Roscoe K. Gibson Jr.,

Korean war vet

E. KILLINGLY — Roscoe K. Gibson Jr., 84 of Kelly Rd, E. Killingly, died peacefully Jan. 26, 2017, at home, having spent the last year battling cancer. 

He was a Korean war veteran and served from 1951 to 1955 in the U.S. Navy. After leaving the Navy he was employed by a local builder as a carpenter and built several homes in the surrounding towns. He worked for Charles Jewitt Corp. in Glastonbury, retiring after 30 years as a general foreman.

He was a lifelong member of American Legion Post 13 in Putnam. He enjoyed such hobbies as fishing and bowling. He could often be found at the Marketplace or PJ’s Donuts with friends, young and old, sharing stories over a cup of coffee. 

He leaves his wife of 59 years of marriage Lillian B. (Nadeau) Gibson; one brother Ronnie Gibson of Webster; two sons Bryan K. Gibson, Michael A. Gibson; five granddaughters and four great-granddaughters; nieces and nephews.

Visitation is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam. Donations: Pancreatic Cancer Network or Cancer Research Network. 

 

Leo C. Bellanceau,

Korean war vet

N. GROSVENORDALE — Leo C. Bellanceau, 80, of Brickyard Rd., died Jan. 24, 2017, in Day Kimball Hospital.  He was the husband of Lina (Schwolow) Bellanceau for 59 years.  Born in 1936 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Leon and Arthemise (Comeau) Bellanceau. 

Mr. Bellanceau was a veteran during the Korean war era serving as a military police officer with the U.S. Army.  He earned the Army of Occupations Medal, Sharpshooter Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. Leo went on to work as a carpenter for Greg’s Carpentry and also worked for International Paper.  He enjoyed hunting and fishing and especially enjoyed spending time with his family while vacationing and traveling. He was a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus in N. Grosvenordale and the National Rifle Association. 

In addition to his wife Lina, he leaves his sons, Gregory Bellanceau (Donna) of Woodstock, Andre Bellanceau (Sandra) of Glocester, and Leo Bellanceau (Laurie) of Thompson; his daughters, Loraine Rousseau and her companion Scott Kramer of Thompson, and Angela “Sue” Welch (Jim) of Putnam; his brother, Norman Bellanceau of Danielson; nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren.  He was predeceased by his sisters, Anna Daniels and Florida Marzakowski.  

A Service was Jan. 28 in Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale. Donations: Hospice of NE CT, P.O. Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.  

 

Thomas Charpentier,

Army Nat'l Guard

POMFRET — Thomas A. Charpentier, 82 of Pomfret, died Jan. 29, 2017, at home. He was the husband and a noble caregiver to his wife, the late Nancy L. (Lucchesi) Charpentier. They were married on July 4, 1959.   

Born in 1934 in Wauregan, he was the son of the late Alcide and Virginia (Larocque) Charpentier.

Thomas was a graduate of Plainfield High School and received a bachelor’s degree in business from Bryant College (now known as Bryant University) in 1958.  He also served in the Army National Guard.  He worked for Citizen National Bank from 1961 to 1999 retiring as their senior vice president and assistant trust officer.  At the time of his death, he was employed as a bookkeeper for Abbott Spring Farm, a position he enjoyed for decades.  He was a gifted horologist. In his younger years he was a horse enthusiast.  He also enjoyed cooking, studying algebra and was most recently “brushing up” on his French. 

He leaves his son, Christopher E. Charpentier; his daughter Melanie C. Charpentier; his nieces and nephews, Ellen Charpentier, Amy Knous, Regis Synnott, John Charpentier, Philip Charpentier, Thomas Delaney, Carol Pace, and Kathleen Richards.  He was predeceased by his brothers, Philip Charpentier and his wife Catherine, John Charpentier and his wife Regis; his sister, Claire Delaney and her husband John; and his quarter horse, Poncho.  

Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. The funeral and burial are private. Donations: Hospice NE CT, P.O. Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. 

 

Joseph H. Tetreault 

PUTNAM — Joseph H. Tetreault, 79, of Fox Road, died Jan. 25, 2017, at home. 

He was the husband of Frances (Truppa) Tetreault. 

Born in 1937 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Joseph C.H. Tetreault and Beatrice M. (Cabana) Tetreault.

Until his retirement, Joe worked as a press operator for Tuscarora Plastics, Hale Manufacturing and also worked in construction. He enjoyed Red Sox baseball and trips to Foxwoods Casino. In the good old days, Joe loved to hunt and fish and was a member of the Irish-American Club and the Foresters.

In addition to his wife Frances, he leaves his son, Steven Tetreault (Pat) of Dayville; his daughters, Barbara Kenyon (Shaun) of Putnam, and Diane Lefebvre (Mark) of Danielson; his sister, Joan Harvey of Thompson; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter, Donna Tetreault; his brother, David Tetreault; and sisters, Gloria Mackenzie and Loretta Keagan.

There were no services. Donations: Hospice of NE CT, P.O. Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

E. Verna Fish

WOODSTOCK — E. Verna [Worrell] Fish, 100, of Woodstock, died Jan. 9, 2017. She was born on Nov. 3, 1916, daughter of the late Vernon Worrell and Carrie [Wells] Worrell of Southampton Township, N.J. 

