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Edgar Wetherbee Jr.,
WWII vet
THOMPSON — Edgar H. Wetherbee Jr., 92, a lifelong Thompson resident, died Feb. 20, 2019, at his daughter’s home in Danielson.
Eddy was born May 10, 1926, in N. Grosvenordale, to the late Edgar and Nina (Rhodes) Wetherbee, and attended Thompson schools. He served in the Pacific Theater during WWII as a fireman 1st class in the U.S. Navy.
He married Marguerite (Peggy) Fifield on Aug. 31, 1946, at the First Congregational Church in Thompson. She died in 2011.
Eddy was a talented yodeler who performed locally for years. After retiring from Preferred Plastics in Putnam, Eddy enjoyed gardening and taking on projects around the house — he never met something broken he couldn’t fix. He was a longtime member of Putnam Baptist Church and the American Legion.
He leaves three children, Linda Collins, of Danielson, Edgar Wetherbee III, of Thompson, and Diane Gratton (Roger) of Pomfret; daughter-in-law, Cynthia, of Webster; four granddaughters, Kathleen Collins (Jason Stradling), Dawn Shea (Richard), Nora Barrows (Robert), and Melissa Wetherbee and fiancé Bryan Ciaramitaro; three great-grandchildren, Nathan Shea, Quinn Shea and Audrey Stradling. He was predeceased by five brothers, Walter, Steve, Clarence, Ray and Herbert (Stub), and a sister, Dot Shippee.
Graveside service was Feb. 23 at W. Thompson Cemetery. Donations: The Putnam Baptist Church, 170 Church St., Putnam, CT 06260; or The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Attn: Tribute Gifts, P.O. Box 780, New York, NY 10008-0780. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Robert W. Whipple Sr.
N. GROSVENORDALE — Robert W. Whipple Sr., 80, of Holmes St., died Feb. 19, 2019, at UMass University Hospital. Born in 1938 in Putnam, he was the son of the late William W. and Olga (Drescher) Whipple. Bob was a graduate of the Mystic Oral School Class of 1957.
Mr. Whipple worked as a self-employed carpenter and antique refinisher. He was a member of the Worcester, Mystic, Hartford and Bridgeport Deaf Clubs. He played Norwich YMCA Basketball and Mystic Oral School Basketball. He was inducted into the “N.E.A.A.D.” New England Athletic, Association of the Deaf Basketball Hall of Fame on March 5 of 1988. He was an avid NASCAR fan and was himself a racecar driver and owner; racing in Waterford Speed Bowl and Thompson International Speedway.
He leaves his sons, William Whipple (Jennifer) of Eastford, and Robert Whipple Jr. (Jordan) of Winstead; his daughters, Sharon Kalis (Robert) of St. Augustine, Fla., Georgia Pollard and Roberta Guadarrama (Victor Albino) of N. Grosvenordale, and Jackie Waldron and her fiancé Kevin House of Beaver Dams, N.Y.; his brothers, Arnold Whipple of Stockton, Calif., and William Whipple of Woodbury; sisters, Harolyn Anthony of Murrells Inlet, S.C., and Ruth Hopkins of Danielson; 17 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sisters, Diane Barber, Susan Metivier, and Barbara Murray; and a grandson.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Donations: Whipple family, c/o William Whipple, 1 Sprague Hill Rd., Eastford, CT 06242. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Louise L. Gingras
THOMPSON — Louise L. Gingras, 84, formerly of Soap Street, Dayville, died Feb. 21, 2019, at Westview Health Care Center where she was a resident for the past four years. She was the wife of the late Leonard R. Gingras.
She was born in 1934, daughter of the late Louis and Stella (Mandeville) Gibeault.
Louise worked in customer service at Jacob’s Rubber and later at Lydall Manufacturing. In retirement, she enjoyed traveling, reading, bus trips with the senior citizen groups, and singing in the choir at St. Anthony of Padua in Dudley.
She leaves children, Deborah A. Gingras of E. Hartford, Lorraine L. Lynch (Michael) of Casa Grande, Ariz., James L. Gingras (Diane) of Thompson, and Carol E. Rossetti (Vincent) of N. Grosvenordale; her sister, Beatrice Denomme of Griswold; nine grandchildren and one great-grandson.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Feb. 26 at St. Anthony of Padua Church with burial at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Dayville. Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.
