Laura Russo

PLAINFIELD — Laura Lee (Hayden) Russo, 63, of Plainfield died unexpectedly on March 22, 2017.

Laura was born on Feb. 13, 1954, the daughter of lifelong East Putnam residents Walter B. and Ethel P. Hayden, and grew up on the family farm. She was a valedictorian at Putnam High School and graduated with highest honors from UConn with an interior design degree in 1976. 

Laura, who previously lived in Brooklyn and raised her daughter there, ran her own business for several years, designing creative interiors for businesses and private homes. She also worked for the Sherwin Williams paint store in Putnam. 

Laura married Ronald J. Russo of Greenville, R.I., in 2000; they enjoyed traveling and attending plays at local theaters. She worked for many years at Bardell’s Decorating Center in S. Woodstock before retiring recently to become a full-time caregiver for her husband. 

A gifted soprano, Laura enjoyed singing in the Putnam United Methodist Church choir, where she was a longtime member. In recent years, she became a communicant at St. John’s Parish in Plainfield, where she was a member of the Ladies’ Auxiliary. Laura, who attended Andover Newton seminary in later life, was a devout Christian and an active member of both faith communities. She was a thoughtful, loving, and optimistic person who cared deeply for those who were fortunate enough to know her. She was also a talented cook who enjoyed inventing new dishes, and she loved entertaining.

She will be remembered for her intelligence, her sense of humor, her kindness and her strength in the face of hardship. 

Laura was predeceased by her daughter, Jessica Elaine Duff, in 2009. She leaves her husband and four siblings: Mary Hayden and partner Carla Tomaso of Pasadena, Calif., W. John Hayden (Sheila) of Powhatan, Va., Michael Hayden (Cathy) of Los Altos, Calif., and Elizabeth Hayden (Ken Heidel) of Sturbridge; her husband’s children: Jill Sidelinger, husband Jason, and their children of Westford, Mass.; and Sherry Morse and her children of Kenner, La.; and former husband Gerald Duff of Roanoke, Va.; an uncle, aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins. 

A memorial Mass for Laura will be at 11 a.m. April 1, at St. John’s Church, Railroad Ave., Plainfield. A Celebration of her Life will be at 11 a.m. April 8, at the United Methodist Church, 53 Grove St., Putnam. Burial will be at Munyan Cemetery in E. Putnam. Donations: Catholic Charities of Eastern Connecticut, 331 Main St., Norwich 06360; or Daily Bread Food Pantry, 53 Grove St., Putnam 06260.  Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

Gyula Varga

POMFRET — Gyula (Julius) Varga, 92, of Pomfret, died March 18, 2017, following a brief illness. 

He leaves his wife of 62 years, Katalin Balog Varga of Pomfret; two daughters, daughter Katalin Borner (Thomas) and their children, Kalin Borner Bousquet of Woodstock and Kyle F. Borner of Kunshan, China; and daughter Maria Foley (James) of Bluffton, S.C., and their children Trevor Foley and Sarah Foley, both of South Carolina.

Mr. Varga was born on Dec. 12, 1924, in Budapest, Hungary, the son of Michael and Maria Varga. In 1956, after the failed effort to resist the Soviet invasion and occupation of Hungary, he escaped the advancing forces with his wife and two young children. After a long struggle the family was settled in a displaced persons camp in Austria while seeking to emigrate the U.S. Eventually, he was sponsored by Schlumberger, a French-based petroleum technology company, and relocated to Danbury at a facility in Ridgefield where he worked in research and development of deep well sonar devices. He and his family assimilated to the U.S. and became proud naturalized American citizens. 

After a 35-year career with Schlumberger he and his wife moved to Pomfret where they have lived for the past 20 years. He was an avid gardener and enjoyed the outdoors, especially fishing, and spending hours tinkering in his workshop. 

The funeral services will be private. Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

Norman R. Beausoleil

PLAINFIELD — Norman R. Beausoleil, 64, of Pleasant St., died March 21, 2017, at Yale – New Haven Hospital.  He was the husband of Gail (Stankiewicz) Beausoleil for 39 years.  

