Louis J. Veilleux,
Korean war vet
PUTNAM —  Louis J. Veilleux, 87, of Vine St., died Dec. 9, 2018, at Day Kimball Hospital. He was the husband of Jeannette (Sarette) Veilleux who died Jan. 24, 2019. They were married 68 years.
Born in 1931 in Hartford, he was the son of the late Alcide and Evelyn (Lefebvre) Veilleux.
Louis was a proud Korean war veteran serving with the U.S. Navy. On Nov. 4, 1950, at Sacred Heart Church in Webster, he was united in marriage to the former Jeannette Sarette.
Mr. Veilleux worked for many years as an oil truck driver for Agway. After retiring from Agway, he worked part time as school bus driver.
He was a lifetime member of the Thompson Hill Fire Department and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and bowling.
He leaves two daughters, Cheryl Walsh (Dennis) of Putnam and Linda Thorstenson of Sterling; five grandchildren, Gary, Timothy, Dennis, Ryan, and William; six great-grandchildren, Gary, Louis, Lauren, Aaron, Michael, Carter, and Peyton, and a great-great-granddaughter Elizabeth. He was predeceased by a son, Robert Veilleux; a brother, Gene Veilleux, and a sister, Evelyn McConnell.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Feb. 1 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. Valade Funeral Home & Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.

Jeannette Veilleux
PUTNAM —  Jeannette (Sarette) Veilleux, 86, of Vine St., died Jan. 24, 2019, at William W. Backus Hospital.  She was the wife of 68 years to the late Louis J. Veilleux who died on Dec. 9, 2018.  Born in 1932 in West Haven, she was the daughter of the late Henry and Eva (Goyette) Sarette.
On Nov. 4, 1950, at Sacred Heart Church in Webster, she was united in marriage to Louis J. Veilleux. Mrs. Veilleux worked for many years as a nurse’s aide at Matulaitis Nursing Home in Putnam. Jeannette enjoyed playing cards and bingo but, above all she cherished family and preparing Sunday dinners for them.
She leaves two daughter, Cheryl Walsh (Dennis) of Putnam and Linda Thorstenson of Sterling; five grandchildren Gary, Timothy, Dennis, Ryan, and William, six great-grandchildren Gary, Louis, Lauren, Aaron, Michael, Carter, and Peyton, and a great-great-granddaughter, Elizabeth. She was predeceased by her husband; a son, Robert; and her siblings Paul, Beatrice, Theresa, Cecile, and Bernadette.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Feb. 1 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. Valade Funeral Home & Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.

Donald P. Valade,
Korean war vet
PUTNAM —  Donald P. Valade, 87, of Thayer St., died Jan. 24, 2019, at Day Kimball Hospital.  He was united in marriage on July 1, 1972, and was the husband of the late Theresa A. (Picciarelli) Valade.
Born in 1931 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Joseph and Irene (Rocheleau) Valade.
Mr. Valade proudly served his country with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean war. He went on to work as a material handler for Putnam Herzl for 27 years. He was a communicant of St. Mary Church of the Visitation.  He was a Lifetime member of the Albert J. Breault VFW Post #1523.
He leaves his sister, Constance Rivette (James) of Lewes, Del.; his sister in-laws, Kay Picciarelli-Small, Claire Valade and Jeannette Valade; nieces and nephews.  He is predeceased by his brothers, Richard Valade and J. Robert Valade.
A Funeral Mass will be held I the spring at St. Mary Church of the Visitation. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Helen Bessette
CANTERBURY — Helen Bessette, 90, of Canterbury, formerly of Danielson, died Jan. 21, 2019, at the home of her daughter Cynthia and son-in-law Eric.
Born Oct. 4, 1928, in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late George and Evageline (Kotsoumaris) Atsales. She was the wife of Victor (Nabby) Bessette. They were married on July 11, 1953, at Our Lady of LaSalette Church in Brooklyn.
Helen enjoyed gardening, swimming and baking. She loved her trips to the casino with Cynthia and Eric. She was an avid UConn Huskies women’s basketball fan; she was also a Boston Red Sox and New England Patriot fan. In her younger years she enjoyed duck pin bowling and played in many leagues with her husband Nabby.
She leaves her daughter Cynthia Haas (Eric) of Canterbury, whom she made her home with for the past nine years; sisters Bessie McConnell of Rockville, Md., Alice Theodor of Brooklyn, Mary Chubbuck of Middletown; nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Victor (Nabby) Bessette in 1986 and her son George Bessette in 2006.
The funeral was Jan. 26 at Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson, with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson. Donations: DKH Hospice of Northeastern Connecticut, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.

