Robert ‘Bob’ Racine,

Air Force vet

MIMS, Fla. — Robert “Bob” A. Racine, 78, of Aurantia Rd., died July 7, 2017, at the Hospice of St. Francis in Titusville, FL.  He was the husband of the late Margaret (Fry) Racine.  Born in 1938 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Frederick and Leona (Benac) Racine.

Mr. Racine received his high school diploma from Marianapolis Preparatory School.

Bob enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1956, serving in France and Albuquerque, New Mexico where he met and married the love of his life, Margaret Fry. They were married for 56 years. Marge predeceased him in 2016.

Bob was a master mechanic and was a member of the pit crew for NASCAR drivers Al Unser and his brother Bobby Unser. He was an avid marathon runner and gun enthusiast. Bob remained active until two weeks prior to his death. He and his wife lived all over the U.S. and traveled with his work for a major international construction company. 

He leaves four sons and their spouses, Michael and his wife Rebecca, John and his wife Tonja, David and his wife Hazel, and Bryan and his wife Tammy; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren; two sisters, Carole Stanfield of Titusville, Fla., and Elizabeth “Betty” Mayo (Donald) of Putnam.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Aug. 26 in St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, with burial with military honors in St. Joseph Cemetery, Dayville.  Donations: Hospice of St. Francis, 1250-B Grumman Place, Titusville, FL 32780. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes and Crematory

 

Romeo F. Leo,

WWII vet

PUTNAM — Romeo F. Leo, 92, of Church St., died peacefully at Matulaitis Nursing Home.  He was born in 1925 to the late Gaetano and Amelia (Noia) Leo. He was married to Lorraine (Rousseau) Leo for 65 years.   Romeo was a veteran of the U.S. Navy serving during WWII.

Romeo worked for many years at U S Button, formerly the Frank Perizak Company, as a supervisor in many departments.  His later years were spent working at the Putnam Supermarket.  

He graduated from Putnam High School in 1942 where he was an outstanding athlete.  He loved to fish and play golf where he could be found at Quinnatisset Country Club if not playing, walking the course.

Romeo was a member of the Elks and former Foresters of America Club.  Although he had a very unique personality, those who knew him best had a true friend who cared deeply.  

Besides his wife, he leaves a son, Guy Leo and his friend Jenn Frease of Putnam; his daughter, Elaine Hovey (James) of Warwick, R.I.; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.  He was predeceased by three brothers, Florendo, Carmine, and Anthony; and four sisters, Erselia, Elvira Caplette, Mary and Anna Prehoda.  

Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Clive Gudmundson,

U.S. Army vet

PUTNAM — Aug. 15, 2017, Clive A. Gudmundson died. He was the husband of Mary Louise Healey. He was son of Carl and Catherine (Bartek) Gudmundson, born in Middletown. He grew up in E. Hampton, and later became a lifelong resident of Putnam.

He and his twin brother Calvin were co-owners and operated GB Tool Co. in Warwick, R.I., for more than 30 years. Clive also served in the U.S. Army.

Besides his wife Mary Lou, he leaves his brother Calvin (Elizabeth); nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother Chester and sister Christine Lindquist.

The Funeral was Aug. 19 at the Emanuel Lutheran Church, Thompson, with burial in Willington Hill Cemetery, Willington. Donations: Visitation House, PO Box 60115, Worcester, MA 01610; or National Shrine of St. Jude, PO Box 6262, Chicago, IL 60680. Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

Sylvia N. Bardin

PUTNAM — Sylvia N. (Paquin) Bardin, 78, formerly of Pomfret St., died Aug. 17, 2017, in Day Kimball Hospital. She was the wife of the late Bruce A. Bardin.  Born in 1939 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Aimee and Bella (Vadnais) Paquin.

Mrs. Bardin worked for more than 32 years for Putnam Elementary School as a teacher’s aide and part time during the summer for Crabtree & Evelyn.

She leaves a son, Brian Bardin (Marcia) of Danielson; a daughter, Sharon Gnatowski (Michael) of Moosup; a sister, Patricia Gilman of Putnam; half-brother, Mark Paquin of Putnam; and two half-sisters, Kathy Barrett of Newburyport, Mass., and Cynthia Killoran of Pennsylvania; four grandchildren, Christopher and Matthew Gnatowski, and Jocelyn and Eric Bardin. 

The Mass of Christian Burial was Aug. 21 in Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret. Donations: Friends of Assisi Food Pantry, 77 Water St, Danielson, CT 06239. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Isabel R. Farnham

PUTNAM —  Isabel R. (Bailey) Farnham, 84, of Ballou St., died Aug. 17, 2017, in Westview Health Care Center.  She was the wife of the late Ernest N. Farnham.  Born in 932 in Woodstock, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Grace (Scoville) Bailey.

Mrs. Farnham worked as a dietary aide at Day Kimball Hospital for many years. When she later moved to Arizona she was employed as a data entry person for the Department of Aging. 

