By Ron P. Coderre
RPC here, cleaning out the “sports in-box” while trying to also squeeze in a few more hours of Christmas shopping before the stores close on December 24.
Congratulations on a New Baby
There’s a new addition to the northeastern Connecticut community. William Mulcahy Andersen arrived at 10 a.m. on December 10 just in time to enjoy his first Christmas. William is the son of Brian and Susan Andersen of Thompson. He came into the world weighing exactly 9 pounds and stretching out at 21 inches. In addition to mom and dad, William was welcomed by his 5-year-old twin big brothers, Jack and Braden Andersen.
RPC is pleased to announce that mom and baby boy are both doing well. Mom, who is the Development Officer at Marianapolis Prep, didn’t have much time to rest as she had to get the Andersen household ready for Santa Claus. She’s expected to be back to work and active in the Putnam Rotary Club sometime after the start of 2014.
Back In The Saddle
For those of us who read the fine print in the Transactions section of the daily sports news, it was a welcome site to see news coming out of Washington, D.C. regarding the Nationals baseball club in Syracuse of the International League. The Nats announced that Billy Gardner Jr. will be the team’s manager this upcoming summer. He’ll be joined by pitching coach Paul Menhart.
If the names Gardner and Menhart sound familiar to local baseball followers, both are southeastern Connecticut products and should be known by many from our area. Gardner, Jr. is the son of former Minnesota Twins manager and former major league journeyman player for the former New York Giants Billy Gardner, Sr. The younger Gardner, who played at Waterford and Mitchell College and had some year’s in the minors, has been coaching at a number of minor league spots throughout the country. This appears to be a good move for the very likeable Gardner.
Menhart, who once pitched in the major leagues for the Toronto Blue Jays is a knowledgeable baseball man with years of coaching experience under his belt. He played for the good New London American Legion teams coached by Jimmy O’Neill.
Gardner, who also used to blow the whistle for the Eastern Board basketball contingent and Menhart should form a good combination for the Washington Nationals. Let’s hope the next step might be some place in the major leagues for the pair.
Local College Hoops Update
The primary college news this week emanates as it has been lately from Quinnipiac University, where former Marianapolis players Ike Azotam and Ousmane Drame continue to shine. Azotam was named the ECAC New England Player of the Week for his performance when he averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats who went 1-1.
In a loss to Rider he had 24 points and seven boards and in a win over Vermont he posted 18 points and 13 rebounds. His numbers in the Vermont game were the 32nd time he’s had a double-double, which is second on the all time list at Quinnipiac. He’s also only the sixth player in school history to surpass 1000 points and 800 rebounds in a career. Drame had 14 points in the victory over the Catamounts.
In its most recent game the 6-4 Bobcats lost 69-58 to Lehigh University. Azotam once again was high scorer with 18 markers while Drame contributed 14 points.
From The Annals Of Putnam Sports History
January 1903: Putnam High School girls were defeated 12-4 in basketball by Connecticut Agricultural College (Could this possibly be the current University of Connecticut? I believe this was prior to Geno Auriemma.). The team bounced back to beat Killingly 24-13.
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Find something to cheer about.
Julia A. Marcoux
THOMPSON — Julia Ashall Marcoux of Thompson died Dec. 18, 2013.
She was born Aug. 7, 1928, in St Helens, Lancashire, England. Her father was killed in a coal mining accident when she was 8. Her mother remarried shortly before the outbreak of WWII in Europe. Her late stepfather, Robert Ashall, served in the British Armed forces.
Enduring periods of relentless aerial bombardment from the German Luftwaffe against the nearby port city of Liverpool, she often spent the night huddled in an air raid shelter with her mother, Margaret (deceased), brothers Robert (deceased) and Thomas (deceased), along with her sister Margaret (affectionately known as Peg who died in 2007). The only link to what was unfolding around them and across the world was the nightly broadcast of the BBC. Her lifetime appreciation of newscasts, particularly radio, finds its roots in her wartime experiences.