Amy M. Driscoll
WOODSTOCK — Amy M. (Brennan) Driscoll, 67, of East Quasset Rd., formerly of Fairfield, died Jan. 23, 2019, at Day Kimball Hospital.  She was the wife of Jeffrey M. Driscoll.  Born in 1951 in Indianapolis, she was the daughter of Mary Frances (Bender) Brennan of Prospect, Ky., and the late Joseph Brennan. Amy received her master’s in education from Fairfield University in Fairfield.
On Dec. 28, 1971, at Our Lady of Peace Church, in New Providence, N.J., she was united in marriage to Jeffrey M. Driscoll.
Mrs. Driscoll worked for many years as a school teacher for the Fairfield Department of Education retiring in 2004. She enthusiastically taught second grade and delighted in classroom displays of rainforest plants, rocks and minerals and artwork.
Amy was a member and past president of the Quiet Corner Garden Club where she supported the maintenance of the gardens at Roseland Cottage and nearby Horticultural Center. She was an avid sewer and quilter who taught sewing at the John Dempsey Center, donating and fixing sewing machines to ensure everyone had a good machine to work with.
Above all she enjoyed helping people and doing for others, always thinking of their needs first and foremost.
She leaves her husband of 47 years, Jeffrey M. Driscoll; her mother, Mary Frances (Bender) Brennan of Prospect, Ky.; her children, Greg Driscoll (Deirdre Bushnell) of Eastford, Daniel Driscoll (Heather) of Eastford, and Rebecca Driscoll of Ashford; a brother, Jerry Brennan of Milwaukee; two sisters, Katherine Preston of Prospect, and Teri Hanichak of St. Louis; six grandchildren, Megan, Riley, Gavin, Ely, Oliver, and Henry; a sister-in-law, Terry (Driscoll) Swenson of Woodstock.
Visitation is from 10 to 11 a.m. Feb. 2 in the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. A memorial service will be held at 11 in the funeral home.  Burial will take place in the Spring in Quasset Cemetery.  Donations: Special Olympics CT, 2666 State St., Suite 1, Hamden, CT 06517, please make checks payable to SOCT-QV.

Cheryl A. Hicking
PUTNAM —  Cheryl A. Hicking, 69, of 65 Ballou St., died Jan. 22, 2019.  Born in 1949 in Peoria, Ill., she was the daughter of the late Edward and Agnes (Ryman) Hoevet. Spending the early part of her life living in Tampa, Fla., she then married her former husband, Richard W. Hicking, moved to Connecticut and raised her family.
She had part time jobs as the children grew, as a receptionist of the East Woodstock Congregational Church, bank teller for a local bank and was leader of the kids Boy Scout/Girl Scout clubs. A weekend camping with Mr. & Mrs. H was common for many of her children’s friends.  After her children had grown, Cheryl worked for Labonte & Merrick Appliance store in Putnam, secretary for the Marions in Thompson, at the local sewing shop (more for the opportunity to be around her passion for a quality scrap of 100 percent cotton fabric for “the perfect quilt” she was going to sew) and most recently the Hallmark Store in Putnam.  She enjoyed visiting with all the customers and co-workers she quickly was happy to call her friends.  She was an avid gardener, having shared a plot at the Putnam Community Garden with her friend Terry who she enjoyed spending time with at the garden or just daily life chats. Cheryl felt most comfortable at her sewing/crafting table.  She enjoyed quilting, painting, making jewelry, homemade soaps, scrubs, lotions, baking from scratch then decorating the delightful dessert as it was a piece of art.  There was not a store-bought Halloween costume or purchased birthday cake in the Hicking household. She enjoyed watching the birds and always researching nature, trees and especially gardening blogs and articles. She was full of valuable information and was always happy to share. She was a talented, intelligent woman.
She leaves her children, Randall W. Hicking of Putnam and Michelle L. Hicking and companion, Jody P. Reynolds of Dayville; and her brother, Gregory Hoevet of Florida. Cheryl is predeceased by her brother, Steven Hoevet.
Visitation is at 10 a.m. Feb. 9 at the East Woodstock Congregational Church. Burial will be private.  Donations: ASPCA  https://www.aspca.org/ways-to-give. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

