Winners
Besides the Putnam Rotary Club’s Scholarship Fund, winners of the Putnam Rotary Club’s Ronald P. Coderre Golf Tournament on May 27 include:  First Place: 54 Paul Archer Dave Langevin, Tim Whitecross, Bruce Barrett; Second Place: 58 Dr. Jeff Simpson, Dr. Jack  Mooney, Joe Malardo, Brian Litke; Third Place: 58 Brendan Meehan, Michael Meehan, Jared Meehan, Courtney  Ravenelle. Closest to Pin: Hole 7: Tim Whitecross; Hole 11: Jim St. Jean Winners of the Ace in the Hole Awards were: Rotarians Jeffrey Rawson (2nd from left) and Marc Archambault (3rd from left). They are flanked by J. Scott Pempek, Putnam Rotary Club president, left, and Rotarian Ronald P. Coderre. Linda Lemmon photo.

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As his teammates celebrated PSA’s third national championship inside #ClubDub, Taiga Jones stood off to the side, wiping tears from face.
“I was glad,” Jones explained recently. “I felt a lot of pressure from home. I was glad to be done with the pressure in such a way that we won a championship.”
Jones, the sharp-shooting postgrad from Japan, said he was glad too to announce that he will play next year at Iowa Western Community College. And that he learned so much from his experience at PSA, which will only serve to help him as he heads to the Midwest.
“I don’t think there will be the same pressure,” said Jones, PSA’s only Japanese student this past year.
“My heart is stronger now. Being at Putnam Science wasn’t hard because I was part of a family here. I feel like I have to work even harder next year, so my feeling is not to relax. There is still more work to do. But I feel sure that I can do it because I have done it here first.”
The 19-year-old Jones had an up-and-down year with the Mustangs, but was always a threat to score from anywhere behind the 3-point line. He started his career with a bang, making 12 of his first 24 3’s over the first four games, scoring in double figures in three of those games. But he only went for 10-plus points once more over the course of the season. An ankle injury and sickness kept him out of five games midway through, and he was never quite himself the rest of the way. That, coupled with the emergence of another international shooter, Soti Nafpliotis, led to a reduction in his minutes.
“I do think that time he missed really threw him off a little,” said coach Tom Espinosa. “But he was the same kid, every day. One of the best shooters we have had here, ever. Taiga’s a terrific worker, a terrific young man. He should get a chance at Iowa Western to play and show everyone what he can do.”
Jones, who works as tirelessly on his English as he does on his shooting, wants to study philosophy in college because, as he said, “I like to think.” And if he can play well enough at Iowa Western and beyond, he’d love to a professional basketball career in Asia. If that doesn’t work out, he wants to return home to Japan to be an editor and writer.
Even then, he said he will remember his time at PSA fondly.
“The games were the best,” he said. “I will remember the final. I will miss the PSA basketball family. That wasn’t hard. I don’t speak English well, but it’s still basketball. We can still play together. We can all speak basketball. And I am grateful for that.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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Carole A. Marshall
THOMPSON —  Carole Ann (Breault) Marshall, 79, of Thompson died peacefully at her home on May 26, 2022.
For the past 57 years, she was the wife of Nicholas J. Marshall and together they had four daughters: Sue Spahl (Eric) of Dudley, Lauren Bowen of Dover, N.H., Kathleen Naumann (Richard) of Thompson, and Nicole McGarry (Aaron) of Thompson. She also leaves her brother Donald Breault (Sheila) and her sister Barbara Jolicoeur, both of North Carolina; six grandchildren: Caitlin Bowen, Christie Bowen, Jeffrey Spahl, Matthew Spahl, Renee Giroux (Trevor) and Benjamin McGarry and one great-grandchild, Cohen Giroux. She was predeceased by one granddaughter, Ashley Leveillee.
Carole was born in 1943 and grew up in Worcester, the daughter of the late Ralph and Ellen (Koski) Breault. In addition to raising her family, she worked for Hubbard Hospital in Webster, the former Someplace Special in Putnam, and the Vernon Stiles Inn in Thompson. She retired from her work as a parish secretary for St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale.
Carole liked to stay socially active and enjoyed her years as a coach and manager for the Thompson Lassie League and as a member of a ladies bowling league. She also loved to cook and play cards, teaching all her grandchildren how to play, and being part of several local bridge and pitch clubs. Cooking and acting as host for all the social and holiday gatherings throughout her life will be cherished and treasured memories of her large and extended family. Most of all, Carole loved spending time with family and friends at Wells Beach in Maine.
Visitation will be at 10 a.m. June 2 at the Valade Funeral Home & Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale. A short service will be at 11:30 a.m. with burial following at St. Mary Cemetery in Putnam.  Donations: Day Kimball Hospice; or the Channel 3 Kids Camp located in Andover, Connecticut.

Theresa D. Jolie
PUTNAM — Theresa D. (Plouffe) Jolie, 86, of Sabin St, died May 23, 2022 at Day Kimball Hospital.  She was the wife of the late Omer J. Jolie. Born in 1936 in the Attawaugan section of Killingly, she was the daughter of the late Wilfrid and Alice (Gregoire) Plouffe.
Mrs. Jolie worked as a machine operator for ACME Cotton and was a member of the Putnam Senior Citizens. She enjoyed the ocean, traveling, playing cards, spending time with family, sewing, and her cat, Mittens.
Theresa leaves her son, Brian O. Jolie (Gretchen Lord-Jolie) of South Beach, Org.; her daughter, Cathy A. Fleming of Putnam; her grandchildren, Trista Albert (Trevor Albert), Shawn Jolie (Kayla Jolie), Ryan Bellerose (Kat Bellerose), Amanda Diaz (Daniel Diaz), and Thomas Fleming and his girlfriend Emily DeMarco; great-grandchildren, Teagan, Taylor, Owen, Miles, Raiden, Caleb, Talan, Alyson, and Valerie. She was predeceased by her sister, Gertrude Landry.
As requested by Theresa, services have been private. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St, Putnam.

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