After the war, Julia completed her professional training as a nurse and midwife. She was particularly fond of working with infants and the elderly. Her professional career took her to the Burtonwood US Air Force hospital outside of Liverpool, England, where she first met a young Air Force enlisted man named Albert (Pete) Marcoux Jr. from N. Grosvenordale. They married April 23, 1955, at St Joseph’s Church in Peasley Cross, England.
They moved to Quaddick in 1961. She became naturalized U.S. citizen on May 14, 1959
Their marriage of almost 60 years produced eight children; Albert (Stephen) III of Keene, N.H., Ann Marie of Putnam, Richard (Christine) of Milwaukee, Michael (Cathy) of Putnam, Maureen Birch (Richard) of Thompson, Patrick of Sturbridge, Margaret Dugan (James) of Chittenden, Vt., and Julie Karen of N. Grosvenordale; 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law and brother-in–law; Muriel and Donat Charron of Quinebaug.
She worked as a registered nurse at Marianapolis Prep., Matulaitis Nursing Home and for many years on the maternity ward at Day Kimball Hospital. She also provided elder care services and served as a consulting nurse at a local day care. Her last professional position before retiring was as a shift nurse for The US Post Office in Hartford, CT. Julia was a registered nurse and one of Connecticut’s first certified midwives.
Julia was a strong advocate for lifelong learning including taking personal enrichment courses at Quinebaug Valley Community College and getting a bachelor’s degree in professional arts from St. Joseph’s College, Maine. She was a member of St. Bernard’s Council Knights of Columbus Columbiettes, the Thompson Democratic Town Committee and The Thompson Historical Society.
She was a strong supporter and communicant of St. Joseph Roman Catholic church in North Grosvenordale. She was especially proud of her family being selected in 1982 as the International Catholic Family of the Year by the Knights of Columbus during their Centennial year.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Dec. 21 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale (presided over by her son, Fr. Stephen Marcoux of the diocese of Manchester, N.H.) Burial was in St. Joseph Cemetery. Donations: St. Joseph School, 18 Main St. North Grosvenordale, CT; or The Immaculate Conception Convent, 600 Liberty Hwy, Putnam. Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.
Cecilia Desautels
DANIELSON — Cecilia B. Desautels, 88, of Danielson, died Dec. 9, 2013, at Pierce Memorial Baptist Home after a brief illness.
Cecilia was one of 11 children born to the late Leon and Antonia (Bigda) Zulkiewicz. She was born Jan. 6, 1925, at home on the family farm in West Woodstock and attended Putnam High School where she played varsity basketball.
She was affectionately known as “Bobchi” to her family and as “CI” to her friends.
In addition to being a great cook, Cecilia enjoyed flower and vegetable gardening, watching Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right game shows and was an avid fan of the UConn women’s basketball team. She was also very talented at word puzzles such as crossword and cryptoquote and also enjoyed knitting and crocheting.
Cecilia was a retiree of Danco Plastics in Putnam where she worked in assembly and finishing for over 30 years.
She leaves her son Jeffrey who with which she resided; her daughter Janice Valdez of Dayville, and her son John (Michele) of South Carolina; brother Fred of Putnam; four grandchildren, Nicole, Travis, Claire, and Orion; and two great-grandchildren, Kylie and Aubrey Cecilia; two special friends, Doris Atsales of Brooklyn and Pierrette McCartney of Danielson. She was predeceased by siblings Joseph, Millie, Julie, Helen, Toni, Frank, Shirley, Leo, and Adele; her infant daughter Joann, and her former husband John R. Desautels
Memorial donations: Pierce Memorial Baptist Home in Brooklyn. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
Shelby M. Ball
WOODSTOCK — Shelby M. Ball, 56, of Route 171, died Dec. 16, 2013, at home. He was the husband of Rosaura Villanueva Ball.
Born in 1957 in Morgantown, WV, he was the son of Ida (McCartney) Ball of Horseheads, N.Y., and the late Robert Ball.
Mr. Ball worked as a machine operator for Loos & Co. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and gardening.
In addition to his wife, he leaves his daughter, Tiffany Ball of Massachusetts; step-son Hugo Gonzalez-Villanueva of Woodstock; brothers, James W. Ball of Dayville, and Ryan D. Ball of Gillet, Penn.; sister, Susan D. Maynard of Horseheads.
