’ll be unveiled next week.

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Get degrees
BRISTOL, R.I. --- The following local residents were among more than 1,100 students from Roger Williams University to receive their degrees during the University’s Commencement ceremony held on May 19, 2012: Roland Bousquet, of Pascoag, RI, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice; Robert Cardente, a resident of Chepachet, received a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice; Jillian Hanley, of Danielson, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies; Labrini Kridzelis, of Putnam, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice/Psychology; Caroline Martin, of Pomfret, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science.

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Robert ‘Coach’ Deveau
DANIELSON — Robert N. Deveau, “Coach” of Danielson, formerly of Putnam and Bridgeport, died March 20, 2013, at home.
He was born May 17, 1935, the fourth son of Lawrence and Jeanne (Hitt) Deveau. Upon graduation he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. After basic training, he went to Military Law School in Newport, R.I. He served as a court reporter in the legal offices at Cherry Point, N.C. Robert was honorably discharged in 1956. Upon discharge he enrolled at the University of Bridgeport where he received a bachelor’s in health and physical education. He also received his master’s degree from SCSU.
Robert began his teaching career at Notre Dame High School in Fairfield and was the first layman to be appointed athletic director. He coached football and track. After 10 years he went to Maloney High School in Meriden for one year, where he taught and coached football, then to Putnam High School in 1972, where he retired from in 1997. While there, he coached football, baseball, golf and was assistant girls’ basketball coach. He was a lifetime member of the National Football Coaches Assoc., CT High School Coaches Assoc., National Education Assoc., CT Education Assoc. and the USGA Partners Club.
He leaves his daughters: Lyn Stokes of Central Village, Janniece Zinsky of Putnam, Lori Ann Deveau of Danielson; his son: Robert Deveau Jr. of Newtown; his brother: Leonard Deveau of Wyoming, R.I.; sisters: Gloria Tracy of Whiting, N.J., Julie Rawson of Phoenixville, Penn.; grandchildren: Mandi and Robb, Eve, Luke III, Hannah and Ethan, Nick, Ryan and Emily, Joshua, great-grandchildren Alex and Lani, Keri, Ramiro, Eva, Alicia, Zachary and McKenzie. He was predeceased by two brothers George Deveau and Larry Deveau.
The Mass of Christian Burial was March 23 at St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, with burial with full military honors in St. Mary Cemetery. Donations: “Coach Bob Deveau Scholarship Fund”, c/o Citizens National Bank, PO Box 6002, Putnam, CT 06260. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

Ingrid M. Dumaine
QUINEBAUG — Ingrid M. (Ward) Dumaine, 68, of Walker Road died  March 17, 2013, in Day Kimball Hospital.  She was the wife of Donald J. Dumaine of Maine.  Born Feb. 24, 1945, in Trinidad, , she was the daughter of the late Lloyd and Audrey (Latour) Ward.
Mrs. Dumaine worked as a CNA at Regency Heights of Danielson for many years.
Ingrid leaves her husband; a son Jason Dumaine and his girlfriend Amy of Thompson; a daughter Pamela  Ahnberg and her boyfriend Ted of Eastford; two brothers Michael Ward of Ontario, Canada, Alec Ward of Trinidad; three sisters Diane Cozier and Jennifer Rodrigues both of Barbados, and Lauren Scroggins of LA; three grandchildren Alicia Ahnberg of Quinebaug with whom she lived, Ashley Ahnberg and Nicholas Ahnberg both of Eastford.
The Memorial Service was March 23 in the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St, Putnam, with burial of her cremains later in Barbados.

