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- Category: Past Issues
Cecilia Barylski,
worked at Belding
DANIELSON — Cecilia Barylski, 86, formerly of Church Street, Putnam, died July 7, 2012, in Regency Heights Nursing Home. She was the wife of the late John Barylski. Born in 1925 in Webster, she was the daughter of the late Konstantine and Frances (Norowska) Krukowski. Mrs. Barylski worked as a weaver and a spooler for Belding Heminway in Grosvenordale. She enjoyed reading and crocheting afghans. Mrs. Barylski was a communicant of St. Mary Church of the Visitation and a member of VFW ladies auxiliary. Cecilia was the youngest of seven children.
She leaves her son, John Barylski of Putnam; daughter, Donna Stilwell of Bow, N.H.; four grandchildren; and eight great grandchildren. In addition to her husband, Cecilia was predeceased by her daughter, Cheryl Gregoire.
Visitation is from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. July 12 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St, Putnam, with a Funeral Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. in St. Mary Church, 218 Providence St, and burial in St. Mary Cemetery.
Robert Halloran Sr.,
photographer
E. PRINCETON, Mass. --- Robert J. Halloran Sr., 84, of Main Street, died July 4, 2012. Born and raised in Worcester, Bob was the son of Irish immigrant parents, Michael J. and Nora (Kelly) Halloran and lived 42 years in Princeton.
Bob graduated from Worcester Boy’s Trade High School in 1947. After graduating high school, Bob went to work at Coghlin Electric Co. in Worcester where he worked 43 years, retiring in 1990 as project estimator.
His passion in life was photography. As a professional photographer, he operated Halloran Photography for many years specializing in weddings.
He was proud of his Irish heritage and will be affectionately remembered by his friends at the Irish American Club in Worcester where Bob could be found played the drums with his good friend Mike Grady in their local Celtic band “Garryowen.”
He was a faithful member of Prince of Peace Church in Princeton, its bowling league, and a member of the Greendale Retired Men’s Club. He enjoyed traveling with his family, golf, New England sports, and was a member of the BoSox Club.
He leaves his childhood sweetheart and wife of 42 years, Alice E. (Vendt) Halloran; three sons, Robert J. Halloran Jr. (Maria) of Webster, Timothy F.M. Halloran (MaryJo) of Elk Grove, Calif., and Steven M. Cusson (Donna) of Warren, Vt.; a daughter, Allison C. Blanchard (Curtis) of Nashua, N.H.; eight grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and a niece. He was predeceased by a son, Michael C. Cusson and a brother, Francis M. Halloran.
A Mass of Christian Burial was July 7 at Prince of Peace Church, Princeton, with burial in Woodlawn, Princeton. Donations: Prince of Peace Church, P.O. Box 305, Princeton, MA 01541; or the Princeton Public Library, 2 Town Hall Drive, Princeton, MA 01541. Miles Funeral Home, Holden.
Judy Pedersen,
teachers’ aide
N. GROSVENORDALE — Judy Pedersen, 63, of Juliette Avenue, died July 3, 2012, at home. She was the wife of the late George Pedersen. They were married Oct. 17, 1964. He died Sept. 18, 2010.
She was born Oct. 4, 1948, in Plymouth, Mass., daughter of the late Raymond Ballou and late Bertha Ballou Waters.
She made her home in Thompson all her life. She worked as a teachers aide for the Thompson School system for over 15 years. Judy was blessed with a great sense of humor, could make friends and carry on a conversation with anyone she met. Judy enjoyed working in her flower gardens. She loved to listen to and collect Elvis memorabilia.
She leaves her daughters: Kristine Blanchard of N. Grosvenordale, Melissa Harmon (Shawn) of Putnam; son: Erin Pedersen of N. Grosvenordale; three brothers Ronald Ballou (Lucille) of Chepachet, Dennis Waters (Kathy) of Glocester; Michael Waters of Ballouville; grandchildren: Samantha, Brandon, Matthew, Chandler, Austin and Avery, two great-grandchildren: Sage and Christian. Judy was predeceased by her son, Eric Pedersen, and step-father Conrad Waters.
The Funeral was July 7 at Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in Munyan Cemetery, E. Putnam. Donations: Hospice of NE CT, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.
