Raymond U. Aucoin,

WWII vet

PUTNAM — Raymond U. Aucoin, 90, of Sabin St., died July 14, 2017, at home.  He was the husband of Florence (Squarcia) Aucoin for 71 years.  Born in 1926 in Southbridge, he was the son of the late Peter and Regina (Donais) Aucoin.

Mr. Aucoin owned and operated Modern Lumber from 1957 to 1967.  He also owned the Buccaneer Inn in St. James City, Fla., from 1971 to 1984, and the Buccaneer Boat Marina, and St. James Restaurant.  He was a member of the Putnam Fire Department.

He was a WWII Army veteran.  He was a Charter Pilot who enjoyed flying as well as fishing.  He had invented and patented the “Gator Grip” fish holder.

In addition to his wife, he leaves his son, Peter Aucoin (Elizabeth) of Putnam; his sister Gloria Magnan of Dayville; three grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.  He was predeceased by his daughter, Susan Aucoin.

Donations: Daily Bread, 53 Grove St., Putnam, CT 06260.  Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Ruben W. Shay,

war veteran

WiILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Ruben William Shay, Lt Col, US Army, Ret., died on July 16, 2017, at home in Williamstown, at 93 years of age. 

He was born on Feb. 24, 1924, in Cologne, Germany, immigrating to the Philippines at the beginning of the WWII and then to the U. S. Colonel Shay served in the US Army as a Green Beret for 30 years during WW II, the Korean conflict, and Vietnam. He was predeceased by his wife Barbara L. Shay and daughter Deborah Shay. He leaves his sons, Bruce Shay of Pomfret, Michael Shay of Rochester, Vt., David Gray of Langley, Wash.; daughter Judy Ronis of Astoria, Org.; brother Michele Weil of Uberlingen, Germany, and wife Joan Burn of Williamstown. A private service will be held later in the summer.

 

Isabelle E. Gileau

N. GROSVENORDALE — Isabelle E. Gileau, 93, of N. Grosvenordale, died, July 14, 2017, in Day Kimball Hospital.  Born in Danielson, she was the daughter of the late Wilfred D. Gileau and Blanche (Dumas) Gileau.

Isabelle Gileau worked as a machine operator for several local manufacturing companies and she enjoyed travelling both locally and cross country.

She leaves two brothers, Norman C. Gileau (Norma) of Jewett City, and Richard Gileau (Rita) of Bloomfield; her three cousins Stuart Cabral of Dudley, Duarte Cabral of Dudley, and Margaret Emond of Putnam; dear friend Arlene Altmeier of Putnam.

The Graveside Service will be at 11 a.m. July 20 in St. Mary Cemetery, Putnam. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Greta Knight

DANIELSON — Greta Knight, 90, of Westfield Village, Danielson, died July 9, 2017. 

She worked for many years as a CNA and as a volunteer for the Regency Rehab Center in Danielson. 

She leaves her children Maarten Zwemmer of Amsterdam, Holland; John Knight (Lisa) of Danielson; Bonnie West (Joe) of Killingly; Donna Mayo and her partner Larry Pont of Stonington; and Greta Lynn Freeman (Guy) of Griswold; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her son Joseph Knight. 

The funeral was private.  Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Wesley C. Poland

BROOKLYN —Wesley C. Poland, 29, of Canterbury Rd., died peacefully at home July 16, 2017. Born in 1988 in Framingham, Mass., Wesley was the son of Robert Poland of Ocala, Fla., and Darlene (McFaul) Poland of Grosvenordale.

Wesley was employed by Electric Boat / General Dynamics in New London as a cook. He enjoyed spending time with his family and his girlfriend, listening to heavy metal music and fishing. Wesley’s favorite colors were black, purple and pink.

In addition to his parent, he leaves his girlfriend Jill Danskin of New London; two brothers, Ian Poland (Sheena) of Douglas, Mass., and Daryl Poland of Woonsocket, R.I.; and two nieces, Savannah Poland and Caroline Poland both of Douglas.

A Celebration of Life for Wesley will be from 5 to 7 p.m. July 20 at Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St. Putnam.

 

Sr. Suzanne Roy

WINDHAM — Sr. Suzanne Roy, D.H.S., 81, of Club St., died July 10, 2017, at St. Joseph Living Center in Windham.  Born Suzanne Roy March 27, 1936, in Springfield, Mass., she was the daughter of Leo Nelson Roy and Rita Bertha Poiré Roy.  She entered religious life on Sept. 12, 1954, in Putnam and made her religious profession there on Aug. 23, 1957.  She was then known as Sr. Rita Claire.

Following her religious profession, she studied at Diocesan Teachers’ College and was assigned to teach at St. Brendan School in New Haven  in 1961, Holy Family School in Fairfield in 1963, Nazareth School in Burlington, Vt.,  in 1967 and in 1969 she was assigned to St. Bernard High School in New London.  In 1972 she went to Miami for studies and earned a bachelor’s and an MFA there.  In 1974, she was a professor of fine arts at Annhurst College and in 1980 she taught art at Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Mass.  From 1984 to 1997 she worked in retail at Balakier’s in Chicopee, Crockett Limited in Longmeadow, Cohoes of E. Windsor, Appleseeds, Inc. and Cock O’ the Walk in Longmeadow.  In some of these stores she served as a buyer of clothing.  In 1997, she became director of Development for the Daughters of the Holy Spirit and worked out of the Provincial House in Putnam until 2008.  At that time, she moved to Webster and worked in Youth Ministry in conjunction with St. Louis Parish there and in 2009 she moved to Notre Dame Convent in Putnam while still working in youth ministry in Webster.  In 2012, she retired to the Provincial House in Putnam.  