James J. Rzeszutko
PUTNAM — James Rzeszutko died Jan. 21, 2019, at home, after a lengthy illness. He was born on Sept. 4, 1956, in Webster, the son of the late Charles and Jennie (Zdrok) Rzeszutko.
James was a very generous person with a great sense of humor.  He loved fishing, hunting, hiking in the woods, long drives with his wife, and playing games. 
He leaves his wife, Linda (Wheeler) Rzeszutko; his stepson, Tyler Weiss; his stepdaughter, Jennifer Weiss; and two step grandchildren, Hannah and Nathan; his brother, Richard Rizutko (Jho Loyola); two sisters, Christine Brodeur (James) and Marcia Jarosz; nieces, Alison, Lisa, and Tara; father in-law, James Wheeler, and his mother in-law, Madeline Wheeler.
Donations: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Todd James Loomis
DAYVILLE — Todd James Loomis, 55, died Jan. 18, 2019, after a short battle with cancer.
Todd was a loyal employee at Loos & Co. for 30 years. He always enjoyed fishing, clamming, camping, and dirt biking with friends and loved ones. Todd will be remembered for his easygoing nature, hardworking spirit, and kindness toward others.
He leaves behind two sons James and Justin Loomis; his mother Janet Bassett; brothers Ronald and Garry Loomis; his stepsister Eva Brooks; nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.
Donations: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at pancan.org/donate, or through the mail at 1500 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.  Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

Patricia Mancini
PUTNAM — Patricia (Osborne) Mancini, 87, of Tourtellotte Rd., died Jan. 20, 2019, at home.  She was the wife of the late Joseph T. Mancini Sr.  Born in 1931 in Wallingford, she was the daughter of the late Willard and Clementine (Hebert) Osborne.
On March 19, 1947, at St. Rose Church in Meriden, she was united in marriage to Joseph T. Mancini Sr. He died March 22, 2013.  She worked alongside her husband on the family dairy farm, “Windy Hill Farms” in Killingly.
She enjoyed collecting music boxes, reading, crossword puzzles, backyard cookouts and making pasta on Sundays. 
She leaves five sons, Joseph Mancini Jr. (Marilyn) of Pomfret Center, David Mancini (Joan) of New York, Peter Mancini (Christina) of Vermont, Paul Mancini of Killingly, and Mark Mancini of Putnam; a daughter, Christine Opperman of Dayville; a sister June Lopes; 15 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her sister, Barbara Veronasy and a granddaughter Deanna.
The Funeral was Jan. 25 in the Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. Burial will be in Elmvale Cemetery in the spring. Donations: ASPCA or to the Humane Society.

Kelly Anne Wilson
WINTER PARK, Fla. — Kelly Anne Wilson, 55, of Jewel Avenue, died Jan. 26, 2019, at the home of her parents in N. Grosvenordale. Born in 1963 in Middletown, she was the daughter of Henry and Dale (Kokocinski) Wilson of N. Grosvenordale.
She worked as a licensed practical nurse. She was a member of and past president of the Florida Dachshund Rescue. She cherished family time, especially the time they spent together visiting Disney World.
She leaves her parents; a son, Erik Larsen of Worcester; a daughter, Meaghan Wilson of Oviedo, Fla.; two sisters Amy Wilson-Atienza (Sean) of Alexandria, Va., and Caterina Wilson of South Boston; her beloved dachshunds Frankie and Emmie. She was predeceased by a sister Tracy Wilson.
Donations: Florida Dachshund Rescue, c/o Lark Kruse, 1837 Jewell Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789 or at www.fldr.org. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

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