Dream Team
wins season
PUTNAM — The Putnam Men’s Basketball League saw The Dream Team take the win for the season.
Final standings:  
1. The Dream Team (10-3)
2. UNFRIENDED (9-3)
3. Dawgs and Company (7-4)
3. The Lobstah Crew (7-4)
5. Windham Wine and Spirits (6-4)
6. Prep School Benchwarmers (5-6)
7. CG Real Estate (2-7)
8. Blackout (2-9)
9. MONsters (1-9)
Top 10 Scorers
1. Alvin Durrette- 23.15 (UNFRIENDED)
2. Luke Gildea- 17.73 (Windham Wine and Spirits)
3. Suthod Young- 15.33 (Prep School Benchwarmers)
4. Eddie Kopaez- 15.14 (The Dream Team)
5. Brandon Kress- 13.67 (Dawgs and Company)
6. Joey Saponaro- 12.5 (CG Real Estate)
7. Phil Hill- 11.73 (Windham Wine and Spirits)
8. AJ Joyner- 11.45 (Windham Wine and Spirits)
9. Chris Pinsenoult- 11.31 (The Dream Team)
10. Dan Vasbinder- 10.62 (UNFRIENDED)
The championship game was Aug. 6 between The Dream Team and UNFRIENDED. Throughout the game The Dream Team never trailed and began the game on a 10-2 run. Eddie Kopaez had a game high 27 points and was a major reason The Dream Team never trailed. At half time Colin Purdon had an amazing buzzer beater from half court with .7 seconds left on the clock to put his team up by 5 points. Purdon and Tim Carlson both had 11 points to help lead the team to victory. The game was close throughout with a final score of 69 to 62 and came down to free throws as well as good defense in the end. Congratulations to The Dream Team on winning the championship game and good luck to everyone next year.

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By Ron P. Coderre
This week’s RPC sporty shout out is sent along to former Putnam High School football lineman Steve Peluso.  A 1955 graduate, Peluso was a bulldog in the line.  He now spends his winters in Florida where he enjoys the sunshine and time on the links.  Tomorrow he blows out another candle on the cake.  Happy Birthday, Steve.

The remainder of the stars and top reserves came from a scattering of teams in the Zone with the exception of the TriTown unit.
TriTown, a team that took every team it played down to the wire, and with such exceptional players Mike Thienel, Tim Cutler, Garrett Ponte and Josh Malboeuf, failed to crack the dream team.  It seems unfair that teams that finished below TriTown in the standings were able to have their players recognized and not one Towner was given a sniff with the exception of the Sportsmanship Award, which by the way, was presented to one player from each team.
Ty Anderson, who’ll be returning for another season was TriTown’s Sportsmanship Award winner.  Caleb Janetatos of Danielson and Garet Griffin of Moosup were also sportsmanship awardees.
Local First Team selections included infielder Cody DeGray and outfielder T.J. Stucke of Danielson along with reserve Chris Mayhew.  Moosup was represented with the selection of Jordan Federer, also a reserve.

On The Course With Fathers and Sons…
The annual Connecticut Father & Son Championship, which is being contested for the 77th year will take place in Eastern Connecticut this year.  The event, scheduled for today will be held at Norwich Golf Course.  This is the first time that the Father & Son Tournament is held in the Rose City.

It was only a few years back that the title of this prestigious event was captured by one of the area’s best if not the best father-son twosomes, Dale and Matt Smith.  Dale continues to play competitively in area tournaments but spends much of his time with Matt in his quest to qualify for the Web.com Tour Q-School.

Closest-to-the-Pin Wins $$$$…
Charley Panteleakos of Killingly, who plays his golf out of Quinnatisset Country Club, ventured to Longmeadow, Mass., on Monday, Aug. 5 where he competed in the Rotary District 7890 Fellowship Golf Outing at Twin Hills Country Club.  Panteleakos was the guest of Susan Joyse, the immediate past president of the Hartford Rotary Club.

Maniacs On Northern Golf Courses…
The local foursome of Sam Broome, Rick Carnahan, Charlie Leach and Roger Franklin trekked about four hours north of Putnam on July 31 and Aug. 1 to test their golf skills in the Farmington, Maine, area.  On the first day they played Sunday River, a course that’s been given a 4 ½ -star rating by the New England Golf Guide.  They then moved on to Belgrade Lakes Golf Club a 4-star selection.