She began her working career as a bookkeeper at Samoset Laundromat in Plainfield, N.J.  Then after having her children, she modeled women’s wear for Tepper’s Clothing Store in Plainfield.  After moving to Connecticut in 1974, she began her sales career at Bugbee’s Department Store in Putnam.  In 1990 she began working as a clerk at Sturbridge Village, where she worked for 20 years until she retired at the age of 94 in 2010.  She loved her co-workers at the Village, especially Shirley, and meeting and helping all the guests that visited the gift shop.  She always said that working kept her young. 

In her spare time, she would visit with her many friends in her knitting club and often shared stories and techniques about her 90 years of knitting expertise with others during the knitting hour at the Jacob Edwards Library in Southbridge.  She was fond of feeding and talking to the hummingbirds and cardinals, gardening, vacationing and taking walks on the beach at Long Beach Island or Cape Cod with her family, spending evenings watching QVC, collecting antiques, and snuggling with her cats.

Verna was predeceased by her husband of 66 years, James H. Fish Sr.; her sister, Julia (Wells) Shontz; and her daughter, Lois Mae Fish. As the family thread and matriarch, she leaves five generations including her children Carol [Fish] and her husband Joseph Nicastro of Watchung, N.J., James H. Fish Jr. (Carol) of Columbia, Phyllis [Fish] Engel of Manchester, Paul Fish (Anna)nd his wife Anna of Southbridge, Debbie [Fish] Baker and her companion Todd Ciukaj of Woodstock; 14 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, 16 great-great-grandchildren; her brother-in-law, Robert Stutz of Trenton, N.J.; sister-in-law, Imogene Fish of Needham, Mass.

Burial services were at the Hillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains, N.J. A Memorial Service in celebration of her life will be held in the spring.  Details of this service to be announced. Donations:  Animals for Life (https://animalsforlife.org/); or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/). Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

Tina Gendreau

PUTNAM — Tina Marie (Plaga) Gendreau, 58, of Sunset Avenue, died unexpectedly Jan. 24, 2017, at home. She was the wife of Leo P. Gendreau for 24 years. Born in 1958 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Lucille (Lucier) Plaga.

For many years, Tina worked as an inspector for Dimension Polyant in Putnam. She also worked for the Rectory School.  Tina liked gardening, cooking and playing with her two beagles, Tucker and Prince.  

In addition to her husband Leo,  she leaves her daughter, Laura Krause (Michael) of Brooklyn; her stepson, David Gendreau (Alyssa) of Stafford Springs; her stepdaughter, Heather Speer (Patrick) of Danielson, her brother, John Plaga of Putnam, her sister, Cynthia Martin (Paul) of Pomfret, her two grandsons, Tyler Krause and Garret Speer, her niece, Michelle Baranski (John), and her nephew, Nathan Baranski.

The Mass of Christian Burial was Jan. 28 in St. Mary Church of the Visitation. Donations: ASPCA, 424 East 92nd St., New York, NY 10128. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St. Putnam.

 

Alice Bell Mailloux

PLAINFIELD —  Alice Bell (Long) Mailloux, 85, of May St., died Jan. 27, 2017, in Davis Place.  She was the wife of the late Eugene P. Mailloux.  Born in 1931 in Wallingford, she was the daughter of the late Calvin and Alice (Strickland) Long.

Mrs. Mailloux was a at-home homemaker

She enjoyed collecting dolls, crocheting, and taking care of her family

She leaves her sons, Robert Mailloux, Eugene Mailloux, and Michael Mailloux; her daughters, Patricia Lajeunesse, Elaine Tarpinian, and Dawn Allard; siblings Herbert Long, Clara Sylvia, Clayton Long; 15 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her siblings Martha Kemp, Caroline Morin, George Long, and Dorothy Benoit. 

A graveside service will be held June 23 at a time to be announced in West Thompson Cemetery. The Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Irene P. Smith

DAYVILLE — Irene P. Smith, 97, formerly of Wauregan and Danielson, died Jan. 22, 2017. She is the last of her immediate family. 

Irene was born on June 25, 1919, in Sterling, daughter of the late Joseph and Mary (Waters) Lafantasie. Irene married Ralph Smith on June 11, 1949. He died in March of 1999.

Irene was a lady of faith. Some of her favorite things were dresses, white gloves, pearls, chiffon scarves and a good book. She loved light classical music, dancing and singing. Growing up, times were hard and she never got to pursue her dreams as a youngster but she made up for it in her later years. She took dancing lessons in her 80s and gave a scholarship to a deserving UConn student of music. In her 90s her wish was to have one last waltz and was granted this by a young man at Westview Health Care. One of the proudest moments of Irene’s life was to obtain her driver’s license in her 70s. 

She leaves many nieces and nephews, Natalie Coolidge, Red and Bea Lafantasie, Joan and Jim Marriott and Marion Rochford; god daughter Michelle Shannon and her good friend and adopted daughter Lynn Nadeau. 

The Mass of Christian Burial was Jan. 27 at St. Joseph Church, Dayville, with  burial in Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson. Donations: Have a Mass said for her at St. Joseph’s Church. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

 

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