Cecile L. Myrteza,
church member
N. GROSVENORDALE — Cecile (Bergeron) Myrteza, 92, formerly of First Street, died June 20, 2012, at UMass Memorial in Worcester. She was the wife of the late Kemal “Jimmy” Myrteza and daughter of the late Napolean and Marie Louise (Bergeron) Bergeron.
She was born April 7, 1920 in Ste. Julie P.Q., Canada.
Mrs. Myrteza worked as a packer and inspector for Borden Confectionary, Deran Confectionary and later CS Allen in N. Grosvenordale for 27 years. She was a former floor lady in the packing and inspection departments and retired in 1984. Cecile was a communicant of St. Joseph’s Church, N. Grosvenordale. She enjoyed her favorite wrestling shows every Thursday night and was an avid Red Sox fan.
Cecile leaves her daughter, Jeannette Bibek (Jack) of N. Grosvenordale; three grandchildren, Dawna Duff of Woodstock, John Bibek (Molly) of Westminster, Colo., and Angela Warwick (Scott) of Tewksbury, Mass; a great-granddaughter Zofia Bibek and two great-grandsons, Troy and Logan Warwick; her four-legged furry companions, Abbey and Zack. Cecile was the last of 16 children and was predeceased by eight brothers and seven sisters.
The Mass of Christian Burial was July 6 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.
Harold Plourd Sr.
PLAINFIELD — Harold W. J. Plourd, Sr., 53, of Pine Street, died July 4, 2012, in UMass Memorial Healthcare in Worcester. He was the husband of Lorraine (Long) Plourd. Born in 1959 in Bridgeport, he was the son of the late Harold Plourd and Bunnie J. (Paris) Remington.
Mr. Plourd obtained an associate’s degree in electronic engineering. He worked in central supply for Regency Heights of Danielson. He enjoyed video games, horror films, and was an avid Miami Dolphins fan.
In addition to his wife, he leaves his sons, Harold Plourd Jr. of Plainfield, and Clayton Plourd of Plainfield; sisters, Nancy Fox of Newington, and Deborah Caouette of Garland, Texas.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. July 13 in St Philip’s Episcopal Church, 63 Grove St, Putnam. Donations: St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Walter Siegmund
Walter P. Siegmund died June 26, 2012, two months short of his 87th birthday.
Walter was born in 1925 in Bremen, Germany, and came to the U.S. in September 1930 with his mother and brother to join his father who was already here. The family lived in Rochester, N.Y., and Walter attended the public schools including Benjamin Franklin High School where he met his future wife, Lois Schramm, in the ninth grade.
He obtained a scholarship to the University of Rochester where he pursued his studies in the sciences until joining the Navy in 1944. Walter returned to the University of Rochester after the war and received his PhD in optics and physics in 1952. He married Lois in 1950 and the couple would have celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary on June 29, 2012.
Moving to Southbridge, Mass., in 1953, Walter became research assistant to Dr. Brian O’Brien at the American Optical Company. One of the many interesting projects he worked on was the development of a wide-screen film projection process known as Todd-AO. Walter continued to work at American Optical in research and development particularly in the field of fiber optics. Over the years, his department was purchased by
several other companies and when he retired in 1993 he was Director of Research and Development at Schott Fiber Optics in Southbridge. Walter made many significant contributions to the field of optics, particularly to fiber optics, and was awarded as many as 55 patents throughout his life. He encouraged and mentored many young people both in science and in life.
Once retired, Walter, along with Dr. Eli Peli of Schepens Eye Research Institute, received a grant to develop and manufacture a fiber optic magnifier. Starting his own small business, TaperVision, in Pomfret, Connecticut was one of Walter’s most rewarding professional achievements and he loved solving problems as they came along.
A true gentleman and an incurable romantic, Walter’s life contained many wonderful experiences. He and Lois traveled extensively both before, but especially after their retirements. They enjoyed classical music together, reading the New York Times, and conversing endlessly about politics, science, and life in general. Poetry became an important vehicle for self-expression for Walter later in his life and he thoroughly enjoyed writing and reading his poems for friends and family.