Born in 1952 in Norwich, he was the son of the late Norman ”Skip” Beausoleil and Edna (Parkinson) Beausoleil.

Mr. Beausoleil worked for more than 29 years in the Maintenance Department at the Plainfield Town Hall.

He enjoyed fishing, “tinkering” with just about anything, and was a “Jack of all trades.”

In addition to his wife, Norman leaves his son Peter J.R. Beausoleil (Jessica) of Danielson; four brothers William Beausoleil of N. Grosvenordale, Wayne Beausoleil of Central Village, Harold Beausoleil and John Beausoleil, and a sister Lori Clark, all of Plainfield. He was predeceased by two sisters Marie Naylor and Kathryn Phillips. 

A Celebration of Norman’s Life will be at noon April 8 in the William L. Mercier VFW Post 5446, 7 Winsor Ave., Plainfield. Burial will be private. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Mary E. Hall

BILLERICA, Mass. — Mary Ella Hall, 87, died Jan. 10, 2017, at Brightview Assisted Living.

Mary was born Dec. 12, 1920, in Putnam, the youngest of five children born to Omer and Cecilia (Bovia) Rivers. She grew up on the Rivers’ farm in West Thompson where she was educated in a one-room school house prior to graduating from Tourtellotte Memorial High School in 1947.

After graduation she was employed in the office of The Putnam Finishing Company in Mechanicsville as a receptionist, switchboard operator and a typist. 

On Jan. 7, 1950, she married Windsor N. Hall in Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He died March 20, 2015.

Windsor’s job with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company required multiple moves during the first 18 years of their marriage. They raised seven children during the family moves from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and New York, and finally settled in Billerica in 1968.

As time allowed she returned to work at Raytheon in Bedford, Mass., in the finance department of the Patriot Missile Project. She also received her associate’s degree in 1991 at Middlesex Community College. 

Windsor retired in 1986 and in 1990 they moved to Woodstock, to assist in caring for Mary’s elderly mother. They also began their quest to see the world and to learn about different cultures. They explored 89 countries finally ending their travels in the year 2001.

Mary was very gregarious and socially conscious. Starting in 1995 she participated in the Women’s Health Initiative, a long term national health study for women aged 50-79. She volunteered her time at the Roseland Cottage and Woodstock Fair, taught English to immigrants in the Putnam area and also assisted them with rides and information in assimilating them into the community. She often times wrote to the president of the United States to voice her opinion on social issues. 

Mary was a prolific knitter. No family member was without a hand knitted hat, mittens, sweater or afghan. She loved taking art classes, particularly painting. She enjoyed learning through nature and painting scenes from the wild. “Paint your passion” was her motto.

She leaves four sons and two daughters:  Wayne G. Hall (Kitty Gordon) Hall of Orwell, Vt.,  Mark W. Hall (Laura Cantin) Hall of Essex, Mass., Michael A. Hall (Deborah Byrne) Hall of Amherst, N.H., Windsor N. Hall Jr. (Elizabeth Jones) Hall of Darien, Marlene A. Cronin (David) of Rosman, N.C., and Margaret H. Bumbaca (Joseph Bumbaca III) of Billerica; 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her youngest daughter Marla Jackson. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will beat 11 a.m. Mary 13  at St Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale,  with Father Tom officiating. Burial at the West Thompson Cemetery. Donations: Roseland Cottage (an National Historic Landmark owned by Historic New England, a nonprofit organization that preserves the historical value of the house and operates it as a museum), 556 CT-169 Woodstock, CT. 06281.  Sweeney Memorial  Funeral Home, Billerica.

 

Lorraine D. Joly

BROOKLYN — Lorraine D. Joly, 93, of Brooklyn, formerly of Danielson, died March 18, 2017, at the Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam. 

She was born Sept. 2, 1923, in Brooklyn, daughter of the late Alexander and Bernadette (Marois) Duval. Lorraine was the wife of the late Roland Joly. They were married Oct. 6, 2007. He died in Sept. 30, 2011. She married her first husband Rosaire Lemery, on July 1, 1950. He died Aug. 10, 2005.

