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Henry S. Benoit,
Korean war vet
DAYVILLE — Henry S. Benoit, 81, of North Road, died Oct. 25, 2010, at Matulaitis Nursing Home, Putnam. He was the husband of Dorothy (Long) Benoit. Born in 1929 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Eusebe and Marie (Palady) Benoit.
Mr. Benoit served the U.S. Army during the Korean war where he trained as a paratrooper. He worked as a well driller for LaFramboise Well Drilling for 45 years retiring in 2008.
In addition to his wife, he leaves daughters, Darlene Barber of Dayville, and Danielle Ennis of E. Killingly; sister June Bubb of Florida; eight grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Stephen Benoit in 1979; four brothers, Leodore Benoit, Rene Benoit, Albert Benoit and Arthur Benoit; and three sisters, Theresa Bernard, Mary Perelli and Helen Mayo.
Visitation is from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Oct. 29 in the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. A Funeral Service will begin at 11 a.m. in the funeral home followed by burial with military honors in W. Thompson Cemetery.
Viola Tetreault,
nurses’ aide
PUTNAM — Viola V. Tetreault, 86, of Cleveland Street died Oct. 21, 2010, at Matulaitis Nursing Home. Wife of the late Leonard A. Tetreault, they were married June 28, 1949, in Ballouville. He died Aug. 11, 1999.
She was born July 11, 1924, in Warren, R.I., daughter of the late Israel and Matilda (Lavengne) Poitras. She was a communicant of St. Mary Church in Putnam and had made her home in Putnam for many years. She worked for several years, as a nurses’ aide at Day Kimball Hospital and local nursing homes.
She leaves her children: Dennis Tetreault (Patricia) of Lisbon, Robert Tetreault of Windsor Locks, Jayne Henn (Ronald) of Williamsburg, Va., Maryann Tetreault of Newport News, Va.; sister Lorraine Labeau of Sun City, Ariz.; five grandchildren, six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a sister: Claire Correia.
A Mass of Christian Burial was Oct. 26, at St. Mary Church of the Visitation, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery, Dayville. Donations: St. Mary Church; or Hospice of NECT, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT. Smith & Walker Funeral Home 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Dennis W. Cox,
chief engineer
POMFRET CENTER — Dennis W. “Deerslayer” Cox, 69, of Holmes Road, died Oct. 18, 2010, at home after a battle with cancer. He was the companion of Debi Thompson for 26 years. Born in Meriden, he was the son of the late H.J. Dennis Cox and the late Katherine (Whalen) Cox-Amour.
Mr. Cox worked as the chief of Engineering for the Department of Children and Families for the State of Connecticut for the 38 years, retiring in 1996.
Mr. Cox was an avid white tail deer hunter who also enjoyed horseback riding, cowboy action shooting, fishing, and pen and ink drawing and being outdoors in the woods experiencing nature. He was a life member of the Single Action Shooting Society, the North American Hunting Club, the Windham Land Trust, the Ellington Chapter of the Harley Owners Group, and the Putnam American Legion. He was also a member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Bay State Trail Riders Association, the Paso Fino Horse Association, the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, and the National Rifle Association.
In addition to his life partner, he leaves his daughters, Katherine Cox of Long Island, N.Y., Martha Dougherty of Enfield, Kristyn Seabro of Cromwell, and Kelly Carabetta of Meriden; sister, Barbara Murphy of Old Lyme; several grandchildren.
The Funeral was Oct. 21 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. Donations: Dana Farber Cancer Institute for Thoracic Cancer Research, 44 Binney St, Boston, MA.
Ella Hershberger,
church member
THOMPSON — Ella J. Hershberger, 84 of Thompson, died Oct. 17, 2010, at Day Kimball Hospital. She was the wife of the late OIin C. Hershberger. He died in 1992. She was born Dec. 10, 1925, in Hampden, Mass., daughter of the late Milton and Emelina (Medina) Carder. She worked for over 27 years as a private secretary at Ivanhoe Tool and Die. Ella was a communicant of Sacred Heart Church in W. Thompson. She was a former Thompson Library trustee, a member of the Sacred Heart Choir, participated in many Day Kimball Hospital Follies and Thompson Minstrel shows. Ella was an avid reader, bird watcher and sports enthusiast.
