Good sport,  friend 

Gerry Vaillant dies 

unexpectedly

By Ron P. Coderre

The overwhelming number of people in attendance at the calling hours and funeral for Gerry Vaillant was not surprising.  A gregarious and easy going individual, Vaillant was well known throughout Putnam and beyond and loved by everyone he met over his 66 years.  As the Mass went on and his daughter Angela Johndrow eulogized her dad, there wasn’t a dry eye in St. Mary Church.

The death of Gerry Vaillant, reported on Sunday, February 14, sent shock waves throughout the community.  On the day prior to his death, those who spent time with him or who saw him noted that he had one of the “best days of his life.”  That wasn’t unusual for Vaillant because anyone who knew him knew he cherished and enjoyed every day of his life.

In an unusual tribute, Main Street Grille, a dining spot he frequented, had his photo with a tribute on its menu.  The “Gerry Wrap” was a menu specialty consisting of eggs, onions, peppers, cheddar cheese and hash browns bundled in a toasty wrap, according to owner Kim Berkowitz.

Vaillant first became known in the area because of his exploits as a young athlete.  Following his graduation from St. Mary School he went on to carve an outstanding athletic career as a Putnam High School Clipper, where he graduated in 1967.

As a basketball player he scored 521 career points on the basketball court and was named to the 1967 Quinebaug Valley Conference All-tournament team.  A left handed shooter, he was a long range threat, where he was an extremely accurate outside shooter.  His teammate Peter Bonin jokingly said, “Gerry never saw a shot he didn’t like.”

There have been some memorable touchdown passes in the history of Putnam football and Vaillant was on the throwing end of one of those.  As the quarterback, Vaillant threw a touchdown pass against Killingly on Thanksgiving morning in 1965 to lanky Paul Levesque.  The pass won the game and lives on in the annals of Putnam football.

Vaillant was a standout baseball player on some great Clipper teams that featured the likes of Bonin and former professional player Bob Auger.  He was a pitcher, who was very respected and doubled as a good hitting outfielder.  He also flourished on the diamond for the Danielson Recs American Legion Baseball team.

In real life Vaillant enjoyed a career in industry working at Belding Corticelli and U.S. Button prior to assuming a sales role at King Cadillac, where he was also the marketing guru and radio voice of the dealership.

He and his late wife Sandy, whom he missed dearly, raised three beautiful and intelligent daughters, Merry Crabtree, Emily Mayo and Angela Johndrow.  Gerry was a terrific grandfather to his five grandchildren, doting on them and always bringing out the best qualities in life every moment he shared with them.

My personal memories include numerous trips to the “old” Boston Garden with his good friend Bob LeClair and Gerry in the noted Cadillac with Celts 1 and Celtics 86 license plates.  The trips were always exciting and lively because Vaillant was a Yankee and Dallas Cowboy fan, noted for getting under the finger nails of Boston sports fans.

We also enjoyed a tradition for many years of going to see the Celtics on Super Bowl Sunday and returning to the Knights of Columbus in Putnam to view the game.  The annual sojourn included Bob Guillot, the driver, me, Gerry and the late Dick Tercjak.  On one particular trip Gerry and I sat in one section and Bob and Dick in another.  All afternoon, Gerry and I received more than 10 bags of popcorn each thanks to the two jokers in the other seats.  Everytime Gerry and I would meet and Guillot was around we half expected to see a bag of popcorn coming our way.

As noted in his obituary, Gerry was a truly civic-minded and community- oriented individual, serving on and leading a variety of organizations and fund-raising efforts.  He’ll be remembered for all he did for Putnam but more than that he’ll always be remembered as a friend.

Although Gerry Vaillant is no longer with us physically the many personal memories that everyone enjoys of him individually will live on and be talked about as long as friends get together over a cold one.