- Details
- Category: Past Issues
Tracy E. Thompson,
mother of 2
WOODSTOCK — Tracy (Handt) Thompson, 51, of Crooked Trail Ext., died Jan. 30, 2012 after a battle with cancer. She was the wife of the late Michael R. Thompson. Born in 1960 in Stoughton, Mass., she was the daughter of Richard and Gloria (Hazard) Handt of Holliston, Mass.
Tracy worked as a secretary in the Special Education Department at Woodstock Elementary School.
In addition to her parents, she leaves her son, Gregory R. Thompson (Amie) of Woodstock; daughter, Danielle E.H. Sheldon (Dan) of Woodstock; sisters, Lonna Marinaro, and Nancy Caron (Ray); granddaughter, MiaRose Thompson.
Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 2 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. The Funeral will e at 10 a.m. Feb. 3 in the E. Woodstock Congregational Church, with burial in E. Woodstock Cemetery. Donations: Day Kimball Hospital Oncology Department, P.O. Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260; or Hospice of NE CT, P.O. Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.
Phyllis M.
Green Baker
THOMPSON — Phyllis M. Baker, 86, of Thompson, died Jan. 26, 2012. Phyllis was a resident of Thompson for much of her life, and has made her home at Westview Healthcare for the last 10 years. She was the wife of the late Harold “Harry” Baker. They were married in the Congregational Church of Putnam.
She was born March 20, 1925, in Putnam, to the late Stephen and Gladys Green. She loved cats, dogs, parrots and couponing. She played organ at the Thompson Methodist Church for many years and loved harmonizing with the hymns of the church.
She graduated from Putnam High School and from LPN school. Phyllis worked for Stanley Home Products, American Thread Co., other local manufacturers, and also as a healthcare giver. Always with yarn or scissors in hand, she crocheted numerous scarves through the years that were donated to needy children locally and clipped coupons for all who would have them. She was a member of the Danielson Church of the Nazarene.
She leaves her sister, Muriel Traut; nieces, Ruth Richardson, Linda Green, Gloria Williams, great nieces, Amber, Melanie, Brittany, great nephew, Clifford, and great-great niece Kylie. She was predeceased by her brother, Clifford Green, nephew, Michael Green.
A Memorial Service was Jan. 30 at the Church of the Nazarene, with burial in Munyan Cemetery, E. Putnam, later. Donations: The Friends of Assisi Food Pantry, 77 Water St., Danielson, CT 06239. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Henry Carrier,
WWII vet
ROGERS — Henry “Puss” Carrier, 90, of Rogers, died Jan. 23, 2012, at the Westview Health Care in Dayville. He was born Feb. 26, 1921, in Albert Mines, Quebec, Canada, son of the late Nazaire and Mary (Collins) Carrier. He was a veteran of WWII serving with the U.S. Army with the 428th Anti Aircraft Artillery Gun Battery. He received the Good Conduct Medal, Victory Medal, American Theater Campaign Ribbon and the Asiatic Pacific Theater Campaign Ribbon and received an honorable discharge March 20, 1946.
He was employed at Rogers Corp. in Rogers for over 34 years, retiring in 1983. He also operated a dairy farm in Rogers which became the Roger Village Greenhouse; Henry operated the greenhouse until 2001. He was a communicant of St. Joseph Church in Dayville and the former St. Ignatius Church in Rogers. He was a life member of the K of C Dayville- Rogers and the VFW 2650 Danielson. He was retired from the Williamsville Fire Department after many years. He enjoyed playing cards pitch and whist and enjoyed helping out at bingo and the fish frys.
He leaves his siblings: Rita Levola of Danielson, Edna Cusson of Danielson, Ella Willard of Putnam, Joseph Carrier of Putnam, Francis Carrier of Wauregan; nieces and nephews, including Ella Grimshaw with whom he had made his home for the last eight years.. He was predeceased by siblings: Agnes Carrier, Yvonne Allen, Theresa Bachand, Albert Carrier, Rose Egan and Napoleon Carrier.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Jan. 26 in St Joseph Church, Dayville, with burial with military honors in Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson. Donations: Day Kimball Hospital Diabetes Program, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
Barrett Frink,
Korean war vet
WOODSTOCK — Barrett Frink, 81, of Woodstock, died Jan. 26, 2012, at home. He was the husband of Hazel (Holland) Frink.
