Field hockey
season closes
It was not an easy path for the Woodstock Academy field hockey team to close out the season.
The final seven games for the Centaurs took place on the road.
“They were exhausted,” said coach Lauren Gagnon. “They didn’t even remember what their home uniforms looked like.”
As a result, the Centaurs finished with a 5-11 overall record and a 4-8 ECC mark and failed to qualify for any postseason play.
The final two Centaurs games were perfect examples of how the season went for Woodstock Academy.
The Centaurs lost in Waterford, 2-1, and then traveled to Killingly and fell, 3-0.
Woodstock Academy needed to win both to earn a Class M state tournament berth and had to beat Killingly to be part of the ECC tournament.
Eliza Dutson scored the only goal for the Centaurs in the final two games.
She put home her fourth of the season against the Lancers when she inserted to Sarah Delaney off a corner and Delaney passed it back to her for the goal that tied the game.
Shortly after, Dutson had to leave the game when she was struck in the hand and suffered a broken finger.
In the time it took to reduce the swelling and pain and Dutson was able to hold on to a stick again, the Lancers had scored the game-winning goal.
The game against the Red Hawks was difficult for another reason.
It was played on grass. It’s something the Centaurs are not too fond of.
Hailey Radtke put Killingly on the board with 11 minutes left in the first half. Goals by Soudalath Souvanhnaphan and Brianna Caffrey late in the first half sealed the win and an ECC tournament berth for Killingly.
Rachel Canedy and Olivia Ott both had three shots for the Centaurs in the loss, one of Canedy’s found the cage but was called back because the ball had hit a foot before going in.
Avery Jones was named a first team Division I ECC All-Star while both Dutson and Canedy received honorable mention. Emma Durand, for a second straight year, was the team’s scholar-athlete and Danielle Chaput was the sportsmanship award winner.
One of the big areas that Woodstock Academy will focus on next season is putting the ball in the cage. The Centaurs get their top two scorers back as Canedy (6 goals, 4 assists) and Dutson (4 goals, 1 assist) return.
Canedy really improved when it came to her emotional maturity this season and has become a leader both on and off the field. Dutson, who has battled injuries, is healthy now outside of the finger issue.
The defense remains solid with Delaney, Meg Preston, Suzanne and Madeline Silbermann, and Sofia Murray.
It’s the midfield where the Centaurs will miss Jones, Durand, Sophia Rakovan (3 goals this season) and Madelyn LeCuyer.
The Centaurs also lose Rachael Roberts in goal but Kaily LaChappelle saw plenty of action this season and will return.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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It took a little while for the Woodstock Academy Gold postgraduate basketball team to get into the emotion of the game against Upper Room Christian School Nov. 9.
“A lot of coaches don’t like games during the week. I love games during the week. I don’t love weekend games. (The players) are in the dorms and participate in weekend activities – I’m happy to see them be involved in the community – but it’s tough to wait until 5 p.m. on a Saturday to play,” said Centaurs’ Gold coach Jacque Rivera.
Thus, a less than fantastic start.
Not that Woodstock Academy really had to worry as it still led by 18 at the end of the half, came out of the locker room fired up, and strolled to a 116-75 win.
The victory raised the Gold team’s record to 3-0.
One thing Rivera was pleased with in the first half was the play of Ronnie DeGray.
The 6-foot-7 post missed the first weekend of play after he suffered a concussion in practice.
“I was itching to play, be out there with my guys and working hard,” DeGray said.
The Parker, Colo., native scored nine of his 15 points in the first half. He also contributed eight rebounds in the game.
“Ronnie is getting healthy and we’re excited that he’s back. He adds an element. He’s been through this before and it was good to see him clear the backboard the way he did,” Rivera said.
That element is the fact that DeGray is the lone holdover from last year’s team.
“We all get along together,” DeGray said when asked what is the biggest difference between the two teams. “Not saying we didn’t last year, but everyone is willing to sacrifice with charges and make the extra pass. We all want to see each other win and that’s a difference from last year.”
DeGray said he’s also more comfortable with the prep game now and how physical it is compared to high school play.
“Getting used to that and getting my body stronger and faster really helped for this year for me to be better,” DeGray said.
The Centaurs also got strong inside play from 6-10 Brooklyn, N.Y, native Chad Venning who finished with nine points and eight rebounds, six of those boards came on the offensive side.
“Chad finished over both shoulders,” Rivera said with a smile. “He’s a work in progress. He is a young man who is a wide load and can score from both shoulders. He has a soft touch around the rim, sometimes, too soft. The ball sits on the back side of the rim. He has come a long way in a short amount of time. I think he has to continue to get into shape and we’ve just him starting to develop.”
The Centaurs took Rivera’s halftime speech about being excited and motivated to play to heart in the second half and pounced on the Lions.
After Upper Room Christian scored six of the first 10 points in the second half, the Centaurs responded with a 10-3 run of their own to go up, 59-36.
After a Lions’ basket, the Gold squad put down 13 of the next 15 points with Venning and Joe Moon (9 points) each getting four.
It put the Centaurs up by 30.
Noel Scott added 14 points and Quinton McElroy 12 in a balanced scoring attack for the Centaurs.
The Gold squad returns to the floor on Friday when it plays Rock Top in the Power-5 Conference Tip-Off tournament at the Alumni Fieldhouse at Woodstock Academy.
“Let’s chalk it up to strategically scheduling. You want to be well rested,” Rivera said of the week off between games, quickly adding that he was just kidding.
“It’s the way it happened. Most New England prep schools are just getting started (Saturday). Fortunate for us, it’s what makes The Academy different. We can start a little earlier. That’s a huge tournament this weekend. I think we have some great teams coming and we will be tested. Rock Top Academy out of Philadelphia is really good,” Rivera said.
The Gold team will also play Spire Academy out of Ohio on Saturday afternoon.