A private burial for Shelby will take place in Abington Cemetery, in the spring. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Roland Bourbeau Sr.
PUTNAM — Roland A. Bourbeau Sr., 79, of Putnam, died Dec. 14, 2013, at home. Husband of Frances (Barrows) Bourbeau, they were married Jan. 20, 2007.
Born Dec. 5, 1934, in Webster, he was the son of the late Alfred J. and Eva (Lamiotte) Bourbeau.
He made his home in Putnam all his life, worked as a motorcycle mechanic for 20 years in Webster and Putnam until his retirement. Roland loved to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
In addition to his wife, Frances, he leaves his children, Maurice O. Raymond Jr., Daniel F. Raymond, Deborah L. Frazier, Jane E. Raymond; his sister Lorraine Daciau; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The Funeral was Dec. 19, at Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in Munyan Cemetery, Putnam.
Richard Asal Sr
Marine vet
THOMPSON — Richard “Dick” Joseph Asal, Sr. of Quaddick Town Farm Rd., died Dec. 19, 2013, at Day Kimball Hospital after an illness. He was born Dec. 6, 1929, he son of the late William and Henrietta (Burby) Asal.
Richard attended Plainfield public schools. Richard served in the U.S. Marine Corps, receiving an honorable discharge in 1954.
In 1955, Richard married Nancy Aileen Bell.
Priscilla Asal, Cheryl Bisson, Carla (Fred) Kress of Lakewood, Colo., Sandra Law, Kristine (Larry) Campos, Scott Asal of Jewett City, and Virginia Asal; 24 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brothers William, Sr. and James, Sr., and granddaughter Rebekah Piper Herron. Memorial gatherings were Dec. 21 and Dec. 23. Donations: Thompson Hill Fire Dept on Chase Rd, Thompson.
Frank J. Zolenski
E. HARTFORD — Frank J. Zolenski, 85, of Woodycrest Dr., died Dec. 22, 2013, in Hartford Hospital. He was the husband of the late Barbara (Fillmore) Zolenski. Born in 1928 in Chicopee Falls, Mass., he was the son of the late John and Veronica Zolenski.
Mr. Zolenski was an experimental machinist for Pratt Whitney. He enjoyed woodworking, volunteering at the Newington Veterans Hospital and with Military Honors Firing Squad. Frank was a communicant of Blessed Sacrament Church in East Hartford.
He leaves his son, Francis Zolenski (Cindy) of Pomfret Center. He is predeceased by his son Fred Zolenski and his daughter Bernice Zolenski.
Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St, Putnam.
John Ozaniak,
WWII vet
N. GROSVENORDALE — John A. Ozaniak, 86, of N. Grosvenordale, died Dec. 21, 2013, at St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester.
John was born in Webster, son of the late Anthony and Karolina (Vnuk) Ozaniak and lived in Webster most of his life.
He was a WWII U.S. Navy veteran.
He leaves his wife of 60 years. Lillian M. (Chupka) Ozaniak of N. Grosvenordale; a son, Stephen Ozaniak (Cathy) of Webster; a daughter, Pat Cahill of Dudley; two brothers, Stephen Ozaniak (Aurore) of Webster, Adam Ozaniak (Therese) of Webster; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister, Anna Yurkevicius of Webster.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Dec. 26 in St. Anthony of Padua Church, Dudley, with burial military honors in St. Joseph Garden of Peace Cemetery, Webster. Donations: Webster-Dudley Veterans Council, Veterans Way, Webster, MA 01570. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
This brook in South Woodstock was a study in black and white for winter.
