Jack Gallup

DAYVILLE — Jack A. Gallup, of Cook Hill Road died suddenly at home, March 1, 2015.

He was the husband of Eileen (Mailhot) Gallup for 38 years. Born in Putnam, he was the son of the late Albert and Marjorie (Briere) Gallup. Jack was employed at Cranston Print for 25 years until he retired in 2008. Jack walked in his father’s footsteps and was a member of the Danielson volunteer fire department, where he was well loved and respected for 36 years until retiring in 1995 as deputy chief.  

“Chief” sported a gruff exterior, but was a teddy bear. 

He leaves his sisters Pamela Lee and Kimberly Cornish; his children, Ronda Materas (Steven), Donna Russo (Joe), Cheryl Boman and Skip Boman; grandchildren, Jonathan and Matthew Marcheterre, Nick and Cara Russo, Seth and Zachary Boman, and the apple of Jack’s eye, Gianna Materas, and great granddaughter, Kenzi. Jack was predeceased by his sister Marilyn Larkin. 

A Funeral Mass was March 9 at St. James Church, Danielson. Donations: Gianna Materas Education Fund, Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, 1055 Hartford Turnpike, Waterford, CT 06385. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

 

Marcella P. Goulet

PUTNAM — Marcella (Blain) Goulet, 85, of Cottage St., died March, 1, 2015, at home. She is the wife of the late Edward A. Goulet.  Born in 1929 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Arsene and Beatrice (Poirier) Blain.

Mrs. Goulet worked as a card tender for Belding Heminway.  She enjoyed cooking, walking, swimming and traveling.  

She leaves her godsons, Michael Phaneuf, and James Korch; nieces; and nephews.  She is predeceased by her sister, the late Irene Korch.

Services will take place in the spring and have been entrusted to the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam, CT. 06260.  

 

Dorothy Nichols

PUTNAM — Dorothy R. Nichols, 91, of Little River Acres, died Feb. 28, 2015. She was the wife of Waldo I. Nichols. He died in 1990. She was born May 30, 1923, in Putnam, daughter of the late Omer and Rose (Michon) Bernier.

Dorothy enjoyed spending time reading, quilting, knitting stenciling and needlepoint. She made beautiful crafts for her family and friends.

She leaves her son, Clifford Nichols (Katherine) of E. Putnam; her daughter Patricia Nichols and her husband Steven Falade of N. Stonington; her two grandchildren, Aaron Nichols and Emily Nichols and her great-grandchild, Connor Nichols. 

Burial will be held at a later date. Donations: Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeast Connecticut, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

James L. Rogers Jr.,

WWII vet

WOONSOCKET, R.I. —  James L. Rogers Jr.  90, of St. Joseph St., formerly of Putnam,  and Inverness, Fla., died Monday, March 2, 2015, in Roger Williams Medical Center, Providence.  He was the husband of the late Millicent (Maloney) Rogers and the late Patricia (Deotte) Rogers.  Born in 1924 in Lynn, Mass., he was the son of the late James L. Rogers Sr. and Bessie (Mercer) Rogers.

Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII.  He worked as an expediter for Anchor Glass.  He enjoyed playing cards and was an avid Boston Red Sox and N.E. Patriots fan,  and loved animals. 

He leaves his daughters, Melinda Ashworth-Yeaw (Russell) of N. Scituate, R.I., and Tracey Rogers-Mcneely and her companion Todd of Floral City, Fla.; his sister, Virginia Sweeney of Bradenton, Fla.; his grandchildren, Amanda, James, Andrew, Emma, Colton, Raylan, and Wyatt; and his great-grandchildren Garrett, and Aiden. 

The Funeral was March 7 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. Donations:  Alzheimer’s Association, 200 Executive Blvd., Southington, CT 06489. 

 

Henry Rostron

BROOKLYN — Henry Rostron, 86, of Costello Rd., died March 1, 2015, at the home of his son Brian and daughter in law, Paula.  

Born in 1928 in Chorley, Lancashire, England, he was the son of the late Tony and Florence (Tuttle) Rostron.  Henry immigrated to the U.S. in 1952 and was very proud to become an American citizen.  He settled in Raynham, Mass., in 1958 and lived there until he became ill in recent years.