Isabella May Greenblatt
DANIELSON — Isabella May Greenblatt, infant daughter of Jay and Danielle (Kandolin) Greenblatt of Potter Street, died March 20, 2013, at Day Kimball Hospital.
In addition to her parents, Isabella leaves her brothers, Matthew Kandolin, Dylan Kandolin, and Dominic Greenblatt; sister Samantha Piontek; maternal grandparents, Randy and Debbie Kandolin of Woodstock; and her paternal grandparents, David and Cynthia Greenblatt of Clinton.
Services were private. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Joseph Langelier
SARASOTA, Fla. — Joseph C. Langelier, 79, of Midlothian Street., formerly of Floral Avenue, N. Grosvenordale, died  March 17, 2013, in Sarasota Memorial Hospital.  
He was the husband of Barbara (Godzik) Langelier.  Born May 26, 1933, in Putnam, he was the son of the late Joseph S. and Jeannette (Duval) Langelier.
Mr. Langelier was a graduate of Tourtellotte Memorial High School and the former Putnam Technical School.
Mr. Langelier was a veteran of the armed forces serving with the U.S. Army from 1955 until 1958.
Joseph was the owner operator of Langelier’s Garage in N. Grosvenordale for many years and served as the head bus mechanic for the Thompson Public School system where he serviced the fleet of buses with pride.
He was a lifelong communicant of St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale, a devoted member and past Deputy Chief and President of the Community Fire Department in N. Grosvenordale. After his family, his passion was his service and dedication to the department volunteering for over 55 years. Joseph was also a member of the Knights of Columbus 2087 St. Bernard Council of N. Grosvenordale, a certified voting machine mechanic for the State of Connecticut for over 30 years, a sponsor for the Thompson Little League for many years, lifelong blood donor, and an avid auto racing fan, enjoying races at Thompson International Speedway driving the wrecker and ambulance.
In addition to his wife, Joseph leaves two sons Donald A. Morin (Kathy), and John J. Langelier, both of N. Grosvenordale; a daughter Jennifer I. Langelier of Bradenton, Fla; a sister Carmen Charbonneau of Thompson and Florida; three grandsons Christopher Morin of N. Grosvenordale, Michael Morin of Winsted, and Kyle Morin of N. Grosvenordale.
The Mass of Christian Burial was March 22 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. Donations: Community Fire Company, P.O. Box 874, N. Grosvenordale, CT 06255.  Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.

Maria de Leandro
BROOKLYN — Maria de Lourdes F. Leandro, 79, of Fortin Drive, entered into eternal life March 22, 2013, at home. Maria was the wife of Manuel Leandro. He died in 2003. Maria was born Oct. 19, 1933, in Azores, Portugal, daughter of the late Manuel and Maria (Medeiros) Fernandes.
Maria came to the U.S. from the Azores at age 16 and settled in Providence, where she worked at American Insulated Wire and in the jewelry industry. At 19 she returned to the Azores and married her husband Manuel, June 14, 1953. They returned to the U.S. and briefly made their home in Riverside, .R.I.,  and then in 1965 settled in Danielson where she worked at Delta Rubber, Jacobs Rubber and Anchor Glass. In 1987 she moved to Florida. She was a communicant of Sacred Heart Church in Wauregan and of Lady of Fatima Church in Inverness, Fla. Maria was a woman of courage, strong hard worker. She loved family gatherings and making people laugh. Maria enjoyed cooking, talking, camping, traveling, gardening, bird watching and crafts.
She leaves her sons: David Leandro (Lumenia) Leandro of Brooklyn, Daniel Leandro (Mary Jane) Leandro of Homosassa, Fla., and Michael Leandro of Brooklyn; three grandchildren: Jason Leandro of Brooklyn, Lisa Paquin of Pawtucket, and Amie Polverari of Brooklyn, three great grandchildren: Marie, Amber and Rachel, her brothers Herman Fernandes of Medway Mass., Virginio Fernandes of St. Croix V.I. and her sister Deolinda Couto of East Providence. She was predeceased by two brothers Serafin Fernandes and Mariano Fernandes.
The Mass of Christian Burial was March 27 in Sacred Heart Church, Wauregan, with burial in Sacred Heart Cemetery Wauregan Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