From The Annals Of Putnam Sports History… May 1913: Putnam defeats Tourtellotte 34-4 in baseball (no mercy rule in 1913). Putnam loses to Norwich Free Academy 12-6. (Information contributed by Willie Zamagni) RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: The harder the race, the more glorious the triumph.

Suzanne Franklin
WOODSTOCK — Suzanne (Vaillant) Franklin, 66, of Stone Hill Road, died Aug. 8, 2013, in St. Francis Hospital in Hartford after a short battle with lung cancer.  She was the wife of the late Richard W. Franklin.  
She was born in 1946 in Putnam, the daughter of the late Eugene and Gabriel (Bardier) Vaillant.
She attended St. Mary’s School and graduated from Putnam High School in 1964.  It was here that she met her future husband, Richard.  Together they raised four beautiful daughters, who were the center of her universe.  
Suzanne was a well known member of the community.  As an active member of the Putnam Rotary Club for many years, she enjoyed serving as president from 2002-2003, receiving the Paul Harris Fellow Award.  She also served as secretary for the Putnam Rotary Foundation.  She was a “champion” for the Northeast Chamber of Commerce.  She served for 11 years on the Board of Directors and in 2006 she served as the president of the organization.  In 1996, Sue was the recipient of the last Athena Award presented from the Chamber.  In 2008, she was recognized with the Chamber’s coveted Gold Key Award, an award presented for outstanding service.  Suzanne was co-owner of Franklin Pharmacy and Home Health, Inc., and The Healthy Lady both formerly located in Woodstock.   
Of the many accomplishments Suzanne has had, being a mother and Nana to 10 has been her greatest. She also enjoyed traveling to Aruba and Maine with friends and family.
She leaves her daughters, Amy Ponte (Rick) of Woodstock, Melissa Duncan (Jeffrey) of Woodstock, Rebecca Anderson (Otto) of Woodstock, and Allison Dumas (Justin) of Putnam; grandchildren; Jessica, Cody, Chase, Parker, Garrett, Dominic, Olivia, R.J., and Avery; one great-grandson, Aiden; brother, Gerry Vaillant (Sandy) of Putnam; aunt Jeanne Lavallee; her special friend, Patty Breault and her goddaughter Susan Byrnes who helped Suzanne greatly during this difficult time; her dog, Zoe.  She is predeceased by two “sons” Erik Kohler of Germany, Ricardo Zulli of Brazil, and a son-in-law Joshua Peterson.
The Funeral was Aug. 14 in the East Woodstock Congregational Church. Donations: Richard W. Franklin Memorial Fund, c/o Citizens National Bank, 182 Main St., Putnam, CT 06260;  or St. Francis Hospital Cancer Center, 114 Woodland St., Hartford, CT 06105-1299. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

David C. Lewis Sr.,
Air Force  vet
EASTFORD — David Clark Lewis Sr., 68, of Eastford died Aug. 6, 2013, at home. Born March 18, 1945, in Willimantic, to George Aldrich Lewis and Catherine Margaret Earnest Lewis.
Known to family and friends as “Pops”. David attended Woodstock Academy before entering the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam era. After leaving the Air Force, David worked at Pratt and Whitney and for the State of CT, retiring in 1997.  David was one of the most honest and sincere people you could ever meet. If he loved you and if he didn’t love you, you were the first to know.
He leaves his son, David Clark Lewis Jr.; daughter-in-law Kate Heckler-Lewis; granddaughter Salena Lewis; brother Richard Lewis; best friend Marty Dalbeck. He was predeceased by his parents, a brother Jeff and the love of his life Holly Magee, she died in 2004.
A Graveside Service with military honors will be at 10 a.m. Aug. 17 in the Grove Cemetery, Eastford. Donations: Hospice of NE CT, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam

Roma M. Billington
DANIELSON — Roma Marguerite Billington, 72, of Hampton, Va., formerly of Danielson, died July 9, 2013.  She was born in 1941, daughter of the late Edmond & Marguerite (Barrette) Billington.  
Roma’s kind heart and wonderful sense of humor will be missed by many. She had a very adventurous life growing up in Danielson, CT, raising three children, and eventually living a good portion of her retirement on the Island of Kauai before moving to Virginia to live near her sisters.
She leaves her daughter Leslie Atsales;  son Michael Baranski; sisters; Laura Briggs, Carol Smith, Donna Dinquel; brothers; Edmond Billington, Rene Billington, Leo Billington, Steven Billington and Joseph Billington; granddaughters; Shayna Atsales, Oceanna Baranski and Rochelle Baranski. Roma is predeceased by her son Edward Baranski III and grandson Edward Baranski IV.
Visitation is from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 16 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam, followed by her Funeral Service at noon in the funeral home.  Burial is in Holy Cross Cemetery in Danielson.

David M. Szafarowicz
AUBURN —  David M. Szafarowicz, 33, of Oxford St., died Aug. 3, 2013 in Leominster, Mass.  He was the husband of Justina (Chickering) Szafarowicz.  
Born in 1980 in Worcester, he is the son of Michael Szafarowicz and the late Stephanie (Nedoroscik) Szafarowicz.
Mr. Szafarowicz worked as an auto mechanic for Jim & Sons in Worcester. He enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and could fix anything with a motor.
In addition to his wife and his father, he leaves his children; Joshua Szafarowicz of Webster, Damion and Alysha Szafarowicz of Auburn, Raya and Teagan Boudreau of Sudbury, Mass., and Austin Pittman of Eastford; his sister, Kathryn Shead (Benjamin) of Thompson; nieces and nephews Isabelle, Zachary, and Samuel Shead all of Thompson; and his maternal grandfather Stephen Nedoroscik of Douglas, Mass.He was predeceased by his maternal grandmother Jane (Chojnacki) Nedoroscik, and his paternal grandparents, Eugene and Regina Szafarowicz.
Visitation was Aug. 9 in Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.

Frederick J. Daigle
PUTNAM — Frederick J. Daigle, 76, of Putnam, died Aug. 6, 2013, in Day Kimball Hospital.  Born in 1936 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Joseph and Gertrude (Hoffman) Daigle.
Mr. Daigle worked as a mill hand at Hale Manufacturing.
Mr. Daigle enjoyed talking with his friends on his CB radio with his handle being “Snowman”. He also was able to repair CB radios on his own. But, he was most passionate about the love that he showed to his pet dogs.
He leaves a brother Roger Daigle (Johanna) of Pomfret and Punta Gorda, Fla.,, and a sister Rosalie Andrews of Seminole, Fla.; nieces and nephews.
The Service was Aug. 13 in West Thompson Cemetery. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes.

David Flath
POMFRET CENTER — David (Dave) Edward Flath, 74, son of the late Ruth Stiles and Elmer A. Flath, born March 3, 1939, in White Plains, N.Y., and long-time resident of Pomfret Center, died Aug. 7, 2013, after a three-year battle with lung cancer.
David was active in the Pomfret Lions Club, the Republican Town Committee, the Pomfret Economic Development Commission, the Red Cross, and was the chair of the Pomfret Board of Finance.
He was a graduate of East Hartford High School, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and earned his MBA at Nichols College, Dudley. He also served in the Coast Guard.  He loved and supported girls’ softball, as a fan and coach, was an avid golfer, an active parishioner of Christ Church, Pomfret, and was a sports enthusiast, who loved the Cleveland Indians and UConn women’s basketball.
He was an accomplished artist and founder of Common Sense Payroll, LLC.
He leaves his wife, Sandy; children Dayna Flath  (Mike Fineran), and Leslie Flath Ganz (Mark);  grandchildren Hannah and Paloma Flath and Clara and David Ganz; brother Robert Flath; nieces Jen Cague, Rebecca Cague, husband Glenn Greenstein and son Liam, Karen Hunter and husband Larry, and nephew Bobby Flath.
A Celebration of his life will be held at 5 p.m. Aug. 16 at Christ Church, 521 Pomfret St. Donations: Community Kitchens, PO Box 502, Danielson, CT 06239. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

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