By Ronald P. Coderre
The Northeastern Connecticut community, in particular the towns of Putnam and Danielson, were stunned upon waking on Wednesday morning with the news of the death of Steve Bousquet.  The news rocked the area equivalent to an earthquake of 10 on the Richter scale.   He died following a brief but exhausting battle with multiple myeloma and other complicating factors.
Writing about an individual who you’ve known for more than five decades and who was taken from all of us at a relatively young age is extremely difficult.  It’s even more trying when you’ve been teammates working together to achieve victories; served side-by-side on committees working to benefit your community; and on many occasions enjoying social events together, where the atmosphere is one of happiness and love.
Those emotions are what run through your veins and slip through your memory making it difficult to believe that this friend of so many is no longer physically in our presence.  It is with heavy heart and somber thoughts that the fingers slowly move over the keyboard putting thoughts on paper.
I remember Steve Bousquet as a member of the Putnam team that participated in the nationally televised show “Almost Anything Goes.”  He was a person at that time whose star was just beginning to shine.  After emerging victorious the team went to Las Vegas for the national competition but he almost stayed back in Putnam because of his fear of flying.  White knuckles and all he eventually made it to Las Vegas and happily back home.  
Reminiscing about Steve Bousquet, he’s remembered as an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, not for himself but always for others.  A man who deserved and earned the words icon, giant and friend associated with his name whenever and wherever it is mentioned
Steve Bousquet was prominently known as the owner of Steve Bousquet's Appliance & TV in Danielson.  But his story goes back many years prior to his business notoriety.  A native of Putnam, he became noted over the years for his numerous philanthropic endeavors that touched organizations of every nature throughout the 10-town region.  His generosity touched non-profits associated with healthcare, education, religion, social services and many other worthwhile causes and agencies.
The story of Steve Bousquet however, started approximately 64 years ago in a time when he was growing up as a kid in the Grove Street area of Putnam, the son of the late Bud and Myrtle Bousquet.  As a youngster he was a vital member of neighborhood teams when kids were out playing in the playgrounds from sun-up to sunset.  
Following in his dad’s shadow he also developed a love for the outdoors, especially fishing,  a hobby he enjoyed his entire lifetime.  He also developed a love for local history, which he inherited from his mother.  That interest matured into a passion that culminated in the popular Friday morning program on WINY Radio titled “Remember When.”  Bousquet and his historian friend Pete Regas became a popular radio call-in staple attracting a large and wide listening audience.
Following in the footsteps of his older sister Gerri and brother Mickey, Steve played, worked and studied his way through Putnam Junior High School and eventually on to Putnam High School where he excelled as a three-sport athlete.  Prior to moving on to UConn, he left Clipperland as one of its most noted baseball and football players and one of the top scorers in the school’s storied basketball program.  Bousquet’s play in the former Quinebaug Valley Conference is legendary.  He earned QVC all-tournament honors in 1963 and 1964.
Life led Bousquet down the aisle of matrimony 40 years ago when he married his high school sweetheart Katie Weiss.  Together they established themselves as one of Putnam’s leading couples.  She as a teacher and he as a respected business man.  They stood proudly as they watched their children, Jennifer and Jeffrey, develop into adults who in many ways emulated the qualities of their parents.
Even as a busy father, husband, community servant and business owner, Bousquet found time to continue his athletic endeavors as a standout softball pitcher for the Weiss Market and Deary Bros. softball teams.  He was the mainstay of the teams as they travelled the Southern New England softball circuit in the '60s and '70s.  In time he turned his love of athletics to helping others, as he established the Day Kimball Hospital Golf Tournament and created the famous Steve Bousquet Ice Fishing Derby.
His philanthropic efforts eventually flowed from his business, where with the helping hand of his brother David, his son Jeff and his loyal friend Jack Reeves, he conducted rapid fire fund-raisers for a variety of causes even to his final days.  His financial support was always the difference in the lives of those he helped.
And now, with deep sadness Steve Bousquet’s time has come, albeit still not a reality to those who knew him and all too soon for the man who devoted his life to helping others.  As certainly as night turns to day, someone will pick up the Steve’s mantra of helping others.  The events may resemble the Bousquet model but the personalization and magic touch that Steve Bousquet brought to life every day will not be the same without him.
Wherever people gather in years to come, golf tournaments, fishing derbies, softball games, high school games, business meetings and evenings in some restaurant or club to enjoy a beer together, the name Steve Bousquet will come up in conversation.  Gone from our midst Steve Bousquet has left an indelible legacy and memories that will carry on for generations.
God bless, good friend. Rest in peace.

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