 Harry, as he was known to many, was a sweet, kind and generous man. Harry had a sharp wit and wonderful sense of humor.  He was a strong and independent man until just a few years ago.  Harry was also an artist, creating woodcarvings and scrimshaw designs as a hobby for many years.  He worked as a metallurgist for Space Metal Buildings for several years as well as Texas Instruments.  

He leaves his sons, Brian Rostron of Brooklyn, and Dana Rostron of Coventry, R.I.; his brother Jack Rostron of Norton, Mass.; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.   He was the brother of Gordon Rostron who died last year in Chorley, England.

A private gathering to celebrate Harry’s life will take place at a later date.

Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

 

Francis Zolenski

POMFRET CENTER —  Francis “Frank” Zolenski, 59, of Brayman Hollow Rd., died March 5, 2015, at home.  He was the husband of Cynthia Zolenski for 25 years.  Born in 1955 in Hartford, he was the son of the late Frank J. and Barbara (Fillmore) Zolenski.

Mr. Zolenski worked as a Test Tech for Electric Boat for 13 years previously working for Gerber Scientific, Gerber Industrial, and Scan Optics.  He enjoyed fishing and collecting sports memorabilia.  He volunteered each year at the Connecticut Invention Convention.

In addition to his wife, he leaves his niece, Samantha Boyle; two nephews, Matthew Boyle and Michael Boyle; cousins.  He was predeceased by his brother Fred Zolenski; and his sister, Bernice Zolenski. 

Donations; WPTP Junior Football League, PO Box 138, Putnam, CT 06260.  Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

William Lucchesi Jr.

BROOKLYN — William Lucchesi, 71, died March 2, 2015, at home, following a long battle with leukemia.  He was born on May 29, 1943, in Putnam, to the late William and Dora (Prosperi) Lucchesi.  He was married to Susan Strouse on July 20, 2009.

He was a 1962 graduate of Killingly High School and attended Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine, and Mitchell College, New London.  Bill served in the Connecticut National Guard Army Corp of Engineers from 1965-1971.

 He worked at Pervel Industries in Plainfield, until it closed in 1987.  Bill purchased the flocking division of Pervel in 1987 and was the CEO and President of Intermark Fabric Corporation in Plainfield until he retired in 2005. He was a member of the American Flock Association and the American Textile Association. Bill was known throughout the world as a leader in the textile industry. 

Bill loved to travel to Europe for business and pleasure. He enjoyed driving with his wife to Florida in their RV and watching the Yankees spring training.. He also enjoyed his vegetable garden, doing projects and watching his NY Yankee and NY Giant games.   Bill had a big heart and always helped others whenever he could.

In addition to his wife, he leaves his son, Daren Lucchesi of Brooklyn; daughters, Tara Sherman (Keith) of N. Dartmouth, Mass., Darcy Palmer (Christopher) of Brooklyn; stepdaughters, Shelly Czupryna of St. Petersburg, Fla., Alison Sharpe (Albert) of Brooklyn and Nicole Marcheterre (Scott) of Brooklyn; grandchildren, Ethan and Owen Sherman, Jon and Luke Palmer, Jillian and Jack Sharpe and Corporal Alec Marcheterre, USMC; sister, Gloria Hanson of Cleveland Heights, Ohio; mother in law, Matilda Strous and brother in law, Bradley Strous both of Danielson.  He was predeceased by his wife Sandra (Palmer) Lucchesi in 1997.

A Funeral Mass was March 6 at St. James Church, Danielson. Donations: UMMF-Trial-Cerny and mailed to UMass Medicine Development Office, 333 South St., Shrewsbury, MA 01545. The Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

Kevin P. Mazzarella

PUTNAM — Kevin P. Mazzarella, 51, died March 4, 2015, at the UMass Medical Center-University Campus, Worcester, from complications of acute myelogenous leukemia that he fought for three years.

He was the husband of Celestia “Julie” K. (Berry) Mazzarella. They were united in marriage on May 17, 1986, by Fr. Rene Parent at Our Lady of Peace Church, E. Killingly. 

He was the son of Evelyn L. (Gaudreau) Mazzarella of Dayville, and the late Florian P. Mazzarella Jr. He was born in Putnam, graduated from Killingly High School in 1981, and from Harvard H. Ellis Technical School in 1983. He worked at Hale Mfg. From 1983-1989 and held various positions until they closed in Oct. of 1989. He then went to work in the sales field where he worked until October of 2010, when he left the corporate world to open a business, K and J Tile and Hard Surface Cleaning, LLC. He also worked for the Town of Putnam Board of Education, driving school bus, a position he enjoyed very much. 