Blue team
The Woodstock Academy Blue postgraduate basketball team trailed by five at the half and by 11 after Upper Room Christian School after the Lions scored the first six points of the second half.
The Centaurs challenged, reduced the deficit to as little as two, but fell short, 87-81, Nov. 9.
Down by 10 with 3 minutes, 1 second left, the Centaurs began a comeback.
Darryl Mackey, who led the team with 16 points, hit a 3-pointer and after a turnover by the Lions, Jaylin Palmer (13 points) added a trey of his own and Vondre Chase hit a pair of free throws to put the Centaurs within two, 83-81.
“A couple more winning plays would have changed the outcome of the game for sure,” said Blue coach Denzel Washington.
The Centaurs had a chance to tie when Chase forced a Lions’ turnover on the sideline.
But a Woodstock Academy foul gave Upper Room a pair of free throws and Jean Aranguren hit both to give the Lions a four-point cushion with 1:07 left.
The Centaurs turned the ball over twice, missed two shots and two free throws to allow the Lions to stay in command.
Andres Marrero hit the final two free throws with 19 seconds left to account for the final.
It was the third straight loss for the Blue squad (1-3) who also fell on the road at Navy Prep in Newport, R.I., 74-60.
Chase led the Centaurs with 15 points; Nahshon Battle added 13 points and Mackey tossed in 12 in the midweek defeat.
“I think our losses are all learning experiences. We’re right there. We started out with the win over (New York International Academy) but we’ve played three tough teams in a row,” Washington said.
The Blue squad plays in the Power 5 Conference Tip-Off tournament this weekend at Woodstock Academy.
It opens up against Notre Dame-West Haven, coached by former Centaurs coach Nick DeFeo, Nov. 8.
“That’s my brother. He’s my best friend. I love that guy. We talk daily. I was just telling the team that he used to coach here and this is a personal one. It’s going to be fun. A new rivalry,” Washington said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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Alphonse Lariviere Sr.,
Korean war vet
N. GROSVENORDALE — Alphonse J. Lariviere Sr., 89, of Klondike St., died Nov. 3, 2019, at UMass Memorial Hospital after a recent fall outside of his home.  He was the husband of Claudia (Budrow) Lariviere for 62 years.
Born March 26, 1930, in Putnam, the son of the late Louis and Fedora (Mailloux) Lariviere.
Al was a proud veteran of the Korean war serving with the U.S. Army, being honorably discharged on March 26, 1953.
Mr. Lariviere worked for many years as a truck driver for JB Concrete Products in E. Putnam delivering product throughout Eastern CT, MA & RI.
He was a highly skilled dancer who with his wife Claudia enjoyed dancing the jitterbug to “In the Mood” by Glen Miller at all social functions including the weddings of his five grandchildren.  He also enjoyed their trips to Foxwoods Resort and Casino up to the day of his accident.  During his younger years, he participated in bowling leagues at Mohegan Bowl in Webster and loved attending his grandchildren’s sporting events as they grew up.  Al was a member of the VFW in Quinebaug and the American Legion Post 67 in N. Grosvenordale.
He leaves his wife, Claudia; a son, Alphonse “Al” J. Lariviere Jr. (Kelly) of Ellington; his sister Theresa Martin of Thompson; brother Paul Lariviere (Rita) of Oxford; five grandchildren and their spouses, Bryan and Alyssa Lariviere, Kristyn and Lewis Jackson, Brett and Jessica Blackburn, Christopher and Megan Blackburn and Brittany and Matt Piro; five great-grandchildren, Elijah, Ezra, Penelope, Finn, and Conrad. He was predeceased by a daughter, Denise Blackburn and a sister, Florence (Lariviere) Phelps.
The Service was Nov. 9 with burial with military honors in St. Joseph Cemetery. Valade Funeral Home and Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.

