Leo R. Briere,
Vietnam war vet
DANIELSON — Leo R. Briere, 83, of Danielson died July 9, 2018, at home. He was the husband of the late Monique (Berger) Briere. She died in 2008.
Born on July 10, 1934, in Putnam, son of the late Arthur and Bella (Rickie) Briere.
He was veteran of the Vietnam war serving in the U.S. Army, worked for Goodyear Tire for 20 years, was a member of the American Legion and VFW. Leo loved gardening and his cat Meme.
He leaves his children Andre Briere and his fiancée Camille of Somerville, Mass., Marc Briere (Susan) of Coventry, sister Lorraine Parkhurst (Bob) of Brooklyn; nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by siblings Germaine Gagnon, Florence Magrey and Norman Briere.
The Mass of Christian Burial was July 13 at St. James Church, Danielson, burial with military honors in St. Joseph Cemetery, Dayville. Donations: Hospice of NE CT, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260; or Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter, 200 Executive Blvd., Suite 4B, Southington, CT 06489. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
David C. Frost
POMFRET CENTER — David “Dave” Frost, 62, of Orchard Hill Rd., died July 5, 2018, while visiting his daughter in Colorado. He was the husband of Patricia (Norcross) Frost. Born in 1955 in Ethiopia and raised in New Haven, he was the son of the late Alfred James Scott Frost and Theresa (Frazer) Frost.
Mr. Frost worked as a self-employed contractor and as a school teacher for Crossway Christian Academy. He was an accomplished musician who sang and played many instruments including the guitar, flute and the mandolin. He enjoyed vegetable gardening, fishing with his grandsons. He brought love and joy to everyone that he met. He was a member of the First Congregational Church of Pomfret and played on their worship team.
In addition to his wife, Patricia, he leaves his children: Jerusha Frost of St. Helena, Calif., Anna Frost of Golden, Colo., Danielle Boies (Matthew) of Woodstock, David Frost Jr. of Putnam, and Patricia Frost of Pomfret; his stepchildren, Rebekah Battey of Plainfield, Joshua Edwards of Scituate, R.I., Heather Leckey (Joshua), of Hinesburg, Vt., and Bethanie Pinkus (Benjamin) of Tewskbury, Mass.; his grandchildren, Shawn Battey, Amanda Battey, Jonathan Mercier, Seni Darboe, David Boies, Nathaniel Boies, David Frost III, Myles Frost, Eden Leckey, Elijah Leckey, Fletcher Leakey, and Clementine Pinkus; his siblings, James Frost of Chicago, Andrew Frost of Chicago, Michael Frost of E. Haven, Jonathan Frost of Guilford, and Barbara Steininger-Frost of Guilford.
The Funeral Service was July 14 in The First Congregational Church of Pomfret, with burial in Elmvale Cemetery, Woodstock. Donations: Crossways Christian Academy, 250 E. Putnam Rd., Putnam, CT 06260; or Partners in Development, 174 High St.., Suite 106, Ipswich, MA 01938. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St, Putnam.
Richard L. Waters,
WWII vet
CLEARMONT, Fla. & PUTNAM — On Feb. 14, 2019, Richard “Dick” Waters, formerly of Putnam, died after a brief illness. Dick was born Nov. 14, 1924, in Putnam to the late Wesley and Viola (Riendeau) Waters.
Dick served as corporal in the U.S. Marie Corps 3rd Division in the South Pacific during WWII. Shortly after the war, he returned to Putnam and married Sylvia Bachand Waters. They shared over 40 years of marriage and had three sons, Rodney Waters of Thompson, Russell Waters of Putnam, and Kevin Waters also of Putnam, who predeceased his father in 1997.
Dick was the second-generation owner of the family business Waters Bros. Oil Company Inc., which he passed on to his son Rodney. Dick founded Kawasaki of Putnam in 1972, which he later passed on to his sons Russell and Kevin.
Dick was a lifetime member of the Putnam Lodge of Elks No. 574, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the American Legion, the Marine Corps League and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). He was a licensed private pilot who flew his own Cessna throughout the United States. He was the last of the founding fathers and past president of the Tri-State Kart Club in Pomfret. Dick and Sylvia later retired to Clermont and lived many years traveling between Putnam and Clermont in their RV.