Betty French Perry
Betty Louise French Perry, 89, went home to her Lord Feb. 24, 2019.
Betty grew up in Eastford with her six siblings on a little farm. She married James L. Perry on Oct. 30, 1948. Their love was one for which to aspire. She loved this area so much that she only moved a short way down the road to raise her own family — even after wintering in Florida for many years, only here, in this little piece of the world, she called home.
Betty attended Woodstock Academy but her proudest academic achievement was credits from the Moody Bible Institute where she remotely took instruction and received top marks. In addition to her primary work of being a mother, she worked at General Lyon’s Inn, Eastford , both in the kitchen, cooking and in the dining room serving. She was a skilled cook and talented server. Later Betty joined her husband Jim at their gas station in Sturbridge where she kept the books and worked by his side washing windshields as he pumped gas and did repairs.
Betty loved her family. Her connection to children and animals was unrivaled. There was never a baby she couldn’t comfort. She raised a deer, a squirrel, and other orphaned animals. When she would go to her garden and call “Pretty Boy,” a cardinal would fly down to eat from her hand. She could even be found telling the little garden snake to move aside so they could share the area. Betty and Jim bred dachshunds and fancy fowl on their little farm. They enjoyed growing vegetables and flowers together.
Later when they were able to spend winters in Florida, every evening they could be found as a quartet with Peggy and Charlie Bowen enjoying dinner out, followed by a few rounds of the cards. Betty’s hobbies included baking, knitting and crocheting and most notably, joining her sister Peggy in an all-day Saturday adventure of bargain hunting and tag sale seeking.
Betty leaves her sons James Perry Jr. of Hudson, Mass., and Edwin Perry Sr. (Pamela), of Woodstock ; her daughter Audrey Martinez (Jose) of Southbridge; grandchildren Edwin Perry Jr. (Lisa) of Oklahoma City, Peter Blash (Rachel), James P. Blash, Sarah Blash, Julia Blash, all of Southbridge, and Caleb Blash of Kansas City, Kan.; great-grandchildren Edwin and Samantha Perry and Jasper Blash; sisters Irene Anderson, Dorothy Horton, and Lorraine Howlett of Connecticut.
She is predeceased by her husband James; her sister Arlene (Peggy) Bowen; her brothers Milton (Kenny) and Russel; her granddaughter Helen Blash and her parents Clifford and Ruth French.
The Funeral was Feb. 27 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in the spring at N. Ashford Cemetery.
Donations: Hospice of NE CT, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.
Katherine Raynsford
KILLINGLY — Katherine V. Raynsford, 71, of Alexander’s Lake, Killingly and Pomfret Center, died Feb. 12, 2019, at UMass Medical Center, University Campus, in Worcester.
She was born April 8, 1947, in Fall River Mass., daughter of Adelard and Anna Aubin.
She grew up in Killingly, graduated from HH Ellis Tech with a hairdressing and cosmetology license.
She married the love of her life Frank Ira Raynsford on June 26, 1965. They bought a home on the lake in 1965; in 1970 they moved to their new home in Pomfret Center where they raised three children.
Katherine worked as a CNA at Matulaitis Nursing Home where she cared for her second family, her patients.
She retired in 2003 after 27 years and moved back to Alexander’s Lake.
In addition to her husband of 53 years, she leaves a daughter Laurie Osborne; two sons Frank Jr. and Jamie; eight grandkids, four great-grandkids; nieces and nephews; closest friend Jeanie Hutala and her friend and neighbor throughout the years Jane Danielson.
She was predeceased by her parents, sister Barbara Hevesey, niece Debbie Shuron, great-niece Jessie Shuron and brother-in-law Don Raynsford and two great-grandkids.
The Funeral was Feb. 16 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in the spring in South Cemetery Pomfret.
Donations: PAWS, 244 Rt. 171, Woodstock, CT 06281.
Christine Southam
Christine Hallbergh Southam, died peacefully in her sleep, Jan. 21, 2019, after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
She was born June 28, 1941, in Bronx, N.Y., to Hermine and John Hallbergh. Later she moved to Demarest, N.J., where she met her future husband, Larry Southam, while they were students at Northern Valley Regional High School. They met while being given a ride home from school by the school nurse.