She attended St. James School and was a graduate of Killingly High School Class 1942

She was a communicant of St. James Church and had made her home in Danielson most of her life. Lorraine was employed by the William Prym Company for more than 41 years working in the office. She retired in 1986.. She enjoyed traveling to Florida, northern New England, and Canada. She was a fan of the Boston Red Sox and the UConn women’s basketball.

She leaves her nephew and Godson Raymond Lemery; nieces Jeannine Matthieu, Elaine Rondeau, Delores Marois, Kathy Carter, and many other nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her brothers Gerald Duval, Herve Duval and George Duval. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at noon April 1 at St. James Church, Franklin Street, Danielson, with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson. Donations: St James School, 120 Water St., Danielson, CT 06260. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

 

Nancy A. Marmat

PUTNAM — Nancy A. (St.John) Marmat, 65, died March 23, 2017, in Day Kimball Hospital after an illness. Her husband of 13 years, Dennis J. Marmat , died in 1998.

She was born in Worcester and raised in Webster and Dudley, the youngest child of Adelard and Rita H. (Houghton) St. John. She then lived in Spencer for 6 years and Webster for 18 years before moving here in 2008.

Mrs. Marmat was a certified nurse’s assistant at the Masonic Home in Charlton for 24 consecutive years, retiring in 2004.

She was formerly a member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Webster. 

She leaves two daughters, Melissa A. Kirkland (Eric), and Tracey L. Mansfield (Arthur J. Mansfield Jr.), with whom she lived, all of Putnam; six grandchildren Jayme Wallace, Ashley Bernier (Trevor), Joshua Mansfield, Samantha Faford (David), Brenden Picard and Connor Picard; three great-grandsons, Tyler, Samuel and Zachary; three sisters, Dianne Sundstrom of New Hampshire, and Patricia Remillard and Pamela Fournier, both of Putnam. She was predeceased by a son, Michael D. “Pickle” Picard in 2006.

The Funeral Service was March 28 at Scanlon Funeral Service, Webster. Donations: P.A.W.S., 240 Woodstock Avenue, West Woodstock, CT 06281.

 

Elias Paul Spitz

WEBSTER — Elias Paul “Eli” Spitz, 69, of Webster, died suddenly March 23, 2017, after being stricken ill at home.

Mr. Spitz was born in Webster and was a lifelong resident of the Webster-Dudley area. He graduated from Bartlett High School in 1964 and Worcester State College in 1968 with a bachelor’s in education followed by a master’s in education in 1971.

He started his teaching career at Dudley Junior High School straight out of college and was a math teacher at Shepherd Hill Regional High School from the day it opened, retiring in 2004 after 35 years. He also served as the Math team coach and a driver’s education instructor. He was an active tutor and specialty math instructor until the time of his death at Shepherd Hill.

Eli was a softball coach for Oxford High School for many years with his good friend coach Jamie Hetherman. He especially enjoyed coaching baseball and softball with his son George for Ryan and Vicky’s teams. 

He enjoyed hunting and fishing with his son and grandchildren. He liked to garden and often shared that joy with granddaughter Vicky. He loved his country music and his special hat and was willing to test his luck on just about any type of sporting event. He also enjoyed vacationing in Old Orchard Beach with his family. He was a member of St. Joseph Basilica and the Polish American Veteran’s Club.

He leaves his wife of 42 years, Carol A. (LaFountain) Spitz; a son, George F. Spitz (Shannon M.(White)) of Webster;  two step-daughters, Bonnie Pacher (Keith) of Baldwinville, Mass., and Dawn Ceppetelli of Woodstock; his mother, Julia P. (Bielik) Spitz of Webster; and two sisters, Katherine Cregg of Webster and Julianne Hunter of Paxton, Mass.; his grandchildren: Ryan Elias Spitz and Victoria Nancy Spitz, Jaymie Simonis, Richard Denis III, Corey Pacher. He was predeceased by his father, George A. Spitz in 1975 and by a grandson, Scott Simonis in 2012.

His funeral Mass was March 28 from in St. Louis Church, Webster. Donations: St. Louis Endowment Fund, 15 Lake St., Webster, MA 01570. Scanlon Funeral Service, Webster.

 

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