She leaves a sister, Mrs. Jacqueline Tansey of Longmeadow; two nieces, Susanne and David Young of Dunstable, Mass., and Patrice and Greg Hoeft of Weymouth, Mass. 

The Mass of Christian Burial was July 14. Donations: DHS Retirement Fund, Holy Spirit Provincial House, 72 Church St., Putnam, CT 06260. Gilman and Valade Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Joyce H. Williams

DANIELSON — Joyce H. (King) Williams, 80, of Westcott Rd., died July 9, 2017, in Day Kimball Hospital.  She was the former wife of the late Adelard J. Cotnoir and her second husband, the late Arthur Ray Williams.  Born in 1936 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Christine King.

Ms. Williams grew up in the Pomfret Landing section of Pomfret.  As a teenager, she worked on the local Jarvis Horse Farm.  Her passion for horses enabled her to become an excellent rider being named New England Grand Champion.  This gave her the opportunity to ride with Gene Autry’s rodeo show at Madison Square Garden in New York.  

Raising her four boys as a single mother, Joyce started waitressing at the former Bosworth-Maygold Farms.  This later became her first management job that started her career.  

She would move throughout the country having worked at many famous restaurants, Ken’s Steak House of Massachusetts, The Grand Hyatt of Marco Island, Florida, Chateau Elan of Georgia, and many other restaurants.

  Her other activities in life were riding mini bikes and racing go carts with her boys.  

She loved playing cards, going to the beach, dancing, and just having fun.  She was an avid Red Sox fan and dog and cat lover which she had many. She was known as a very hard worker which she passed on to her boys.  She taught manners, respect and cherish your friends. 

She leaves her sons, Jeffrey (Brenda) Cotnoir of E. Putnam, Bruce Cotnoir of Webster, Timothy Williams of Owensboro, Ky., and Randy (Jenna) Williams of Gainsville, Ga.; her sister, Beverly Place of Chepachet; and four grandchildren Lindsey Williams, James Williams, John Robert and Emily Baldwin; nine great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her twin sister Jean Bosworth. 

The Mass of Christian Burial was July 14 in St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, with burial in Eastford Grove Cemetery.  Donations: Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine to support small or large animals, 200 Westboro Rd., N. Grafton, MA 01536.  Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Ruth T. Chase

WILSONVILLE — Ruth T. (Calligeros) Chase, 92, died July 14, 2017, at Davis Place in Danielson.  She was the wife of the late Oliver W. Chase who died in 2003.

Ruth was born in New York, N.Y., daughter of the late Nicholas Calligeros and Elsie (Engeles) Calligeros and lived in Wilsonville for more than 70 years.  She retired from the Whistle Stop in 1990 where she worked for 42 years.  Her husband Oliver ran the Chase Garage in Wilsonville then years later it was taken over by their son Rick.  She was a member of the Emanuel Lutheran Church.  

She leaves a son Richard (Rick) K. Chase (Marge) of Wilsonville; a daughter Linda C. Gates of Aurora, Colo.; a son-in- law Douglas Gates of Putnam; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; her dog Pablo and his caretaker Mike. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

Pastor Thomas Harmon, 

Vietnam war vet

WEBSTER — Pastor Thomas B. Harmon, 70, went to be with the Lord July 10, 2017, at his home.

He was born on July 11, 1946, in Caribou, Maine, and graduated from Caribou High School in 1964. He later completed pastoral studies at Liberty Baptist College in Lynchburg, Va., from 1976 to 1979.

He was a Navy veteran of the Vietnam war.

After returning from the Navy, he became a master electrician and owned Harmon Electric Company. Pastor Harmon first established the New Life Baptist Church in Presque Isle, Maine, serving from 1979 to 1984. He then established the Victory Baptist Church in Melrose, Mass. He became the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Webster in 1986, retiring last month because of illness. He was the volunteer chaplain at the Worcester County Correctional Facility for seven years.

He enjoyed mountain climbing, hunting and fishing with his children and grandchildren. He was a lifelong member of the NRA. He was dedicated to his church and ministry.

He leaves his wife of almost 49 years, Claudette M. (Thibodeau) Harmon; two sons, Christopher T. Harmon (Tracey) of Woodstock, and Shawn J. Harmon (Melissa) of Putnam; a daughter, Stacie (Harmon) Auvil (Jeromy) of Middletown, Ohio; his mother, Cecile (Cyr) Harmon of Hermon, Maine; two sisters, Katherine Martin (Michael) of Hermon, and Denise Stiewig (Jeff) of San Antonio, Texas; grandchildren, Alyssa, Matthew, Brevon, Kayla and Austin Harmon, Faith and Jacob Auvil, Hunter and Devin Foisy and Ty Morgan. He was predeceased by his father, Byron Harmon, his brother, Arthur Harmon and his granddaughter, Haley Harmon.

The Funeral was July 15 in the First Baptist Church, with burial n the Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, Caribou, Maine. Donations: First Baptist Church, c/o the Harmon Family to assist in medical expenses; or to the church itself, 33 East Main St., Webster, MA 01570. Scanlon Funeral Service, Webster.

 

Rita Simonelli

WEBSTER — Rita Simonelli, 97, died July 9, 2017, at Southbridge Rehabilitation . 

Rita was born in Lake North Hero, Vt, daughter of the late Alfred and  Angelina (Bouthilette) Paquette. She lived some 50 years in Southbridge . She was predeceased by her husband of 69 years Stephano E Simonelli in  2009.

She leaves two sons: Robert Simonelli (June) of Putnam, and Stephen V Simonelli of Webster; one sister: Shirley Girouard of Florida; nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by three sons , Arthur, Normand and Ronald Simonelli.

The Graveside Service was at  St. Mary’s Cemetery, Southbridge. Bartel Funeral Home and Chapel, Dudley.

 

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