Kenneth Satterlee,
Navy veteran
POMFRET CENTER — Kenneth Satterlee of Pomfret Center died Nov. 17, 2018, after a battle with cancer.
He served in the U.S. Navy and worked in construction most of his life, for Local Union 478.
Besides his wife Barbara, he leaves his three sons, Lonnie (Rebecca), Richard (Gail), Raymond (Donna); his sister Sharon (Warren); his brother Richard (Madeline); brother-in-law Merrill “Butch” (Maryann), brother-in-law Bob (Jane); special friends Patty and Jim; grandchildren, great-grandchildren.
Graveside services with military honors will be held at a later date. Donations: KB Ambulance, PO Box 209, Danielson, CT 06239; the Pomfret Fire Dept., PO Box 306, Pomfret Center, CT 06259; or to the DKH Oncology Dept., PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.
Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Ronnell Rauert
WOODSTOCK — Ronnell A. (Sorber) Rauert, 65, of New Sweden Rd., died Nov. 17, 2018, at home after a battle with cancer. She was the wife of the late John Rauert.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she was the daughter of the late Llewellyn and Helena Sorber. Ronnie was predeceased by her brother Dean Sorber and sister Sue Waterbury.
Ronnie was united in marriage to John July 4, 1972, in Yonkers, N.Y. They moved to Connecticut in July 1976 where they built their longtime home in Woodstock in 1977.
Ronnie enjoyed gardening and plants of all kinds, except vegetables. She worked for more than 12 years in finance at Bob’s Discount Furniture as the AP manager.
She leaves her nieces Kristin Brown, Kyle Waterbury; great nephew Kole Waterbury, cousin Lorraine Carty, and brother-in-law Brian Waterbury all from Florida; as well as a sister-in-law Carol Olsen of Ashford, niece Ginger Olsen of Brooklyn and close friend Amanda Vasquez of Brooklyn; her dog, Haili Marie. She was predeceased by siblings Dean Sorber and Susan Waterbury.
At Ronnie’s request no formal services will be held; however, reflecting her strong personality and ability to impact those around her she’d like to be remembered with the phrase “Long Live the Queen”. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
David A. Hall
THOMPSON — David A. Hall, 64, of W. Thompson Rd., died Nov. 23, 2018, at Rose Monahan Hospice Center in Worcester. He was the husband of Susan (Seely) Hall. Born in 1954 in Providence, he was the son of the late Stanley and Catherine (Coogan) Hall.
Mr. Hall was a professional golfer at the Raceway Golf Course in Thompson. David was a member of the Professional Golf Association and was a Certified Golf Professional at the Raceway Golf Course.
He leaves his wife; four brothers, Donald Hall (Wendy) of Coventry, R.I., Richard Hall of Coventry, Douglas Hall (Melissa) of Venice, Fla., and Dennis Hall of Coventry; a sister, Doreen Iacono (Anthony) of Johnston, R.I.
Visitation is from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 1 in the Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. A reception will follow at the Raceway Restaurant, 205 E. Thompson Rd., Thompson. Donations: Junior Golf Clinic at the Raceway Golf Course, 205 E. Thompson Rd., Thompson, CT 06277.
Louise White
DANIELSON — Louise Olive (LaParle) White, 90, of Danielson died Nov. 18, 2018, at home. Born June 14 (Flag Day”, 1928, in Putnam, she was the daughter of Louis J. LaParle and Olive M. (Gothreau) LaParle.
Louise attended the Killingly school system. Upon completion of her education, she worked at W. M. Prym Company.
Louise married Richard H. White Sept. 3, 1951 (by Fr. Auclair), at St. Ignatius Church, Rogers. He died July 2, 2006,
She was known for her grace, kindness and poise. A lovely woman who was modest and compassionate. She had a fondness for animals and nature, especially kitties. Louise also was a talented seamstress. Some of her most enjoyable hours were spent crocheting, crafts, cooking, baking and gardening. She gave away many handcrafted gifts to family and friends. Ballroom and square dancing were favorite activities in her younger days. During the summer, she loved to swim at Alexander’s Lake. Louise was also a communicant of St. James Church in Danielson.
She leaves a daughter, Linda of Danielson; two sisters Irene I. Maynard of El Dorado, Ariz., and Elizabeth A. LaParle of Brooklyn; one brother David J. LaParle of Beverly Hills, Fla.; nieces and nephews and a special niece Sharon Holden.
A Mass of Christian Burial was Nov. 26 at St. James Church, Danielson, with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery. Donations: Matulaitis Nursing Home, Rehab Center, 10 Thurber Rd. Putnam, CT 06260. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
Cecilia M. Willett
QUINEBAUG — Cecilia M. Willett, 99, of Old Turnpike Rd., died Nov. 20, 2018, at the Webster Manor Nursing Home. She was the wife of the late Eugene Willett.
Born in 1919 in Webster, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Alice (Gogalinski) Dragon. Cecilia worked as an inspector for American Optical and loved to travel and dance.
She leaves three daughters; Joy Sinni (Roger) of Quinebaug, Avis Larsen of Thompson, and Norma Dumas (Joseph) of Thompson; her brother John Dragon of Oxford; six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Nov. 24 in St. Stephen’s Church, Quinebaug, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery, N. Grosvenordale. Valade Funeral Home & Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.
Ruth S. Yulo
EASTFORD — Ruth S. Yulo, 83, of County Road, died Oct. 30, 2018, at home. She was the wife of 60 years to Ralph J. Yulo Jr.
Born in 1935 in New Haven, Ruth was the daughter of the late Ruby (Hand) Surprenant and the younger sister of Kenneth Surprenant, previously deceased.