After Sylvia died suddenly in 1990, he met Florence Klimas in Clermont and they were married for 24 years until her death in January 2016. Dick was also predeceased by his three siblings Charles Waters, Conrad (Spaghett) Waters, and Blanche Rawson. Dick leaves behind his two sons Rodney Waters (Janet) of Thompson and Russell Waters (Audrey) of Putnam; his daughter-in-law Susan Brazel (James) of Thompson; two sisters May Alvord of Putnam and Marie Phyllis Leclair of Thompson; grandchildren Sherri (Jason) Laabs, Amber (Christopher) Drew, Kristen (Clarke) Caudill, Kelly (Brian) Fournier, Derek Waters and Shannon Waters; nine great- grandchildren.
The Mass of Christian Burial is at 10 a.m. July 21 in St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, followed by burial with military honors in St. Mary Cemetery, Donations: Kevin Waters Scholarship Fund, c/o Putnam Bank, 125 Wauregan Rd., Danielson, CT 06239. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Lorraine Duhamel
WOODSTOCK — Lorraine Duhamel, 81, of 40 Butts Road, died July 14, 2018, in Day Kimball Hospital. She was the wife of Edward E. Duhamel Sr. for 58 years. Born in 1936 Webster, she was the daughter of Raoul and Sophie (Tryba) Destoler.
Lorraine owned and operated Duhamel Gardens for 25 years. She was a member of the Senexet Grange. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, and canning. She was a great baker, taking pride in making her famous cream puffs.
In addition to her husband, she leaves her son, Edward “Gene” Duhamel Jr. (Lynda) of Shrewsbury, Mass.; her daughter, Geraldine Stearns (Douglas) of Scotland, her son-in-law, Wilfred Harwood of Dayville, her brothers, Raoul Destoler, and Raymond Destoler, both of Harrisville, R.I.; her sister, Barbara Slader of Harrisville; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her daughter, Renee Harwood.
Visitation is from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. July 18 in Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., followed by a Funeral Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret, with burial in St Mary Cemetery.
Joyce A. Grinold
WOODSTOCK — Joyce A. Grinold, 80, of Roseland Park Road, formerly of Canton, died July 9, 2018.
For more than 35 years, she was the wife of the late William B. Grinold.
Born in 1937 in Hartford, she was the daughter of the late Richard J. and Ada Starratt Ledden of Collinsville.
After attending Central Connecticut State Teacher’s College, Joyce married her first husband, Melvin Alberts, in 1957.
Together they had four children. In 1969, Joyce pursued her love of literature by establishing “The Bookshelf” in Canton Village.
After marrying the late William (Bill) Grinold in 1981, Joyce became a realtor associated with R. Sparrow Hicks of Woodstock.
Together with her cousin, Luella Marshall, Joyce was instrumental in helping track the genealogy of more than 5,000 members of the Starratt family who migrated from Scotland to Nova Scotia in the 1700s.
Her extended family included three dogs: Rosey, Sara, and Zeus.
She leaves two sons, Michael Alberts of Woodstock and David Alberts of Ellington; two daughters, Susan Hennigan and Lisa Kelly, both of Woodstock; five stepchildren, Heidi Derbyshire of Lincoln, Mass., Peter Grinold of Rutland, Vt., Paul Grinold of Fort Myers Beach, Fla., Mindy Bicknell of Andover, N.H., and Alicia Hamblett of Barrington, R.I.; 10 grandchildren, Mark Gagnon of Sarasota Springs, N.Y., Brian Hennigan of Elkridge, Md, Amy Tatro of Johnson, Vt., Zachary Alberts of Boston, David Kelly, Cleo Alberts, Owen Kelly, and Seth Kelly, all of Woodstock, and Andrew and Grace Alberts, both of Ellington; great-grandson, Eisen Tatro of Johnson, Vt.; two brothers, David Ledden of Collinsville and Craig Ledden of Hawaii.
Services and cremation were private.
Donations: Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Rd., Newington, CT 06111.
Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St, Putnam.
Jade A. Nicholls
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. & N. GROSVENORDALE — Jade A. Nicholls, 21, of East McDowell Rd, Scottsdale, died unexpectedly July 11, 2018. Born in Putnam, she was the daughter of Richard Nicholls of England and Kirsten (Valade) Johnson of N. Grosvenordale.
