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Grace Chepolis,
mother of 2
DANIELSON — Grace Chepolis, 79, of Danielson, formerly of Harrisburg, Penn., died Oct. 8, 2010, at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London. She was the wife of Joseph T. Chepolis who died in 1978.
She was born March 2, 1931, in Perry County, Penn., daughter of the late Orville and Clara (McNaughton) Asper. She had made her home in the area since 1998. She was a member of the Moose Lodge and Lions Club in Pennsylvania and a member of the Thompson Senior Citizens.
She leaves two children, Joseph A. Chepolis of Danielson, Mary Shaw (Tony) of Oneco; brother, Ron Asper of Pittsburg; sisters, Shirley Hower of New Bloomfield, Penn., Bonnie Andrae of Halifax, Penn., Cindy Jones of North Carolina, Dorothy Makley of Swoop, Va.; grandchildren, Terra Beck of Arlington, Va., Nicole Shaw of Norwich. She was predeceased by a brother Jim Asper, grandson Travis Shaw.
Donations: American Cancer Society, 825 Brook St., I-91 Tech Ctr, Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3045. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
Edward Rainey Sr.,
WWII vet
AUBURN, Mass. — Edward R. Rainey Sr., 84, of Auburn, formerly Putnam, died Dec. 5, 2010, at St. Vincent Medical Center in Worcester. He was the husband of Eleanor (Chaffee) Rainey. They were married Aug. 7, 1948.
Born Nov. 14, 1926, in Pascoag, R.I., he was the son of the late Alfred and Clarice (Forest) Rainey. He was a railroad engineer for over 30 years with the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroads, retired from Conrail.
He was a WWII veteran serving with the U.S. Navy, honorably discharged May 3, 1946, a member of the American Legion Putnam. Ed had made his home in Putnam most of his life, an active member of the Putnam Baptist Church for many years. He served on the board of Putnam Baptist Homes. Ed was active over the years with local and state politics. He enjoyed cribbage, playing cards and trips to the casino but most of all family activities.
He leaves his wife Eleanor; children, Edward R. Rainey Jr. of Putnam, Cheryl Lavelle of Athens, N.Y., Karen Charbonneau of Smyrna, Del., Pamela Buhrer of Farmington, Janine Koroscil of Beavercreek, Ohio, David Rainey of Putnam, Laurie Trotta of Sturbridge, Susan Halstrom of Freehold, N.Y.; a sister, Rose Pacheco of Putnam; 19 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
A Memorial Service was Dec. 11 in the Putnam Baptist Church, with burial in Grove Street Cemetery with military honors. Donations: Putnam Baptist Church. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Thelma Savoie,
ran business
THOMPSON — Thelma (Eileen) Savoie, 59, of Sunshine Terrace, N. Grosvenordale died after a battle with cancer Dec. 12, 2010. She was born Nov. 1, 1951, in Richmond, Va., daughter of the late James and Ruth Kidd.
Thelma, affectionately known as Eileen by her friends and family, grew up in Richmond and attended Hermitage High School. Eileen worked as a receptionist at Staples Distribution Center in Plainfield, and ran her own home cleaning business for many years. She attended the Bible Fellowship Church in N. Grosvenordale. Eileen loved all that life had to offer: travel, food, shopping and, above all, laughter.
She leaves her husband of 30 years, Ronald Savoie; children Troy and Jamie Pratt of Virginia, Matthew Roy of New York, Lauren Savoie of N. Grosvenordale; step-children Ronald Savoie Jr. of Westerly, Karen Savoie of N. Grosvenordale, Randy Savoie of California and many grandchildren.
The Funeral Service will be at 2 p.m. Dec. 19 at the S. Woodstock Baptist Church, 23 Roseland Park Road. Calling Hours are from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 18 at Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
Theresa C. Bonczek,
former weaver
GROSVENORDALE — Theresa (Comeau) Bonczek, 101, of Matulaitis Nursing Home, formerly of Riverside Drive, died Dec. 7, 2010, in Day Kimball Hospital. She was the wife of the late Victor Bonczek who died in December 1982. Born in 1908 in N. Grosvenordale, she was the daughter of the late Desire and Mary (Havey) Comeau.