Ruth was a strong, creative, intelligent, and sensitive woman who overcame many obstacles in her younger years. Despite early adversities, she looked ahead with hope, confidence, and courage. In partnership with her husband, she created a home where they nurtured these same qualities in their children. She was reflective and sentimental, sharing stories of her own mother and grandmother and family.
Ruth grew up in New Haven and attended Hillhouse High School. Her best friend Nettie (Yulo) Polito introduced Ruth to her brother Ralph, the love of her life. Ruth and Ralph married on Aug. 23, 1958, and started their lives together in New Haven then moved to the Boston area. Ruth focused on raising the family while Ralph earned his doctorate at Harvard. In 1967, the family moved to Eastford.
After all five children were in school, Ruth went back to school and earned her bachelor’s in 1983 from Eastern Connecticut State University. She was a lifelong learner and earned master’s degrees in science education (1986) and early childhood education (1989). Ruth taught in the Windham Public School System for 19 years, first as a fifth-grade teacher at Windham Center School and then as a second-grade teacher at North Windham Elementary School. She was known for her special ability to help every student become a reader, as well as for her dedication to helping those same children become confident, effective writers.
Ruth had a big heart, helping many people in her quiet way, and she contributed to many charities. She worked hard to help her students achieve academic success but was also sensitive to their personal and social needs—that sometimes meant buying food and clothing for them when she saw the need.
Ruth loved reading and instilled a love of books in her children and grandchildren—even starting an annual summer reading contest for her grandchildren ($0.25 per book). She loved spy and mystery novels and carried a book with her everywhere she went. She was an avid animal lover and had many pets over the years. She especially loved her dogs, including Snoopy, John-John, Bo, and Bailey, her faithful Bichon Frise. Over the years, the family also had cats, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, goats, and even a raccoon. Ruth loved her flower garden and often wore bright colors and floral prints. She planted a tree in her backyard for each grandchild’s birth and enjoyed watching her grandchildren and their trees as they grew and flourished. She had bird and hummingbird feeders in her yard.
After Ruth retired, Ruth and Ralph traveled and she loved learning about the places she visited.
Ruth loved her grandchildren and enjoyed having them visit and stay for weekends. She always made them scrambled eggs for breakfast and her special potato salad for family picnics. She and Ralph sent them care packages packed with candy and treats for every holiday.
She was a member of the No Name Book Club, the Eastford Communicator, and the Eastford Library Board. She served as Eastford’s Municipal Agent for the Elderly and served on the Board of Corporators for Eastford’s Grove Cemetery. Through these organizations and in other more private ways, Ruth generously contributed her time and resources to building up the community in which she lived.
She leaves her husband Ralph J. Yulo Jr.; five children and their families: Ralph Yulo III of Eastford, Christopher Yulo (Marcus Butler) of Canada, Julie Yulo-Medeiros (Joe) of Middletown, and their daughters Mel and Lauren, Melanie Yulo (David Provolo) of Guilford, and their daughters Natalia, Ava, and Emmanuelle, and Frank Yulo (Mary) of New Fairfield.
The Funeral was private. Donations: American Cancer Society, 825 Brook St., Rocky Hill, CT 06067; or to the NRY Scholarship Fund, Eastern Connecticut State University Foundation, 83 Windham St., Willimantic CT 06226. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Herbert H. Sward Jr.
N. GROSVENORDALE — Herbert H. Sward Jr., 73, died Nov. 21, 2018, at the Webster Manor, Webster.
He was born in Putnam, son of the late Herbert H. Sward Sr. and Olga (Martis) Sward and lived here all his life. Herbert did carpentry work and repair. He worked security at Thompson Speedway for more than 40 years. He was past president of the Eastern CT Police Association and Southern MA Police Association. He was president of the resident council at Webster Manor. One of Herbert’s great joys was travel.
He leaves his wife of 30 years, Lynne M. (LaFountain) Sward; a son Scott Sward of Portland, Ore.; two daughters, Kerri L. Chase (Jonathan) of N. Grosvenordale and Sandra Ebersol of Florida; three grandchildren, Kaeden Mayo, Ellyana Mayo and Courtney Ebersohl.
A celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m. Dec. 1 at Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster. Donations: Emanuel Lutheran Church, N. Grosvenordale.
Philomena Tebo
ROCHDALE, Mass. — Philomena H. (Rokoszak) Laramie Tebo, 86, died Nov. 19, 2018, at home.
She was the wife of the late Donat Laramie who died in 1977 and John E. Tebo who died in 2012.
She was born in Worcester, daughter of the late John Rokoszak and Mary (Sikorski) Rokoszak and lived in Rochdale since 1980 prior to that living in Thompson.
Philomena enjoyed polka music. She was also very devoted to St. Anthony.
She leaves John and Theresa Urbanovitch of Paxton, Mass., and Ellen Urbanovitch and her spouse Audra Giordana of Green Bay, Wisc.; stepson, John and Cheryl Tebo of Rochdale; a stepdaughter Carol Becker of Hudson, N.H.; a stepdaughter who predeceased her, Karen Vincent. She was predeceased by three brothers, Thaddeus, Stanislaus and Jasiu Rokoszak; two sisters, Rose Marie and Adam Urbanovitch and Jane Rokoszak; grandchildren, Christopher and Michelle Finnimore, Irene, Emily Rose, Dominic and Brian Menard Jr.; step grandchildren John Tebo Jr., Nicole Haynes, and Kelly Costa.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Nov. 26 in Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Webster, with burial in parish cemetery. Donations: ASPCA of donor’s choice. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
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