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May (Waters) Alvord
PUTNAM — May W. Alvord, 93, died April 19, 2019. She was the wife and partner of the late James L. Alvord, the pair proudly owned and operated Alvord’s Market for many decades.
A lifelong resident of Putnam, Ms. Alvord was born in 1926 and was the daughter of the late Wesley and Viola (Reindeau) Waters.
She enjoyed swimming, knitting, reading, gardening, traveling and spending her winters in Naples, Fla.
She leaves her daughter, Barbara Shaughnessy of Weymouth, Mass.; her sister Phyllis Leclair of Thompson; grandchildren Keri Competello of New York, Kimberly Tiffany of Weymouth; great-grandchildren Madeline Competello and Kaydence Tiffany. She was predeceased three brothers, Richard Waters, Charles Waters and Conrad Waters and her sister Blanche Rawson.
Visitation is at 10 a.m. April 26 in Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in St. Mary Church, Putnam. Burial follows in St. Mary Cemetery.
Jeanne B. Poirier
PUTNAM — Jeanne B. Poirier, 84, of Putnam died April 16, 2019, at home.
She was born March 2, 1935, in Putnam, the daughter of the late William and Josephine (Guwca) Latour.
Jeanne worked for American Thread in her younger years and was a machine operator with Belding-Heminway for 40 plus years.
She then worked for 10 years at Woodstock Line.
Jeanne enjoyed trips to flea markets with Frank and she was an avid collector of knickknacks; she also enjoyed cookouts.
She leaves her sons Joseph W. Poirier, Michael A. Poirier and Robert E. Poirier; her companion Frank Gee; her brothers Joseph Latour and Raoul “Cibby” Latour; her seven grandchildren; her nine great-grandchildren; her two great-great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a daughter Robin Joly and a brother William Latour.
A Mass of Christian Burial was April 22 in St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, with burial in St. Mary Cemetery, Putnam.
Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Magdalena Zbyrad
WEBSTER — Magdalena Zbyrad, 91, of West Point Rd., died April 19, 2019, at Brookside Healthcare.
She was the wife of the late Boleslaw Zbyrad. Born in 1928 in Poland, she was the daughter of the late Franciszek and Maria (Malek) Kozdeba.
Mrs. Zbyrad worked for many years on the family farm and later in life as security in the shipping and receiving department in Chmielow, Poland.
She was an extremely religious person and enjoyed gardening, sewing, and riding her bicycle.
She leaves a daughter Helena Guay (Glenn) of Webster; grandchildren Glenn Guay Jr. (Edyta), Jennifer Stone, Bozena Golemo (Artur), and Donna Dzieminski (Marek); and a great-granddaughter Karolina Dzieminski.
She was predeceased by a daughter, Maria Zbyrad, and two brothers, Bronislaw and Tadeusz Kozdeba.
The Mass of Christian Burial is at 11 a.m. April 25 in St. James Church, Danielson, with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery.
Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Wendy Lee Kirkland
QUINEBAUG — Wendy Lee Kirkland, 73, died April 9, 2019 after a three-year battle with cancer.
She was born Oct. 1, 1945, in Westchester, N.Y., the eldest child of Gilbert T. Haas and Joyce (Schaftmeister) Haas. She grew up in Concord, Mass. She lived in Florida, Worcester, and Webster, before settling in her home in Quinebaug.
She went to UMass Amherst and Florida State University, and earned a bachelor’s in English.
She worked as a secretary and office clerk and wrote columns for the Worcester Telegram for several years before being a reporter and then editor of the Webster Times. She was a paraprofessional at Woodstock Academy, teaching and mentoring students in the Special Education Department. She retired four years ago but continued keeping in touch with many of her students whom she adored. She self-published a local newsletter called “The Voice,” in which she also wrote, edited, delivered, and promoted local businesses.
Wendy was an artist, a writer, a knitter, a reader, an avid gardener, cook, and baker. Wendy was a strong advocate of animals and loved her dog and cat deeply. She believed in supporting local businesses and loved the Thompson Public Library. Wendy was involved in Thompson Together, Inc. and was a board member since it began more than 10 years ago. She also served on the Thompson Community Day Committee.
She attended church at Camp Calumet Lutheran in West Ossippee, N.H., which was her favorite place in the world. It was her peace.
She leaves her brothers Glenn Haas (Debbie), and Jon Haas (Cathy); two children: a son, Eric P. Kirkland (Melissa) and a daughter, Nicole E. Kirkland; a cousin Lise Krieger; three grandchildren; Alexandra J. Kirkland, Jared E. Kirkland and Chelsea T. Kirkland.
A Celebration of Life will be held at noon May 25 at her home. For more info, call Alexandra Kirkland at 860-634-4930. Donations: Calumet Lutheran Ministries. Scanlon Funeral Service, Webster.
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