She attended Douglass College in New Brunswick, N.J, majoring in home economics and education. She sang in the college chorus and with that group had the opportunity to sing at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. She received her bachelor’s degree in 1963. Chris and Larry were married on Aug. 24,1963, and moved to Springfield, Ohio. There she taught home economics at Tecumseh High School and had her first son, Peter, in 1965.
She and Larry later returned to Closter, N.J., where she had her second son, Andrew, in 1968. Once Andy reached kindergarten age, Christine decided to return to teaching. The family moved to Pomfret and she taught at Putnam High School. In 1986 she moved to Killingly High School, finishing her teaching career in June 2003. During her 30-year teaching career she taught home economics, including cooking and sewing, as well as child development and nutrition. She even served as advisor to the alpine ski club, taking kids to Mt. Wachusett. She loved her students and felt the need to teach them the skills they would need to grow up to be self-sufficient people.
In retirement, she coached the middle school track and cross country teams at Pomfret Community School, served as a substitute teacher and developed the school’s sound garden.
Her other gardening pursuits included being a Connecticut Master Gardener. She ran a small plant sharing business, the Sharing Garden. Chris loved to travel. Her adventures included trips to Europe, Senegal, Machu Picchu, and a special trip to Israel with her granddaughter to visit her niece. Chris and Larry traveled to the National Speleological Society conventions held all over the U.S. She sang in the Northeast Concert Choir and she and Larry were in many musical productions at Pomfret School and the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam. She could tell wonderfully funny jokes that entertained many people, especially her family. She was an active member of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Danielson and played hand-bells and sang for many years in the church choir.
Christine took up distance running in 1979. She ran in many Deary Road Races, and the Manchester Road Race became an important part of her Thanksgiving family tradition. She raced in Manchester with her children and grandchildren until she was in her 70s. She was known by all in her Murdock Road neighborhood for her presence on the roads and trails.
She loved to read and was a member of several book clubs. In addition, she would give copies of books she had enjoyed to members of her family so that they, too, could join in the conversation. Chris believed firmly that every child should be read to every day, even calling her grandson, Xander, in Seattle most evenings to share a book.
She leaves Larry, her husband of 55 years; her son Peter, of Bethel, Maine, his wife Sarah and their children Samantha and Max, her son Andy of Seattle, and his wife Christine and their children Bella and Xander; her brother John Hallbergh (Janet) of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; her sister Marie Ruel of New Bern, N.C.. She was predeceased by her sister, Ann Bentkofsky.
A celebration of Christine’s life will be held during the month of April when the daffodils will be blooming. Donations: Quiet Corner Garden Club, PO Box 1007, Woodstock, CT 06281.
Rae Burton-Williams
WOODSTOCK — Rae Burton-Williams, 95, of Perrin Rd., died Feb. 19, 2019, in the Davis Place Nursing Home. She was the wife of the late Carey M. Williams. Born in 1923 in Clinton, Mass., she was the daughter of the late Harry and Cora (Curtis) Williams.
Mrs. Williams, along with her husband, owned and operated the Trapalanda Stables. She was an artist and enjoyed making signs as a side business. She enjoyed painting, gardening, baking, cooking and playing Rummy Cube. She enjoyed decorating and cooking for her an annual Christmas party since the 1970s.
She leaves her daughters, Jeanne Galuska (Andre) of Boca Raton, Fla., and Anita Williams of Woodstock; her nieces, Cora Howard and Michelle Cox; and her nephew, Harry Howard Jr. and his family. She was predeceased by her daughter, Sandra Trombley, her grandson, Craig Trombley, her sister, Barbara Howard and brother, Albert Burton.
Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Daniel J. Gomes
PUTNAM — Daniel J. Gomes, 66, died Feb. 12, 2019, at the Westview Healthcare, Dayville.
He was born in Worcester, son of the late Joseph Gomes and Elizabeth (McHugh) Gomes living in Putnam for many years. Daniel was a butcher.
He leaves his wife Mildred D. (Joyal) Gomes; a son Daniel A. Gomes (Sara Garcia-Gomes) of Pomfret; granddaughter Lennox; a daughter Shelby Gomes and her fiancée Jason Gilman of Webster; four brothers and his mother-in-law Helen Joyal and his little buddy Brody Garcia. Services were private. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
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