Mrs. Farnham enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, and doing daily devotional readings and writings. Isabel was a member of the Hope Community Church in Putnam.  

She leaves a son Lee Cowett; two daughters Sandra Cayouette and Carol Fehr; a niece and nephew that she thought of as her own Charles Bailey Jr. and Verna Fenton; three sisters Dorothy Albrough, Beverly Bailey, and Ellen Clark; three grandchildren Isabella Moeley, Ariel Baker, and Jennifer Dyer; six great-grandchildren Dylan, Kylee, Natalie, Hunter, Megan, and Gavin; and many great-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a brother Charles Bailey and a grandson James Thompson Jr. 

Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Mark F. Schumacher

ABINGTON — Mark F. Schumacher, 64, of Mashamoquet Rd, died Aug. 18, 2017, at home.  He was the husband of Linda S. (Mihok) Schumacher.

Born in 1953 in Milford, he was the son of John Schumacher II and his wife Ruth of Essex and the late Evelyn (Trevelin) Reiss.

Mr. Schumacher worked for many years as a rural route mail carrier for the U.S. Postal service in Coventry.

He was a member of the Faith Bible Evangelical Free Church in Woodstock.

He enjoyed gardening, singing, hiking, but, above all he cherished reading the Bible and praying for others. 

He leaves his wife; a son Jesse Philip Schumacher and his fiancé Holly Elaine Wyen of N. Grosvenordale; a daughter Bonnie Rose Schumacher and her fiancé David James Fortuna of E. Haven; three brothers John W. Schumacher III (Janet Schmidt) of Walpole, Mass., Eric Schumacher of Old Lyme, and Don Schumacher of Ivoryton; a sister Paula Welter (Curtis) of Sarasota, Fla.; a grandson Philip James Schumacher; a niece Connie Criley and two nephews Jacob Lehning and Jeremy Lehning.

A Celebration of Mark’s life will be at 11 a.m. Aug. 26 in the Faith Bible Evangelical Free Church. Donations: the above named church; or to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson Disease Research, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam. 

 

William Taylor

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — William Bolling Taylor, husband, father, grandfather, entrepreneur, teacher, mentor, and friend, died July 28, 2017, of natural causes at the Bayfront Hospital in Port Charlotte.

Bill was born Dec. 31, 1943, in New York City  where his mother, Marion Young Taylor (stage name: Martha Deane), broadcast the birth of he and his twin sister live from the maternity ward. 

To celebrate the happy event, the artist Theodore Gissel, aka Dr. Seuss, created a baby book for Bill and his sister, Nikki. Due to the esteemed nature of both of his parents jobs, Bill had an incredibly special childhood, of which most could only dream.

While he did grow up with privilege, he also knew the value of hard work. 

For anyone who ever worked on a home improvement project with Bill Taylor, you quickly learned of his work ethic. 

Bill earned his undergraduate degree from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn. 

Inspired by President Kennedy’s epic words, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” he became a teacher. 

After spending one year at Manchester High School, Bill began teaching at Woodstock Academy in 1969; he spent 39 years in his profession by the time he retired in 2007. 

In his time at Woodstock Academy, he was a soccer and baseball coach (he also coached soccer at Annhurst College), a department chair, a technology coordinator, a class advisor, and a friend to the thousands of students who sat in his classroom, or entered his world. 

There are people who are married now because they met, and held hands, in the back of Mr. Taylor’s classroom. There are dozens of people who are now teachers because of Bill Taylor, his son included. 

There are myriad of people who realized their own passions in life because Bill Taylor mentored and helped guide them through their impressionable years. 

Do you remember the Voice of Democracy Speech at WA? 

Every year, juniors would be required to write and deliver a three-to five-minute speech that would demonstrate the student’s feelings about their country. 

It was such a chore to do, but how many of us, for the first time, thought about our relationship to this country and how it made us feel? 

Bill Taylor did that for all of us; he helped us realize who we were, how we felt, and how we fit in to the bigger picture. Bill Taylor made us better humans.

After retiring from teaching, Bill and his wife, Rebecca traveled the country in an enormous RV. It was the trip of a lifetime. 

They moved to Florida to a home on a canal, and a boat in the slip. It was heaven. Rebecca and “the Love of Her Life,” settled in for many wonderful years.

He leaves his wife of 36 years, Rebecca Taylor; his son, Greg Smith (Robin); his grandson Brendan Taylor Smith (Kait); his granddaughter Mackenzie Marie LeBlanc (Keith); his 17-year-old cat, Cupcake.

While we cannot fit all of the unique stories that make Bill such a special man into this tribute, we do want to assure you of at least one tradition: the Christmas Pants will live on! We will never forget him, or the line he used to start every class, “Good people, I am happy you are here.” 

A memorial service will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 14 at Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Donations: Woodstock Academy Endowment Fund. 

 

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