Elizabeth Woodward
WOODSTOCK VALLEY — Elizabeth Carol Woodward, 70, died Nov. 4, 2019, at Hartford Hospital. She was born in 1949.
Elizabeth was a correctional officer for the State of Connecticut for 20 years, retiring in 2015.  She was a free-spirit who loved music, enjoyed sewing and adored her pug, Connie.
She leaves her husband, Robert N. Woodward of Woodstock; her three children, Marc A. Petz (Laura), of Phoenix, Matt A. Petz of Putnam and Merideth A. Petz and her boyfriend Scott of Putnam; her grandson, Everett J. Petz of Phoenix; her parents, Everett and Nancy Cowley of Woodstock; her sister, Valerie Jones (John-Paul) of El Paso, Texas. She was predeceased by her grandson, Rowan H. Petz.
Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory 104 Church St., Putnam.

Judith A. Bousquet
PUTNAM — Judith A. (Reynolds) Bousquet, 78, died Nov. 5, 2019, at Matulaitis Nursing Home. She was the wife of the late Ernest A. Bousquet Jr.  Born in 1941 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Allen N. and Minnie A. (Bennett) Reynolds.
Mrs. Bousquet, a graduate of Tourtellotte Memorial High School, worked as a library aide at Putnam High School.
She was a member of the Windham-Tolland 4-H, starting as a camper and then becoming a camp counselor and club leader. Judith enjoyed walking, sewing, rug hooking, crafts, embroidering, gardening, and reading.
She leaves her children, Robert Bousquet of Putnam, Mary Cotnoir (Paul), also of Putnam; two grandchildren, Joe and Dan; her siblings, David Reynolds(Kathryn), Warren Reynolds (Jayne), and Laura Reynolds, all of Thompson; nieces and nephews.
Donations: Windham-Tolland 4-H Fund, 326 Taft Pond Road, Pomfret Center, CT  06259. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Maria K. Vygantas
NEW YORK — Maria Kristina Vygantas died Oct. 31, 2019.
Known to her family and friends as Mara, she was born Sept. 7, 1933, in Kaunas, Lithuania, the firstborn of twin girls, born to artist Regina Matuzonyte Ingeleviciene and Dr. Vladas Ingelevicius, a Colonel physician in the Lithuanian Army. 
During WWII she fled her homeland due to advancing Soviet aggression with her family and eventually settled in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1949.  She pursued her undergraduate studies at Hunter College in New York and her graduate and doctoral studies in mathematics at Johns Hopkins University and The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University.
It was in New York that she met her husband, Peter Vytautas Vygantas, and welcomed two daughters, Monika in 1965 and Kristina in 1971.  The entire family was active in the Lithuanian Catholic community, participating in camps, cultural events, leadership seminars, and local activism. The family moved to Dallas in 1980 and spent 18 years there.  Once her spouse passed in 1998, she returned to New York to spend her remaining years with her sister and daughters and their children Petras and Liam Vejas in the greater New York area.
Throughout her life, Mara did not rely on grand gestures to demonstrate her faith and love for those around her, but instead was able to inspire by the patient and graceful manner in which she lived every day.  In the 1990s while living in Texas, Mara and Vytas hosted in their home, for more than one year, a Lithuanian family that was pursuing advanced treatment for their Siamese twin daughters.  She and her twin sister personally helped care for all the family’s elders at home as they transitioned to their life in heaven.  She helped return her mother’s large body of paintings to Lithuania where they are held in the National Museum.
She inspired with the courage and fortitude with which she faced her many medical challenges. She had battled four separate cancer diagnoses — a testament to the bravery that a deep faith can provide.  
She leaves her daughters Monika and Kristina, and sons-in-law Paulius and Edward, and her grandchildren Petras and Vejas.
A Graveside Service was Nov. 9 in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Putnam. Donations: Neringa, Inc. – (non-profit organization) – Summer youth camp.  www.neringa100.org (or send check made out to “Camp Neringa, Inc.,”to Neringa 100, 34 State St., Guilford, CT 06437 — Dana Grajauskas)); or Lietuvele – (non-profit) – Lithuanian School.   www.lietuvele.org (Checks made out to “Lietuvele” and mailed to 2108 Broadway Blvd, Toms River, NJ 08757. (Daiva Trzepizur).