Mrs. Bonczek worked as a weaver for the former Cluett Peabody. She had also worked for the former W.T. Grant Co.
Mrs. Bonczek was a member of the Thompson Senior Citizens, Charter Member of Fr. Mathieu Circle of the Daughters of Isabella, a Charter Member of the Ladies of St. Anne, St. Jean Baptiste, Interfaith Stitchers, and was a communicant of St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale.
She leaves her daughter Clarice Guillot (Paul) of Grosvenordale; son, Ronald Bonczek (Virginia) of Columbia, Tenn.; four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Dec. 11 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. Donations: St. Joseph Church, 20 Main St., N. Grosvenordale, CT 06255; or to Matulaitis Nursing Home, 10 Thurber Rd., Putnam, CT 06260. Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.
David Dodge Snow,
Vietnam vet
PUTNAM — David Dodge Snow, 66, of Putnam, died Dec. 8, 2010, at UMass. Born Oct. 7, 1944, in Pawtucket, R.I., to the late Richard E. Snow and the late Fannie Dodge Snow.
Dave grew up in Coventry, R.I., and attended URI and RISD. He was employed by Hospital Trust and Lefebure but spent most of career as an architectural engineer at UConn at Storrs. Since he was a child, Dave was truly at one with nature and most importantly introduced his children and grandchildren to its splendor through camping, fishing, and boating. Even sitting at a campfire Dave was happiest outdoors. He was a great teacher of respect for the environment and animals. At the same time Dave was an admirer of the nuts and bolts of things. He was a superb mechanic and craftsman. He built his Triumph from pieces in a bucket and leaves behind his much loved sports car and motorcycle on which he enjoyed to work and ride.
Dave was extremely proud of his military service. He enlisted in the Marine Corp in 1964. He served one tour of duty in Vietnam where he was wounded and awarded two Purple Hearts. He was the past commander of the VFW Post 1523 Putnam. He was instrumental in bringing the Vietnam Memorial, “The Wall that Heals” to Putnam in 2001.
David leaves behind his wife of 33 years, Leslie (Kimble) Snow; children: Tamison E. Snow of Pennsylvania, Melissa Snow-Cocroft of Coventry, R.I., Joshua Snow (Lael) of Putnam, and Laura Snow currently studying in Melbourne, Australia; grandchildren: Zachary Cocroft, Matthew Cocroft, and Rockford Snow; brother Richard Snow Jr., of Groton.
A Memorial Service was Dec. 11 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam. Donations: Wounded Warrior Project. www.WoundedWarriorProject.org
Dennis Magao,
WWII vet
DAYVILLE — Dennis Magao Sr., 92, of Dayville, died Dec. 8, 2010, at Matulaitis Nursing Home in Putnam. He was the husband of 63 years to the late Claire (Rabideau) Magao, who died Feb. 26, 2009.
Born Sept. 4, 1918, in New Bedford, Mass., he was the son of the late Antonio and Malvina (Souza) Magao.
Dennis worked for the Mansfield State Training School for 30 years. He then became a school bus driver for Killingly for 10 years. Dennis was a communicant of St. Joseph’s Church in Dayville. He enjoyed working on his property, especially his garden.
Dennis and his wife Claire liked traveling to Florida for the winters, he liked the beaches.
He was a WWII veteran with the U.S. Navy. Dennis was an avid sports fan and Red Sox fan.
He leaves his children, Dolores Messier (Robert) of Hebron, Gloria Hitchcock (Richard) of Lilburn, Ga., Dennis Magao Jr. (Linda) of Dayville, Claire Gidman (Mark) of Springfield, Mo., Paul Magao (Ann) of Apache Junction, Ariz.; sister, Virginia Magao of Seminole, Fla.; 11 grandchildren, Michael, Tammy, David, Rebecca, Robert, Sarah, Mark, Daniel, Joseph, Jeffrey and Stephen. He was predeceased by his wife Claire and a sister Lucinda Markis and her husband John.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Dec. 14 at St. Joseph Church, with burial with full military honors at Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
Bernard J. Henault,
WWII vet
HANOVER — Bernard J. Henault, 90, of Pleasant View Terrace, died Dec. 11, 2010, at WW Backus Hospital in Norwich.
