Kenneth F. Whiteoak,

WWII vet

PUTNAM — Kenneth F. Whiteoak, 87, of Sabin St., died Jan. 5, 2016, in Matulaitis Nursing Home where he was a resident for the last six months.  He was the husband of June (Salvas) Whiteoak who died Sept. 11, 2006. 

He was born in 1928 in Southbridge, son of the late Arthur and Ellen (Hampson) Whiteoak. Ken graduated from Mary Wells High School and the School of Practical Arts in Boston. He was a veteran of WWII serving with the U.S. Army.

Mr. Whiteoak worked as an inspector at Pratt & Whitney retiring in 1990. He was an avid Red Sox, Patriots, and UConn basketball fan. He enjoyed yard work, drawing, trips to the casinos, and his scratch tickets.

He leaves his children, Ellen Hayes (Gary) of Thompson; Elizabeth Whiteoak and her partner Chas Armstrong of Harrisville, R.I.; and Scott Whiteoak of Dayville; a sister Mildred Steenburn of Dewittville, N.Y.; three grandchildren Todd and Brad Hayes and Krystle Whiteoak, four great-grandsons Mason, Tate, Keagan, and Kalvin. He was predeceased by a brother Donald and a sister Ruth. 

A private graveside service will be held in the spring in Putnam Heights Cemetery. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. 

 

Thomas C. Samuels,

WWII vet

PUTNAM — Thomas C. Samuels, 80, of Putnam, died of lung cancer Dec. 14, 2015, at home. He was the husband of Lucille (Tetreault) Samuels. They were married Jan. 16, 1964. She died March 9, 2005. 

He was born Jan. 22, 1935, in Gallion, Ala., son of Eddie and Georgia (Abernathy) Samuels. 

He was a veteran of WWII serving with the U.S. Army. He was honorably discharged Jan. 31, 1956. He was a lover of sports and fishing. 

He was employed at Jacobs Rubber and a laborer. Thomas attended Linden, Ala., schools through junior high school. He moved to Connecticut and married his wife and raised his daughter Pamela. 

He leaves his siblings, Hazel, Chris, Melvia, George, Gene, Kathryn, Alma and Lena. He was predeceased by siblings, Edwina and Eula. He leaves one child, Pamela Vincelette Howard (Bradley); stepchildren Susan Walker and Joy Walker Webb; grandchildren, Ashley, Bradley, Rebecca, Andrew, Justin, John, Hannah, Oliver and Morgan, great-grandchildren Lauthell, Alyceya, Layah, Othelia, Charlotte, Jonah, Abagail, Molly, Aven and Coty. 

Graveside Services will be at 10 a.m. May 21 with military honors. Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

Robert R. Messier

ELLINGTON — Robert R. “Bob” Messier, 69, of Buff Cap Rd, died Jan. 7, 2016, at St. Francis Hospital. He was the husband of Dolores (Magao) Messier for 49 years. Born in 1946 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Theodore J. Messier Sr. and Lillian (Briere) Messier.

Bob was a 1970 graduate of Northeastern University.  He co-owned and operated Messier & Associates Civil Engineering & Land Surveying and was a member of the Connecticut Association of Land Surveyors. He was a communicant of St. Edward the Confessor Church in Stafford Springs.  Bob enjoyed spending time with his family, reading and working in his yard.

In addition to his wife, he leaves his son, Michael R Messier of Ellington; his daughter, Tammy Quinn of Windsor; his sister, Carol A. Rodriquez of Ann Arbor, Mich.; and his grandson, Alex Quinn;  Bob is predeceased by his brother, Theodore J. Messier Jr.

The Mass of Christian Burial was Jan. 12 in St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, with burial in St. Mary Cemetery.  Donations: Connecticut Association of Land Surveyors, 78 Beaver Rd., Wethersfield, CT 06109.  Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Marcia L. Duval

DANIELSON —  Marcia Lynn (Guatieri) Duval, 53, died Jan. 5, 2016.

She leaves her eternal soulmate, Emile J. Duval.  

Born in 1963 in Pawtucket, R.I., she was the daughter of the late Marius and Dolores (Welsh) Guatieri and the daughter-in-law of Theresa Duval and the late Eugene Duval.