WOODSTOCK — The Woodstock Academy first quarter honor roll includes:
High Honors
GRADE 9: Carley Beshaw, Jason Brule, Audrey Chase, Jaden Cheng, Emily Faist, Rebecca Feldman, Maya Fraga, Cameron Grube, James Hemeon, Patrick Houlihan, Emily Hughes, Grace Jocson, Shealyn Kelley, Laura Looby, Elizabeth Lucia, Myles Murren, Jake Owens, Matthew Papp, Claudia Plummer, David Redfield, Clara Sarantopoulos, Collin Singleton, Coleen Solitro, Jordyn Staveski, Cassidy Thorpe, Jackie Wedegis and Jordyn Woodland
GRADE 10: Julia Allegretti, Megan Feragne, Skye Gomes, Kara Heilemann, Emma Johnson, Robert Johnson, Weixi Li, Lela Miller, Samantha Salisbury and Shiqin Wang
GRADE 11: Erin Bagdoian, Nicole Cadro, Caitlyn Chapman, Shane Eccleston, Yirou Fan Fan, Ryan Gadoury, Linzee Glennon, Kaeleigh Gould, Michaela Green, Jenna Haines, Ryan Heilemann, Meghan Labbe, Zoe LaVergne, Hunter Malboeuf, Wenshan Meng, Aemilia Mullin, Kayla Munger, Shealyn Musumeci, Sarah Oleksiak, Kiana Percy, Veronica Phillips, Benjamin Piche, Elizabeth Redfield, Matthew Rich, Allison Rosaci, Mikayla Sheldon, Kexin Xu and Xinyin Zhang
GRADE 12: Kathryn Archambault, Jacob Arsenault, Shannon Askham, Mariel Baker, Richard Bibeault, Keith Chasin, Xixi Chen, Sara Claudio, Victoria Cox, Justin Cutting, Dylan Davis, Veronica Greene, Caleb Hallowell, William Harrington, Megan Hebert, Hanna Holcomb, Bree Hussong, Hannah Johnson, Mina Kelley, Brian Kemp, Brittany LaFleur, Joshua Lamoureux, Rebecca Lee, Yuhao Liu, Arin Lotter, John McGinn, Matthew McMerriman, Qi Miao, Courtney Osborn, Katherine Rivers, Emily Rosaci, Stephanie Santos, Tyler Smith, Brent Sorensen, Alexander Tedeschi, Tatjana Tschirpke, Kimberly West, Alexandra Wilcon, Meryl Wolfe and Blake Yaworski
Honors
GRADE 9: Caitlyn Bavosi, Jacques Bergeron, Abigale Binette, Christian Bombara, Jr., Allison Brady, Vivek Cherian, Christopher Claprood, Zackery Cordier, Katherine Dalimonte, Brianna Davis, Carly Deluca, Liam Dyer, Joseph Garbutt, Shai-Lin Gothreau, Dylan Grube, Daniel Harrington, Molly Harrington, Delane Hartland, Julie He, Brian Hemeon, Allen Horn, Yanling Huang, Tyler Huhtanen, Mikko Koivisto, Kylie Kusnarowis, Sylvia Lawrence, Devin Leroy, William Liscomb, Grace Logan, Alexandra Matthews, Ellie McReynolds, Jonathan Mustis, Madison Palmerino, Janhvi Patel, Carol Phaneuf, Taylor Phillips, Conor Quinn, Toni Ramos, Zachary Ramos, Shayna Robinson, Juia Roemer, Mikayla Roush, Jessica Semancik, Zu Le Seow, Kendyll Smith, Cuinn Stevenson, Kyle Strandson, Chloe Tew, Joseph Thompson Jr., Alyssa Tracy and Sydney Trudo