She leaves her sister Ida Lamb of Deltona, Fla.; brothers: Charles Carder of Pittsfield, Mass., and William Carder of Fairport, N.Y.; nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her twin brother Homer in 1991 and a sister Virginia Howes in 2005. A graveside service was Oct. 23 in W. Thompson Cemetery. Donations: Community Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 874, N. Grosvenordale CT 06255. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Martha I. Lewis,
loved cats
N. GROSVENORDALE — Martha Irene Chandler Adams Lewis, 74, died Oct. 18, 2010, to be with our Lord. She was born in 1936 and was the daughter of the late Frederick and Inez Chandler.
Martha was a cat lover. She couldn’t hear of a homeless cat. She leaves behind five fur people and once started and ran “Paws Reaching Out.” She was very talented in many types of crafts. She worked on and off several years ago for Colts Plastic.
Mrs. Lewis leaves her second husband of three years, Arthur G. Lewis of Woodstock; her daughter, Donna (Adams) Holder (husband Wallace) of N. Grosvenordale; son, Rev. Brian Adams (Melvina) of Dayville; three grandchildren, Justine (Holder) Julian (husband Jerry) of N. Grosvenordale, Jessica (Holder) Demers of Danielson, and Jacqueline (Holder) Yargeau (husband Peter) of N. Grosvenordale; seven great-grandchildren. She was the wife of the late Donald J. Adams Jr. for 44 years and the mother of the late Wesley Adams.
Burial was in W. Thompson Cemetery. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Shawn R. Reddy,
social worker
BROOKLYN — Shawn Robert Reddy, son of Robert and Theresa Reddy of Putnam, died Oct. 17, 2010, at home.
Born in 1959 in Reading, Penn., Shawn moved to Putnam in 1963 and attended local schools. He graduated with a degree in social work from Eastern CT. State College. He worked for White Mountain Mental Health Services in New Hampshire.
He had an amazing sense of humor. He was an avid sportsman and nothing surpassed his love and respect for nature and the outdoors.
He leaves his child Logan of Norfolk, Va.,; sisters, Roberta Reddy of Brooklyn, Maureen Landry of Putnam, and Terry Reddy of Webster; nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers, Patrick and Kevin.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Oct. 23 at St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, with interment in St. Mary Cemetery. Donations: The Sierra Club, 645 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT 06105-2946. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Jaakko ‘Jaska’
Huhta
DAYVILLE — Jaakko “Jaska” Huhta, 64, of R&R Park, died Oct. 22, 2010 at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. He was the husband of Marja Leena (Sarki) Huhta.
He was born Oct. 30, 1945, in Kotka, Finland, son of the late Urhl and Amanda (Moilanen) Huhta. He served in the Finnish Army and worked as a carpenter for many years. Mr. Huhta came to the U.S. with his wife in 1968. He was a charter member of the Finnish American Heritage Society in Canterbury and a member of AURA SEURA in Voluntown. Besides his wife he leaves his brother Matti Huhta of Moosup; four sisters, Maija Pykalanen, Liisa Marttila, Leena Kanerva and Kaija Huhta, all of Finland. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. Oct. 28 in Tillinghast Funeral Home, Danielson.
Matthew Rice,
loved outdoors
PUTNAM --- Matthew J. Rice, 32, of Putnam, died Oct. 18, 2010, at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford after a battle with an extended illness. He was born Dec. 10, 1977 in Norwich to Diane P. (Larkin) and the late Russell L. Rice. Matt had a love for the outdoors and enjoyed riding on his quad. He was a graduate of Norwich Free Academy and the Baron Institute of Technology and was a poker dealer at Foxwoods Casino.
In addition to his mother Diane Martin (Don) of Groton, he leaves a sister, Stephanie Rice of Norwich and extended family Ursula Lindsay of Norwich and Gloria Diamond and her husband Joseph Dufresne of Putnam. Church and Allen Funeral Home, Norwich.