“My family means everything to me.  Loving them.  Nothing in my life has ever meant more to me than my family.  We made a beautiful life.  Our daughters are our joy.  We love them more than words can say.”  This fully embodied the devotion and passion she had for being a mother.    

After raising her daughters, she went on to graduate from Brown University and furthered her education by earning her master’s degree in education and child and family studies at Wheelock College.  

She was vibrant spirit whose purpose in life was guiding and educating others.  She had a contagious and goofy sense of humor, and was an inspiration to all those who met her.  She was a talented singer who loved music and dancing. She held the welfare of children close to her heart.  

She leaves three daughters Amanda Coutu, Samantha Duval, and Audra Duval; her son-in-law, Steven Coutu, whom she embraced as her own son; and her grandson, Caden Cavallaro. She was the sister of Linda (Anthony) Cipriano, Marty Guatieri, Gail Guatieri, the late Loren Guatieri, Lucille (Kenneth) Wood, Jeanine (Timothy) Spikes, Marie Duval, Ann (Thomas) Marshall, and Denise Duval. 

Relatives and friends are invited to a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 16 in St. Mary’s Church, 103 Pine St., Pawtucket, RI 02860. Donations: Boston Children’s Hospital-Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program at http://fundraise.childrenshospital.org/goto/marciaduval. 

Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Mary P. Egan

ROGERS — Mary P. Egan, 59, of State Ave., died Jan. 5, 2016, in Hartford Hospital after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.  Born in 1956 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late William and Rose (Carrier) Egan.

Mary worked as an administrative assistant for Farm Credit East.  She was a member of St. James Church in Danielson.  She enjoyed traveling, playing sports, leading a healthy and active lifestyle, socializing with her friends and family, and especially raising her daughter Megan.  She felt blessed to be able to watch her daughter graduate from college and land her dream job.

She leaves her daughter, Megan Robinson of Charlotte, N.C.  

A Mass of Christian Burial was Jan. 9 in St. James Church, Danielson. Donations: The Deary Memorial Cancer Fund, P.O. Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Elizabeth A. Hart

PUTNAM — Elizabeth A. (Langlois) Hart, 73, of Woodstock Ave., died Jan. 8, 2016, in Day Kimball Hospital. Born in 1942 in Southbridge, she was the daughter of the late Leo Paul and Alise Isabelle (Livernois) Langlois.

Mrs. Hart worked for many years on the food assembly line at Idle Wild Farms.

She leaves by two sons, James M. Hart of Norwich, and Raymond R. Hart of Plainfield; three daughters, Janet M. Hart of Plainfield, Brenda A. Hart of Spring Hope, N.C., and Tina L. Lowell of Danbury, N.H.; two brothers, Leopold Langlois of Dudley, and Richard Langlois of Webster; a sister Pauline Peloquin of Sturbridge; eight grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son Donald R. Hart and a brother Dennis Langlois.

Funeral arrangements were private. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Sr. Carla Hopkins, DHS

PUTNAM — Sr. Carla Hopkins, 94,  a member of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit, died Jan. 7, 2016, at the Holy Spirit Health Care Center where she had been in residence since 2009.  

Born Eunice Lucille Hopkins in 1921 in Plainfield, she was the daughter of Charles and Laurette (Guillet) Hopkins.  She entered religious life in Putnam in 1938 and made her religious profession there on July 1, 1943.  She was then known as Sr. Charles Edward.

Following her religious profession she taught in elementary schools in Hartford and Moosup from 1943-51.  In 1951 she was a student at Annhurst College leading to a bachelor’s in sociology.  In 1953 she was a student at Boston College leading to a master’s in education.  In 1954 she went back to teaching on the elementary level in Chicopee, Mass., and in Moosup our model school where young sisters observed and taught under the supervision of master teachers like Sr. Carla as part of their college curriculum.  She became a professor at Diocesan Sisters’ College in 1956 and a professor at Annhurst College in 1958 until 1962.  