In addition to his wife and mother, he leaves, a sister Karen Loiselle of Brooklyn; his father in law, Lyndall Berry of Florence, S.C.; aunts, uncles, nieces nephews and cousins. He also leaves his fur babies, Cita and Charlie. 

A celebration of life to be announced at a later date. Donations: UMMF-Trial, UMA Medicine Development Office, 333 South St., Shrewsbury, MA 01545; or The American Cancer Soc., Hope Lodge, 7 Oak St., Worcester, MA, 01604; or Animal Rescue.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

Karen McKinney 

DUDLEY — Karen  (Marvin)  McKinney, 74, died March 5, 2015, at UMass after a battle with cancer. Her husband of 36 years, John McKinney died in 2001. She was born in Medford, Mass., the daughter of the late Richard and the late Amy (Bergstrom) Marvin.  Karen graduated from Lexington High School and  Emerson College .She  worked at Dudley Elementary  School, retiring in 2002 after 40 years of service. She worked many Dudley town elections and was active in the Republican Party. She loved teaching and went back to substitute teach in her retirement. Karen enjoyed  traveling  spending time at the  ocean and many summers spent with her family in Jamestown R.I.

 She leaves two sons: Jay McKinney (Kim) of Dudley and Todd McKinney (Jennifer) of Woodstock; one sister: Leslie Sloane of Villages, Fla.; grandchildren: Stephanie , Jacob and Zoe. The Funeral was March 9 in  Holy Trinity Church, Southbridge, with burial later in Waldron Cemetery. Donations: American Cancer Society. Bartel Funeral Home & Chapel.

 

Keith Murray

N. GROSVENORDALE — Keith R. Murray, 37, formerly of Worcester, died March 4, 2015, at Davis Place, Danielson, following a battle with Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma. He was born and raised in Worcester, but spent many weekends and summers in Holden, Mass.

Keith graduated from Worcester Vocational Technical High School.  In 1995, Keith began a 20-year career working at NAPA Auto Parts, including stores in Putnam, Auburn and Worcester. 

He was respected for his knowledge and experience. He worked until early December of 2014, when he became too ill to continue.  Keith’s love of cars carried over in his spare time as well. He received one of his most prized possessions, his 1972 Chevelle from his wife as a Valentine’s gift. 

Together, they spent many hours with the Chevelle, including in the early days, weekly runs at the New England Dragway, where Keith enjoyed going up against other racers.  He was also a crewmember of the race team The 5th Dimension Racing, which ran at Thompson Raceway.  

An avid and talented bowler, Keith participated in the Monday Night Social and most recently the Thursday Night Social leagues at the Auburn Bowl.  He even bowled a perfect 300 game.

Keith leaves his wife of 11 years, Heather E. (Rae) Murray; his daughter, Kassidy E. Murray; his father, Robert L. Murray of Holden; his mother, Nancy (Ogden) Murray of Worcester; a brother, Kevin Murray of Worcester; two sisters, Jessica Washburn of Fairhaven. Mass., and Serena McCabe of Holden. 

The funeral was March 9 at  Miles Funeral Home, Holden. Spring burial will be in Grove Cemetery, Holden.  Donations: The KM Memorial Fund, c/o Hometown Bank, 4 Gore Rd., Webster, MA 01570; or to Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma (ACC) Research, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168.  

 

John Roy Owens

SMITHFIELD, R.I. — John Roy Owens, 96, formerly of Eastford,  died March 4, 2015, at the Village at Waterman Lake in Smithfield. He was the husband of the late Jennie (Shishko) Owens. He was born in Bellefonte, Penn.,

He was a son of the late James S. and Cora M. (Beers) Owens. He had been a rural mail carrier for the U.S. Post Office before retirement, and previously an elementary school teacher. Roy was a member of the Masonic Fraternity for more than 50 years. He loved his ham radio club, being an instructor for the power squadron, investment club and to volunteer at Red Cross blood drives.

He leaves his son John Owens Jr. of Harmony, R.I.;  and daughter, Sandra Callender of Kihei, Hawaii; four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his sisters Ruth Murheid, Jean Selig and Esther Littell, and one brother, James Owens Jr.  Anderson-Winfield Funeral Home.

 

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