GRADE 10: Nicholas Alberini, Sarah Andrews, Jack Archambault, Anthony Ashwell, Michael Audet, Robert Baldino, Kylie Barrows, Jacob Belanger, Cassidy Bonin, Miranda Bonnette, Michaela Bourey, Connor Bright, Sabreina Brunelle, Seth Budd, Angela Caponi, Lexie Champany, Nicholas Chan, Zuoyi Chen, Rhiannon Choate, Sydney Correia, Jon-luc Cournoyer, Kylie Couture, Mia D’Amico, Mary Dejesse, Jacob Delashmutt, Danielle Duquette, Kathryn Fagnant, Matthew Falkowski, Hunter Foisy, Samuel Fournier, Wanjiku Gatheru, Noah Gould, Grace Gregory, Deanna Guilani, Ling He, Emily Hedin, Tucker Johns, Corrinne Jones, Mikayla Jones, Myung Kim, Sang Joo Kim, Mickenzie Lamb, Aaron Lambert, Alexis Lapointe, Katrina Leighton, Autumn Lewis, Yiluo Li, Fallon Michalski, Katelyn Minski, Ian O’Sullivan, Alexa Pearson, Lauren Perry, Dominic Ponte, Leeann Rauls, Ethan Rogers, Jillian Roy, Brooklynn Saracina, Caroline Schad, Justin Smith, Ashley Stephens, Jonathan Thompson, Mackayla Thompson, Robert Totten, Azhur Viano, Alexandra Whitehead, Zhoupingyi Wu, Peixin Yu, Erica Zeller and Yiwen Zhang
GRADE 11: Cleo Alberts, Jason Albrecht, Reinert Angle, Kaitlyn Baron, Megan Bastow, Elaina Becher, Courtney Bergman, Shaina Blain, Luke Blodgett, David Bohanan, Natalie Bourque, Katelyn Brady, Alison Brennan, Ian Burgess, Courtney Butts, Vishal Cherian, Alec Clark, Evan Clarke, Jordan Corey, Annette Costanzo, Shannon Creedon, Jacqueline Deary, Nicolette Deary, Rosaleen Donovan, Sarah Douglas, Violet Dussault, Corlis Fraga, Madison Frost, Shelby Fundin, Vincent Goernert, Sierra Goodwin, Megan Houlihan, Emma Howe, Elizabeth Hoyt, Nicholas Kowalchuk, Briana Kowolenko, Jamie Kristal, Hao Li, Alexis LiDonde, Taylor Littell, Sitong Liu, Hannah Mainhart, Eli Majek, Angelise Martin, Grayson McCarthy, Rebecca Messier, Abigail Murren, Sean O’Brien, Jacquelyn Orlowski, Melanie Phaneuf, Jacqueline Pillo, Crystelle Ranhoff, Abigail Robichaud, Nicholas Roush, James Rowley, Marissa Roy, Chelsea Rush, Kelsey Seabold, Colin Sheldon, Conrad Sheldon, Samantha Sherman, Julia Shimer, Oliver Simon, Kayla Slayton, Ashton Stephens, Abigail Stevens, Quinlan Taylor, Sarah Torcellini, Marcus Trudeau, Nicholas Waterhouse, Katelyn Wedegis, Lan Wei, Jamie Wildgoose, Abigail Willis, Jiaying Xue and Jennifer Zeiger
GRADE 12: Jason Barlow, Jordan Bassett, Emily Becher, Alyssa Becker, William Bourgeois, Casey Bristol, Riley Burns, Joseph Carbone, IV, Angelique Cavagnet, Emma Chambrello, Cecily Chuoke, Hannah Cloutier, David Coppola, Alexi Cournoyer, David DeLashmutt, Kayla Dionne, Kyle Duethorn, Thomas Dykstra, Jacob Feen, Meghan Fernstrom, Samantha Flake, August Frechette, Victoria Garner, Julia Gilloran, Cullen Gregory, Hannah Guilani, Casey Guli, Ciara Hanlon, Timothy Harrington, Allison Hill, Francesca Iacobucci, Nikolay Ionkin, Helena Ives, Jordan Keith, Ian Kneeland, Gloria Knust, Brett Loader, Rachel Loos, Julia Luppi, Megan Main, Bruno Maluf, Stephanie Marasco, Brendan McMerriman, Zachary Morin, Hanna Mueller, Daniel Murphy, John Neill, Alexander Nelson, Emily Oatley, Erin O’Leary, Calli Oleksy, Karissa Page, Michael Paquette, Sarah Paulhus, Sean Perry, Trent Peters, Lily Pritchard-Dennison, Cody Resnick, Lindsay Savoie, Jackson Serio, Hannah Sheldon, Olivia Sheldon, Junyi Shen, Nicholas Simpson, William Smith, Lexie Soja, Megan St. Jean, Austin Stone, Allison Swan, Jessica Swan, Sarah Swenson, Kirsten Tattersall, Lindsay