She was among the first group of 13 sisters who went to Chile in 1962 in response to an invitation from the Bishops of Chile.   While there Sr. Carla opened a Normal School for the granting of teaching diplomas and served as professor and director of Escuela Normal Superior annexed to the Jesuit-run Universidad del Norte in Antofagasta.  She served in that capacity until 1969 when she returned to the USA at which time she became director of the New London Office of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Norwich.  Here she worked with marginalized Spanish-speaking black and poor Indians and Caucasians as well as the resettlement of Vietnamese after the fall of Saigon.  From 1986-92 she supervised the construction of the residence and Clinic of the Haitian Health Foundation in Jeremie, Haiti and served as administrator of the Clinic until September 1992.  In 1993 back in the U.S. she volunteered in Norwich at the Thames River Family Program, a transitional living program for homeless women and their children.  She also volunteered in a program for abused and neglected children at the Montville Juvenile Court and briefly in the Department of Probation at the Superior Court in New London.  She retired to Preston in 2002 and moved to the Provincial House in Putnam in 2008.  Following some health issues she was admitted to the Holy Spirit Health Care Center in 2009.

She was predeceased by five brothers and a sister.  Her extended family includes numerous nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. 

The Mass of Christian Burial was Jan. 11 at the Provincial House chapel followed by burial at St. Mary Cemetery in Putnam.  Donations: Daughters of the Holy Spirit Retirement Fund, 72 Church St., Putnam, CT 06260.  Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. 

 

Carol A. Labossiere

CANTERBURY — Carol A. Labossiere, 70, of Tripp Hollow Rd., died Jan. 5, 2016, in Hartford Hospital.  Born in 1945 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Ulysses and Jeannette (Labonte) Labossiere.

Ms. Labossiere attended St. Mary’s Parochial School and Putnam Catholic Academy.  She graduated in 1963, first in her class.  She worked at Pratt & Whitney for several years before relocating to California for 33 years.  Ms. Labossiere worked as a data analyst at McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation in Long Beach, Calif., for many years and later as a payroll administrator at Edison Electric in Lakewood, Calif. She returned to Connecticut in 1999 to take care of her parents.

She leaves a sister, Jeanne Robidas of Canterbury; a niece Colleen Godino (Michael) of Mansfield; a great niece Morgan Krajniak; and a great nephew Michael Bertrand.  She was predeceased by her nephew, John Carter Whitney.

Visitation is from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Jan. 16 in the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in St. Mary Church of the Visitation, 218 Providence St, Putnam.  Burial will be private.  Donations: John Carter Whitney Scholarship Fund (#23203).  Please make checks payable to:  The UConn Foundation, Inc. and forward to the following address: 2390 Alumni Drive Unit 3206, Storrs, Connecticut  06269; or to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105. 

 

Lorraine C. Smith

POMFRET — Lorraine C. (Michaud ) Smith, 91 of Quassett Rd, died Jan. 5, 2016, at home. She was the wife of the late Bernard F. Smith who died July 28.1998. 

Born in 1924 in Willimantic, she was the daughter of the late William and Marie (Le Blanc) Michaud.

Mrs. Smith worked for many years in the healthcare field, first as director of Medical Records at Windham Hospital, and later for 20 years at Day Kimball Hospital as assistant director in Medical Records , administrative assistant in Community Relations, administrative assistant to Dr. Bruce Lyman in Oncology and as the manager of the Medical Staff Library. She served with her husband Bernard on the Day Kimball Hospital Centennial Planning Committee, in which they enthusiastically participated.

Lorraine was a member of the Pomfret Seniors along with her husband Bernard, and a communicant at Most Holy Trinity Church for over 58 years where she participated in organizations such as St. Monica’s Guild and volunteered for many years for the Church’s fund-raising efforts. She was an avid traveler with her friends, family and constant companion, Bernard, always up North.

She leaves a son Donald W. Smith of Windsor; two daughters Christine M. Smith of Woodstock and Jane E. Smith-Ruta (Christopher) of Dayville; a brother-in-law Alfred Cote of Willimantic; seven grandchildren: Jami Smith, Ethan Willett, Meryl Willett, Leah Smith Caruso (Stephen), Claudia Willett, Aimee-Rose Willett, and Madison Ruta, and a great-granddaughter Hayden Zhang-Willett. She was predeceased by a brother Clyde Dube and six sisters Alice Dorr, Viola Batsie, Alma Giraca, Nan Dube, Jeannette Solnick, and Eveline Cote.

A Mass of Christian Burial was Jan. in Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret, with burial in the spring in Pomfret South Cemetery. Donations: Most Holy Trinity Church, 568 Pomfret Rd., Pomfret, CT 06259; or the Susan G. Komen Fund,   P. O. Box 650309 Dallas, TX 75265-0309.   Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

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