He was born Oct. 1, 1930, in Worcester, son of the late Nelson and Carrie (Barrett) Frink. He was a graduate of the Woodstock Academy and had made his home in Woodstock all his life. Barrett worked as a painting contractor.
He was a veteran of the Korean war serving with the U.S. Navy.
He was a founding member of the Woodstock Chess Club; he enjoyed playing chess, golf, dancing and was an avid Red Sox fan. He was a member of the Woodstock American Legion.
In addition to his wife of 55 years, he leaves his daughter; Karen Frink of Elkin, N.H.; a grandson; Cameron Holland Wood of Andover, N.H.; niece; Cheryl Blackmer of Woodstock. He was predeceased by his sister Thelma Jones.
The Funeral was in N. Woodstock Cemetery with military honors. Donations: Hospice of NE CT, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Joseph Karpenski,
construction worker
PUTNAM — Joseph Karpenski, 72, died Jan. 21, 2012, in UMass University Hospital. Born in 1939 in Webster, he was the son of the late Peter and Helen (Ambrosevicz) Karpenski.
Mr. Karpenski was a construction worker for Chzaszcz Excavating. Joseph loved water sports including boating, fishing, and swimming. He was an avid New England Sports fan.
He leaves his sisters, Bernice Ravenelle of N. Grosvenordale, and Helen Richards of Chicopee, Mass.; longtime companion of the late Eileen Lavasseur. He was predeceased by his brother, William Karpenski; his sisters, Jenny Bodnar, Anna Szarkowicz, and Theresa Beaudet; and his best friend, Stanley Chzaszcz.
Visitation is at 2 p.m. Feb. 1 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes.
Stephen J.
Kaplowitt, Ph.D.
WOODSTOCK — Dr. Stephen J. Kaplowitt, 81, of Green Road, died Jan. 18, 2012, at UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester.
Born in 1930 in Newark, N.J., he was the son of the late Jacob Kaplowitt and Martha (Glick) Kaplowitt. Dr. Kaplowitt was a professor of modern and medieval German language and literature at UConn for 31 years. He also briefly taught at Columbia University in New York, as well as at the Goethe Institute in Schwäbisch Hall, West Germany. In addition to authoring several books and textbooks and many scholarly articles on medieval German literature and modern German grammar, he was a much sought-after pre-press reviewer of German textbooks and scholarly papers on medieval German literature. In 1988, he was tapped by the American Council of Learned Societies to contribute several entries to Scribner’s encyclopedic 13 volume Dictionary of the Middle Ages. His career as a scholar started early. He was valedictorian of his class at Weequahic High School in Newark, and after being selected to participate in Boys Nation, he was received at the White House by President Truman on Aug. 9, 1946.
He then went on to earn a baccalaureate degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., and was named valedictorian of his class and inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society. He earned both of his graduate degrees, a master’s and Ph.D, from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1952 he was named a Fulbright scholar and was a member of the first group of Fulbrighters to travel to Germany. From 1954 to 1956, Dr. Kaplowitt served in the U.S. Army in post-war Berlin as a member of the Army Security Agency (the forerunner of today’s CIA) and was tasked with intercepting, translating, and analyzing telephone and telegraph communications. He was an avid connoisseur of classical music and fine food and wine, as well as fine art, and his love of languages and literature often led to bi- and even tri-lingual word plays and inventions that always delighted family, friends, and colleagues.
He was beloved and admired by those who knew him for bringing an unwaveringly clear sense of civility, reason and dignified equanimity to any situation. For many years, he served as the tireless and loving caregiver to the last remaining family member of his parents’ generation, his maternal aunt, Celia Glick.
He leaves his wife of nearly 30 years, Carlene A. Haworth of Woodstock; two daughters, Beth A. Kaplowitt of Easthampton, Mass., and Jane Kaplowitt Pike of Pittsboro, N.C., and his son-in-law, Prof. David Pike; and granddaughter, Ekaterina Pike, also of Pittsboro. He was predeceased by his first wife, Stephanie Shafer Kaplowitt, in 1983.
Donations: Arts and Science programming at WGBH in Boston. www.wgbh.org Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Gary Gemme,
truck driver
DUDLEY — Gary M. Gemme, 39, of Dudley, died Jan. 21, 2012, in Harrington Memorial Hospital, Southbridge, after being stricken ill at home.
He was born and raised in Worcester, the son of Gerald Gemme. He moved to Dudley in 1978. He lived for several years in Putnam.
Mr. Gemme was a trailer truck driver for Symbol Mattress in Danielson until 2009.