For those who knew Jade, they knew that she was a beautiful person inside and out. She was always quick to make you laugh and strong beyond her own realization. Jade had an amazing artistic talent and an eye for capturing emotion through her artwork. She loved being around animals (cats especially) and enjoyed volunteering at local animal shelters. Jade earned her degree as a veterinarian tech from Becker College and later became employed in the field of her choice.
Her adventurous spirit has brought her overseas on many occasions and in the U.S. where she enjoyed meeting new people at Cosplay and Rocket League Conventions. In November 2017 she spread her wings and traveled 2,600+ miles to start her life in Arizona.
In addition to her parents, she leaves siblings Dylan Johnson and Hailey Johnson, both of N. Grosvenordale; her stepfather Brendan Johnson of N. Grosvenordale; her maternal grandmother, Elaine Valade of N. Grosvenordale; her paternal grandparents, Ges and Jenny Nicholls of England; her cat Shay.
Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. July 18 in the Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. July 19 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. Donations: Paws Cat Shelter, P.O. Box 31, S. Woodstock, CT 06267.
Florence Surprise
POMFRET CENTER — Florence Z. Surprise, 75, of Youngs Rd., died July 14, 2018, in William W. Backus Hospital. She was the wife of Frank W. Surprise Jr. of 58 years. Born in 1943 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Burton and Florence (Latour) Wilson.
Florence was a spinner, employed by Belding Heminway Company for 20 years. She was also employed by Staples as a picker for 20 years. Florence was a devoted fan of the Boston Red Sox and loved watching her hummingbirds.
In addition to her husband, she leaves daughters Ann Erskine of Pomfret, Laurie Gallup (Bill) of Sterling, Diana Waters of Marlin, Texas, Maureen Surprise and her fiancé Dennis Courtemanche of Killingly, Susan Surprise of Pomfret; her brother Henry Wilson (Dale) of Wilsonville; her sisters Donna Grkman (John) of Willmington, N.C., and Deborah Briere of Putnam; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her son, John Surprise. Visitation is from 4 to 7 p.m. July 19 in the Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam, with a service in the funeral home at 6:30 p.m.
Beverly A. Bullard
QUINEBAUG — Beverly A. Bullard, 78, died July 12, 2018, at home. She was the wife of the late Vance H. Bullard Sr. who died in 2011.
She was born in Worcester daughter of the late William and Elizabeth (Williams) Noonan and lived in Quinebaug for the past two years, prior to that living in Charlton and Georgia. She was a registered nurse and worked for many years at the Westborough State Hospital. She was a member of the Tri State Baptist Church in N. Grosvenordale.
She leaves her son Vance H. Bullard Jr. (Christine) of Buford, Ga.; six daughters, Cynthia A. Magerowski of Millbury, Mass., Lou-Ann Sells of Rockingham, N.C., Terrie A. Trahan (Paul) of Quinebaug, Shelia Troio of Worcester, Michele Mongosa (Darren) of Peru, Ind., and Kinberly Bourbeau of Southbridge; 19 grandchildren; great-grandchildren; brother John Noonan (Shirley) of Weatherly, Penn. She was predeceased by her sister, Ruth Rocheleau.
The Funeral Service was July 14 in the Tri-State Baptist Church with burial in Howard Cemetery, Sutton, Mass. Donations to the church. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
Elle Jordan Migneault
WOODSTOCK — Elle J. Migneault, 23, of Town Farm Rd, died July 14, 2018, at home. Born in 1995 in Providence, she was the loving daughter of Jean Migneault and Laurie Eldredge of Woodstock. Elle enjoyed singing both for her friends and family and professionally.
She leaves her parents, three sisters Shantel Migneault of N. Providence, Demi Migneault of Jacksonville, Fla., and Electra Migneault of Woodstock; maternal grandparents Glen and Darlene Eldredge of Rochester, N.H.; paternal grandparents Jacqueline and Manuel Baptista of Pawtucket, R.I.; cousins. She was predeceased by her paternal grandfather Claude Migneault. Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. July 20 in Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. July 21 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 525 Ashford Center Rd., Ashford, with burial in Elmvale Cemetery, Woodstock. Donations: Windham County 4-H Camp, 326 Taft Pond Rd., Pomfret Center, Pomfret, CT 06259.
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