Walter leaves his wife, Lois, of Brooklyn; three children: Paul, of Falmouth, Mass., and his grandson, Alexzander; Lisa, of Hampton, and Kurt of Pomfret Center, and his wife, Diane, and daughter, Clara; older brother, Ernst, of Webster, N.Y.; niece Susan, of Webster, N.Y.; niece, Laurie Anderson and her family, David, Denise, Chelsea, and Kara of Ontario, N.Y.
Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Michael D. Hogan,
‘Mensa Mike’
POMFRET — Michael Hogan, 50, of Putnam Road, died July 7, 2012, unexpectedly in his home. Born in 1961 in San Francisco, he was the son of Lois (Judge) Dapsis of Dayville, and the late Dean M. Hogan.
He was known to those who love him as “Mikey”, “Monkey” or “Monk.” Michael had a lifelong passion for history, mathematics and music. He was also an avid reader and golfer. “Mensa Mike” enjoyed Friday night game nights, especially when he was beating his mom.
He leaves his brothers, Kyle Hogan of Pomfret and Zachary Klee (wife Donna and children Nicholas and Ainsley) of Long Beach, Miss.; sisters, Rebecca Haines (children Jenna, Amanda and Zoran) of Brooklyn, and Samantha Murphy (children Jesse, Adam and Jewel) of Pomfret Center. He also leaves his stepfather Felix Klee (wife Meg Bishop and children Emily, Alena and Elizabeth), and his mother’s husband Larry Dapsis (children Valerie and Scott).
Relatives and friends are invited to a graveside service at 12:30 p.m. July 14 at in Westfield Cemetery on North Street, Danielson. Reception follows. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
John Robitaille,
father of 2
N. GROSVENORDALE — John Robitaille, 62, of Marcy Lane, died July 6, 2012, at home. He was the husband of the late Kathleen (Hickey) Robitaille. Born in 1949 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Romeo and Barbara (Bernklow) Robitaille.
Mr. Robitaille worked as a color matcher for US Button for 36 years. He was a history and film buff. He particularly enjoyed John Wayne and Frank Capra movies.
He leaves his sons, David Robitaille of N. Grosvenordale and Justin Robitaille of N. Grosvenordale; brother James Robitaille of Ashford. In addition to his wife and parents, John is predeceased by his brother Daniel Robitaille.
The funeral was private. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
R. “Cliff” Mathieu,
grocery owner
WEBSTER — Richard “Cliff” Mathieu, 94, died July 5, 2012, at Matulaitis Nursing Home. He was predeceased by his wife of 37 years Emily Helen (Ryznal) who died in 1978.
He was born in Oxford, Mass., the son of the late Hermidas and Odina (Richards) Mathieu. In high school Richard (Cliff) was on the track team. He worked in a grocery store for four years and then owned and operated a small grocery store on Lake Street for 11 years. He and his family also ran the concession stand for a year at Webster Memorial Beach. From 1956 to 1969 he worked for Progressive Tool and Die as a machinist in West Boylston, then he worked for L & J of New England as an Eletro-Coating operator where he retired from in 1983.
Richard “Cliff” enjoyed collecting coins and he loved to sing but silently. He loved the Big Bands, jazz and Catholic music, especially Rock of Ages. He also enjoyed playing cards, bingo and traveling.
He leaves his wife of 24 years, Exilda “Babe” Robitaille Mathieu; a daughter, Carol Labonte (Paul) of N. Fort Myers, Fla.; a son, Ronald Mathieu (Marilyn) of Webster; three grandchildren: Michelle Lavallee and her friend Cheryl of Auburn, a grandson Michael Lavallee (Kelly) of Fort Mill, S.C., a grandson Richard Mathieu (Anna) of N. Grosvenordale; three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by four brothers, Edmond, Elzear, Homer & Leon and three sisters, Rose, Ida, Loretta.
The Funeral Mass was July 10 in St. Joseph Basilica, Webster, with burial in St. Joseph Garden of Peace Cemetery, Webster. Donations: Alzheimer’s Association , 311 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA 02472; or the Barton Center for Diabetes Education, P.O. Box 356 North Oxford, MA 01537. Bartel Funeral Home & Chapel, Dudley.