Joseph Mancini Sr.
PUTNAM —  Joseph T. Mancini Sr., 83, of Tourtellotte Road., died March 22, 2013, in UMass University Hospital.  He was the husband of Patricia (Osborne) Mancini.  Born Feb. 14, 1930, in Wallingford, he was the son of the late Primo and Marianne (Ferrolia) Mancini.
On March 19, 1947, in St. Rose Church in Meriden, he was united in marriage to Patricia (Osborne) Mancini
Mr. Mancini was the owner of Windy Hill Farm in Killingly prior to becoming a cattle dealer.
In addition to his wife of 66 years, he leaves sons, Joseph T. Mancini Jr. (Marilyn) of Pomfret, David P. Mancini (Joan) of Charlestown, N.Y., Peter T. Mancini (Christina) of Brattleboro, Vt., Paul H. Mancini of E. Killingly, and Mark A. Mancini (Patty) of Waterford; a daughter Christine Opperman of Dayville, 15 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren. Joseph is predeceased by a brother Alfred Mancini, and six sisters Mary Catrona, Bella Burbidge, Clara Cahill, Ida Orazco, and Freda Garret, and Stella Wells.
The Funeral Service was March 27 in the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam, with burial in Elmvale Cemetery, Woodstock. Donations: Charity of donor’s choice.

Donald Pike
SEATTLE — Donald Earle Pike, 87, died March 8, 2013, at home.
He was born Feb. 15, 1926, in Pomfret, the son of Floyd and Eliza (Baker) Pike. Don attended Putnam and New Britain high schools, trained with the Civil Air Patrol and proudly served in the U. S. Navy during WWII.  
He worked in his father’s lumber business and for other lumber companies before working as a union painter/supervisor at the University of Washington in Seattle where he worked for 25 years.  He enjoyed travel and reading especially historical accounts of the U.S. Civil War & WWII and he spent many hours carefully tending his lawn and flowers.
He was predeceased by his wife Juanita (Todd) Spencer, stepchildren Ann and Jack Spencer and his brother Goodwin Floyd Pike.  He leaves his sister, Sylvia (Pike) Schlehofer Perkins of Pomfret, former wife, Marion (Ellsworth) Pike Scott of Pomfret and dear cousin, Charles Pike of Hampton; his children: Deborah Simpson of Pomfret, Cynthia Piontak of Pittsboro, N.C., Donald G. Pike of Pomfret, Kathleen Jones of Tacoma, Wash.,  and Judith (Spencer) Hart of Snohomish, Wash.; 13 grandchildren: Joshua, Benjamin and Daniel Simpson; Corrie, Joy and Nathan Piontak, Rachel (Piontak) Castro; Bradley, Emily and Gregory Pike; Carter Jones; Jennifer and Kimberly Hart; and seven great-grandchildren: Abigail, Caleb and Hannah Simpson; Leif and Ian Carlisle, Aiden Piontak and Halycon Maine.
Services were held March 16 at the Evergreen-Washelli Funeral Home in Seattle.

William Lonergan Jr.
STORRS — William T. Lonergan Jr., 77, of Storrs, son of Evelyn and William T. Lonergan Sr., was called home by The Lord on March 17, 2013. He was the husband of Jean B. Lonergan.
Bill, born May 10, 1935, in Providence, graduated Our Lady of Providence and attended major seminary at the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium. He graduated from UConn School of Pharmacy in 1962.  He was a pharmacist at Day Kimball and Windham hospitals.
In addition to his wife, he leaves his brother Robert Lonergan (Mary); nieces Katie and Betsy; children Peggy Hynes and husband Joe, Susan Rogers and husband John, Anne Humphrey and husband David, John Lonergan, Robert Lonergan and wife Penny, and Patrick Lonergan (Allyson); grandchildren; great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchild Arianna.
The Funeral was March 22 at St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel, Storrs. Donations: Windham Hospital, Covenant Soup Kitchen, and UNICEF. Potter Funeral Home, Willimantic.

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Easter services
WEBSTER — The United Church of Christ Federated on Church Street will hold Maundy Thursday services at 6 p.m.; Good Friday services at noon March 29 and Easter services at 10 a.m. March 31. All welcome.