Tenenbaum, Hannah Trudo, Noble Valentine, Mikayla Vertefeuille, Arden Warinsky, Alicia Warner, Ziyue Yang, Yu Zhan and Yuyuan Zhu
Recognition
GRADE 9: Hannahrose Andrews, Ivan Asikainen, Zachary Boshka, Alexander Bosio, Noah Bourque, Silas Bunnell, Molly Castano, Andrew Clark, Colette Cloutier, Meghan Corey, Nathan Deluca,Brittany Eber, Timothy Ferrigno, Seamus Flynn, Beau Frechette, Roxanne Garceau, Marshal Gohn, Jacob Hall, Caitlyn Ireland, Steve Karue, Emma Kellermann, Bethany LaFramboise, Alyssa Lee, Luca Lefevre, Madison Legas, Emily Lengyel, Steven Lotter, Kerry-Jewel Martin, Christian Mayotte, Angela Nigro, Olivia Pappas, Franchesca Pescatello, Ian Sauco, Carli Schimmelpfennig, Shaylor Scranton, Nathan Shanley, Mia Slevinsky, Paige Stuyniski, Graham Sweetnam, Kelly Trivella, Jacob Trudeau, and Jameson White
GRADE 10: Stephanie Auger, Avery Benton, Nathalie Bessette, Shawna Blank, Michayla Campbell, Shane Campbell, Hannah Canedy, Olivia Chambrello, Drew Cournoyer, Bailey Cummings, Angelique Desjardins, Zachary Fiedler, Sarah French, Jourdan Fulchino, Douglas Gerrity, Benjamin Gormley, Amanda Haines, Ethan Hellwig, Autumn Hug, Sienna Jessurun, Jolisa Kirvin, Jordan Lamothe, Matthew Lefemine, Yan Li, Rongyu Lin, Katherine Loos, Korenza Manfredi, Jeff Mathieu, Jr., Matthew Mlyniec, Julia Moore, Heather Mowry, Kaylla Owen, Anna Perry, Michael Rainville, Raymond Rilling, Gabrielle Rossi, Bruce Sakindi, Xhesika Sejdiraj, Courtney Trahan, Jonathan Trinque, Liam Walsh, Alyson Wells, Lindsay Young and Zihan Zhang
GRADE 11: Isabella Belanger, Dylan Berridge, Jacob Blain, Rachel Bober, Justin Bouten, Graysen DeLuca, Ryan DeOliveira, Shelby Eccleston, Jonathan Espada, Anna Fagan, Haley Farley, Tiana Gagnon,
Matthew Gignac, Galina Gruder, Anna Grudzinski, Amythest Hamby, Conor Hanlon, Matthew Hare, Cameron Hartland, Canyon Hopkins, Mary Incera, Jared Latour, Noah Lehoux, Jessica Lehtonen, Riana Lincoln, Christopher Martin, Elena McCusker, Evert McKee, III, William Minkema, Weston Ogle, Adam Piche, Courtney Pollock, Morgan Reynolds, Stacy Rickey, Nicholas Rogerson, Jeremy Roy, Asa Scranton, Dajana Sejdiraj, Zu En Seow, Seline Smith, Michaela Solitro, Keith Sparadeo, Harley Spring, Zifeng Wang, Avery Warford, Kendall Wilcox, Paige Willard and Zackery Wood
GRADE 12: John Allegretti, Christian Andrews, Evan Andrzeicik, Emily Berard, John Budd, Jacob Campbell, Jacob Chase, Emily DeLuca, Kayla Demaire, Shayna Dougherty, Kevin Gonzalez, Benjamin Guimont, Dylan Hamill, Benjamin Harkins, Weston Hawie, Samantha-Jo Hayward, Brandy Hebert, Baylee Johns, Bolin Li, Christopher Lowry, Hayly Marshall, Elle Migneault, Katlynn Morrison, Alexandra Savvidis, Sothea Semmelrock, Jose Serrano Morente, Cole Sheldon Aaron Smith, Jesse Stahl, Daiwei Tao, Sydney Trahan, Mary Underwood, Jingyun Wang, Lukas Warner, Matthew Whelan, Mikayla Wilk and Yuqi Zhang.