Doris Lillian Creamer
NIANTIC — Doris Lillian Creamer, 92, of Niantic died Nov. 10, 2019.
She was born June 8, 1927, in Killingly, daughter of the late Edmond and Albina (Perron) Perry. She was the wife of Paul Creamer who died in 2004.
Doris was fun loving reveled in their company at the many Perry family gatherings. She loved playing cards, bowling and could hold her own against anyone in horseshoes.
She leaves daughters: Patricia Benoit (Robert) of Mt Pleasant, S.C., and Joan McLaughlin (David) of Niantic; brothers Peter Perry of Danielson and Richard Perry of Putnam; sister Gloria LaPointe of Danielson; nieces and nephews. Besides her husband, she was predeceased by her grandson Robert E. Benoit; siblings: Rose Couture, Eugene Paris, Edward Perry, Beatrice LaBella, and Arthur Perry.
Visitation is from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Nov. 16 at Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson, with a Funeral Service at 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial follows in Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson. Donations: Alzheimer’s Association, 200 Executive Blvd., Suite 4B, Southington, CT 06489.

Matthew P. Landry
THOMPSON — Matthew Paul Landry, 56, of Terrace Dr., died Nov. 7, 2019.
He is the son of Grace (Harrington) Landry of Thompson and the late George L. Landry who died in 2013.
Matthew was born in 1963 in in Bryn Maer, Penn., and moved to Thompson at a young age. He was a parishioner of St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale and a student of St. Joseph School, Marianapolis Preparatory, and Tourtellotte Memorial High School.
Matthew’s career included several manufacturing positions. His love of music led to a stint as a DJ but was known mostly for his creativity in cooking. Matthew cooked professionally across New England and in a variety of roles and loved to put his creativity to work in both writing poems and preparing meals with his family and friends. His greatest passion was making friends and meeting people. If Matthew was your friend, you had none better — he was known for his a quick smile and bear hugs.
He was brother to David (Maureen) Landry of Putnam, Martina (Michael) Rutkovsky of Brookfield, Vt., and John (Joan) Landry of Downers Grove, Ill.; uncle to Bridget, Sean, Caitlin, Meghan, and John.
The Mass of Christian Burial is at noon Nov. 16 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale. Valade Funeral Home and Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.

Carol Wilmot (Hopkins)
BASIN, Wyo. — Carol Ann Wilmot (Hopkins) 83, died Oct. 24, 2019, at the Wyoming Retirement Center in Basin.
Carol was born March 9, 1936, in Putnam.
Her mother was a night operator for the phone company and her father was a wonderfully eccentric inventor.
Carol and her father tooled around on his motorcycle and frequented fairs and local events in the family’s hearse, which was outfitted with movie posters and a public address system.
She met Don Wilmot, her husband to be, while walking in the woods and cemetery that separated their two homes.
A high school courtship followed in those same woods and included long afternoons and evenings ice skating on the ponds around Putnam.
Before they married, and after Don left for college, Carol worked at the local department store to provide Don with a weekly ‘allowance’ while he was away at school.
Carol and Don married soon after his graduation and went on to live and raise their family in Nashua, N.H., McLean, Va., Atlanta, Silver Spring, Md., and Flagstaff, Ariz.
Carol and Don moved to Lander in 2005 to be close to their son Gary and his family and to help raise granddaughters Kathryn and Annika.
They attended Lander United Methodist Church where Carol was a loyal thrift store volunteer.
She was proud to have been vocally-trained with a degree in music.
She loved singing and was a member of the choir at every church she attended through the years.  
Carol spent her last few years enjoying the company of close friends at Mountain Vista Retirement Residence in Lander.
She loved to laugh and usually had a smile on her face and a cheerful greeting for everyone.
She was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Don, and her son, Bruce Wilmot. She leaves her son Gary Wilmot, her daughter-in-law, Aileen Brew, and grandchildren Annika Wilmot, Brendon Wilmot, Kane Wilmot, Kathryn Wilmot, and Taylor Wilmot.
There will be no services.
Donations: Lander United Methodist Church (262 N 3rd ST, Lander, WY 82520).

Katherine ‘Lyn’ Liebler
DANIELSON — Katherine “Lyn” Liebler died Oct. 25, 2019, at Davis Place, following a brief illness. She had just turned 94.
She was born in New Bedford, Mass., and raised in Port Jefferson, N.Y., along with three sisters.  In her career as a registered nurse, she worked at Memorial- Sloan Kettering hospital in NYC before moving to Bronxville, N.Y., to raise her family.
She lived in Woodstock for 15 years prior to Davis Place.
She volunteered for several historical groups and, through her church, worked with Meals-on-Wheels, and pastoral counseling services.
She was predeceased by her husband and childhood sweetheart of 52 years William A. Liebler. She raised twins Cynthia Liebler Saari and Michael A. Liebler.  She leaves her daughter and son-in-law Michael Saari of Woodstock;  her son and grandchildren: Andrew A. and Rachel Lyn Liebler of Croton, N.Y.; a sister, Virginia DeWick of Florida; nieces and nephews.
A kind and gentle soul, there will be a memorial service and internment of ashes at Christ Church (Bronxville) at a later date.  
Donations: Sawmill Pottery in Putnam for senior citizen programs, or to PAWS cat shelter in South Woodstock.

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