He was the husband of the late Frances (Saad) Henault.
They were married July 14, 197,3 in Putnam.
She died Sept. 30, 2000.
Born Dec. 21, 1919, in Webster, he was the son of Chrysologue and Georgiana Henault.
For the last 14 years he made his home in Hanover, with his son and daughter-in-law Paul and Cindy Carpenter, having moved from Putnam.
He was employed as a press operator at the AO working in Putnam and Southbridge for over 25 years.
He was a WWII veteran serving with the U.S. Army Air Corps.
He was a member of the Putnam VFW Post 1523. He enjoyed watching sports, bowling and walking.
In addition to his won, he leaves his brother Joseph Henault of Webster; several stepchildren; 16 grandchildren and several great-and great-great-grandchildren.
Graveside Service with military honors will be at 10 a.m. Dec. 18 at Grove Street Cemetery, Putnam.
Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Clark D. Child,
caretaker
POMFRET — Clark D. Child, 62, of Tyrone Road, died Nov. 24, 2010, at home. Clark was born on Jan. 1, 1948, in Hartford, son of the late James R. and Dorothy (Akerberg) Child.
Clark worked as the head care taker at Tyrone Farm for 20 years; he was also a high roller dealer at Foxwoods Casino for 10 years. Clark was a member of the Christ Episcopal Church of Pomfret for many years. He was a 10-year member of the American Legion in Putnam. Clark served his country in the Army National Guard.
He leaves his companion of many years Kathy Foisey of Pomfret; brother Jay Child of Boca Raton, Fla.; sister, Dorothia “Dolly” Child of Durango, Colo.; niece, Christen Child of Boca Raton.
A Memorial Service will be at 10 a.m. Dec. 18 at Christ Episcopal Church with burial in the spring.
Donations: Hospice of NECT, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Richard A. Raposa,
father of 3
POMFRET CENTER — Richard Allen Raposa, 66, of Fairview Circle, formally of Portsmouth, R.I., died Dec. 10, 2010, at Rose Monahan Hospice Home, Worcester. He was the husband of the late Lorraine (Almeida) Raposa.
Born on March 26, 1944, in Newport, R.I., he was the son of the late John and Emily (Alvarnas) Raposa.
Richard was raised and spent all his life on Aquidneck Island.
He began his career as a Marine, where he was trained to be a mechanic. During this time, he married his wife, Lorraine, in 1964.
After leaving the Marine Corp, he was employed as a mechanic at Newport Ford and Aquidneck Lobster Company in Newport. Later, Richard became the captain of the Mon Lei, a charter yacht that ran between New York, Newport and Miami for 12 years. When he settled back in Portsmouth, he worked for Frank’s Radiator in Middletown.
In recent years, he worked for Hinckley Yachts in Portsmouth, R.I., where he was employed for 12 years until his retirement in 2008.
Richard was happiest spending time with family and friends and lending a helping hand with his expertise as a mechanic.
He loved the outdoors and spent most of his retirement years relaxing on the porch or mowing the lawns for family and friends.
He leaves a daughter Lisa Andrews (Robert Andrews Jr.) of Pomfret Center; son R. Michael Raposa (Kristen) of Plantsville; six grandchildren, Robert Andrew III, Jon Andrews, Christian Andrews, Sarah Andrews, Nathan Raposa and Reese Raposa; three brothers, William Raposa, Edward Raposa and Leroy Raposa. Richard was predeceased by a daughter Christa Jean Raposa, brother, John Raposa and sister, Shirley Ann Durfee.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Dec. 15 in St. Barnabas Church, Portsmouth, with burial in St. Columba’s Cemetery in Middletown, R.I.
Connors Funeral Home, Portsmouth.