He leaves a son, Justin M. Gemme of Concord, N.C.; mother, Betty-Lee (Mitchell) Balkurna and his stepfather John Balkurna, both of Dudley; two sisters, Andrea Hagg of Jackson, Fla., and Tina Nolin of Warren, Mass.
No services. Donations: St. Andrew Bobola Church, 54 West Main St., PO Box 98, Dudley, MA 01571-0098. Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, Webster.
Rita T. Bernier,
helped found council
Rita (Tremblay) Bernier, 91, died Jan. 22, 2012, in Middletown. She was born Oct. 21, 1920, in central Massachusetts, in the home of her parents, Ernest and Alfreda (LaFontaine) Tremblay.
In her early years she worked as a secretary in Hartford, Washington, D.C., and Mineville, N.Y. She married Edward J Bernier in 1943 and was happily married until his death in 1982. She lived in Woodstock from 1955 until 2008, when she moved to an assisted living facility in Middletown to be close to family.
Rita was instrumental in establishing the Quinebaug Valley Health and Welfare Council in northeastern Connecticut, and worked for them for many years. She had also been active in the League of Women Voters and remained a member of the Young Homemakers Club until she moved to Middletown at the age of 88.
Rita enjoyed traveling, attending Elderhostels and Learning in Retirement classes, playing bridge.
She leaves daughters, Jeanne Woodcock of Rocky Hill, and Marie Breslin of Jacksonville Fla.; five grandchildren (Elisabeth, Katherine, Teresa, Daniel and Sarah), three great-grandchildren (Serra, Kaden and Ronan), and two nephews.
Burial was at the St. Rose de Lima Cemetery in her family plot in Chicopee, Mass., following a family graveside memorial Jan. 27.
Sandy Howland,
office manager
WEBSTER — Sandra J. ‘Sandy’ (Hughes) Howland, 72, of Pinewood Drive, died Jan. 20, 2012, after a battle with diabetes. She was the wife of the late David R. Howland who died in 2006.
Sandy was born in Worcester the daughter of A. Earl and Vesta (Allen) Hughes and lived in Webster all of her life.
She graduated from Bartlett High School in 1957 with honors, and was a member of the National Honor Society. She also attended the New England School of Accounting.
She worked for 38 years as an office manager for Antonelli Construction in Worcester before retiring.
She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Oxford, and a past member of the United Church of Christ, Federated in Webster. Sandy was a member of the Emblem Club of Webster and a past President, and also was a Rainbow Girl.
Sandy leaves her daughter, Kim J. Petrunia of Webster; a son, Robert E. Howland (Charlene) of Putnam; sister, Deborah Hughes-Johnson (Scott) of Auburn; two grandchildren, Allie and Justin Howland.
A Memorial Service was Jan. 28 t the United Church of Christ, Federated, with burial in Lakeside Cemetery. Donations: The New England Chow Chow Club Rescue Fund, c/o Peggy Carney, P.O. Box 63, Prides Crossing, MA. 01965. Robert J. Miller Funeral Home and Lake Chapel, Webster.
Esther N. Rulli,
church member
N. GROSVENORDALE — Esther N. (Jezerski) Rulli, 86, of N. Grosvenordale, died Jan. 29, 2012, in the Transitional Care Unit at Hubbard Regional Hospital, Webster, after an illness. Her husband of 52 years, Luke J. Rulli, died in 2002.
She was born in Webster, a daughter of the late Stanley and Catherine (Szulewski) Jezerski and was a lifelong resident of N. Grosvenordale. Mrs. Rulli worked as a cutter at Bates Shoe Company in Webster and then as a burler at Packard Mills in Dudley before retiring. She was a member of St. Stephen’s Church in Quinebaug.
She leaves four brothers, Alexander Jezerski, John Jezerski and Stanley Jezerski, all of N. Grosvenordale, and Tony Jezerski of Webster; four sisters, Wanda Bonczek of N. Grosvenordale, Sophie Stolarczyk of Webster, Stella Mroczek of Thompson and Helen Jerominek of Shelbourne; nieces and nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews. She was predeceased by two brothers, Frank and Edward Jezerski.
The Funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Feb. 1 in St. Stephen’s Church, with burial in St. Joseph Garden of Peace, Webster. Donations: Webster-Dudley Food Share, Inc., c/o United Church of Christ, Federated, 4 Church St., Webster, MA 01570. Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, Webster.