DAYVILLE — Eugene (Jim) Wilfred Lajoie, 95, died May 9, 2022. He was the husband of Elise Marie (Liz) Lajoie for 68 years. He was born in inn 1927 in N. Grosvenordale, to the late Exeas and Alice (Bellerose) Lajoie.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy Dec. 13, 1944. Jim served our country honorably assisting in the construction of the main runway at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Subic Bay, Philippines, where his son-in-law’s (Michael) Marine Squadron landed jet fighters years later in the 1980s, a testament to the quality of his work.
He was honored with the American Theater Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Medal with star.
 He was an active member of the American Legion.
Jim’s service to our country did not end there, starting as a basic carpenter at General Dynamics (Electric Boat) in Groton.
Jim eventually rose to the level of Superintendent of Carpentry responsible for more than 1,000 employees.
In a parting act of respect, on the day of his retirement, he had the honor of “pulling the trigger” to physically launch the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757). She is one of many nuclear submarines he helped build to continue the protection of our nation.
They lived for a while in Florida. He played softball in a community league until he was 75 and ran the weekly bingo for 25 years with his brother by his side, famously known as the “Lajoie Bingo Brothers”.
He and Liz eventually returned to Connecticut in 2020 to be with their extended families.
In addition to his wife, he leaves three daughters; Carol Foster (Craig) of Glastonbury, Sandra Dowell (Michael) of Montgomery, Texas, and Karen Lajoie of S. Windsor; brothers Roland “Pete” Lajoie of Dayville and Paul Lajoie of Quinebaug; six grandchildren: Christopher, Erin, Matthew, Amanda, Casey, Caitlin; and his great-grandson, Ashton. He was predeceased by his parents and siblings, Phillip Lajoie, Gerald Lajoie, Norman Lajoie, Lorraine Breault, Claire Bossier, Theresa Beauregard, Rachel Gibson, Margaret Piekarczyk, and Louise Robbins.
The Mass of Christian Burial was May 13 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery.
Donations: Alzheimer’s Association at act.alz.org in lieu of flowers. Valade Funeral Home and Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.

.

Wed.  May 18
Probate Court Event
WOODSTOCK --- The Northeast Probate Court will hold a Community Outreach Event from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Woodstock Town Hall. Free. No registration needed.

Fri.  May 20
Book/Bake Sale
BROOKLYN --- Our Lady of LaSalette Church will hold a book and bake sale from 5 to 8 p.m. May 20 and from 9 a.m. to May 21 in the church basement, Rt. 6, near the Rt. 169 intersection.

Sat.  May 21
Rabies Clinic
DANIELSON --- Pet Pals Northeast will hold a low-cost rabies clinic at from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Quinebaug Valley Veterinary Hospital on Rt. 12 on the Danielson/Plainfield town line. $15 cash per animal. Pre-registration and appointment is required. 860-317-1720.

Wed.  May 25
Family Night
PUTNAM --- BSA Troop 25 Putnam will hold its Family Night & Flag Retirement Ceremony at 7 p.m. at Rotary Park near the Bandstand. All welcome. 860-245-1322.

Fri.  May 27
Golf Tourney
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Rotary Club’s Ronald P. Coderre Golf Tournament will be held at the Connecticut National Golf Club.

Sat.  May 28
Cornhole Tournament
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Recreation Department will hold a cornhole tournament at noon at the Pomfret Recreation Park. Rain date is June 4. Double elimination style - team consists of two members. Every team is guaranteed to play at least 2 games. Min. of 12 teams needed to run the tournament; max. of 28 teams allowed. Bracket postings will be pulled out of a hat prior to the start of the event. We will provide the cornhole boards and bags. The fee is $30 per team. Prizes. Visit pomfretct.gov/recreation for the registration form.

Mon.  May 30
Memorial Day Race
WOODSTOCK --- Woodstock Recreation’s 40th Annual Memorial Day 10K. It will start at 9 a.m. from the Woodstock Academy Fieldhouse Gymnasium. Race day registration from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. at the Fieldhouse Gymnasium. To register or for info: https://runsignup.com/Race/CT/Woodstock/WoodstockMemorialDay10K. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Woodstock Fuel Assistance Program. 860-928-6595 x333.

Fri.  June 3
First Fridays
PUTNAM --- This year the Putnam Business Association’s First Fridays returns to its roots --- celebrating the arts. Artists, vendors, performances and more will fill Main Street in downtown Putnam from 5 to 9 p.m. www.discoverputnam.com.

Sat.  June 4
Farmers’ Market Opens!
PUTNAM --- Today the Putnam Saturday Farmers’ Market opens for the season and runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays through October at the Riverview Marketplace Pavilion on Kennedy Drive.  www.putnamfarmersmarket.org.

Relay For Life
WOODSTOCK --- The American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay For Life of Northeastern CT fund-raising event will be held June 4 through June 5 at Roseland Park.

Fri.  June 10
Twilight Concert
WOODSTOCK --- The Woodstock Recreation Commission and Historic New England will present, as part  of its annual Twilight Concert series, The Little Big Band from 7 to 8:30 (rain date: June 24) at Roseland Cottage. Free. 860-928-4074.

Sat.  June 11
Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Historical Society will present “Tour of Watercure Distillery in Pomfret” at 10 a.m. Free. More info on the town’s website.

Tag Sale
WOODSTOCK --- The South Woodstock Baptist Church will hold its Community Tag Sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church on Roseland Park Road. No early birds. All proceeds go to mission programs.

Sat.  June 18
Cornhole Classic
THOMPSON --- The Quinebaug Valley Regional Rotaract Club will present its Cornhole Classic from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Thompson Speedway. Benefits Rotaract Club and NEPS.  $50 per team. Register at: www.Qvrrotaractclub.com

Sun.  June 12
Fishing Derby
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Recreation Department will hold its 22nd annual fishing derby at the Pomfret Rod & Gun Club. Check-in starts at 8 and fishing is from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch and awards. Rain date June 18. Worms or night crawlers only. If you catch a trout or bass a member of the club must take your fish off the hook. Casting contest, too. $5 per child. www.pomfretct.gov/recreation.

Fri.  July 1
First Fridays
PUTNAM --- This year the Putnam Business Association’s First Fridays returns to its roots --- celebrating the arts. Artists, vendors, performances and more will fill Main Street in downtown Putnam from 5 to 9 p.m. www.discoverputnam.com.

Fri.  July 29
Twilight Concert
WOODSTOCK --- The Woodstock Recreation Commission and Historic New England will present, as part  of its annual Twilight Concert series, Dynamite Rhythm from 7 to 8:30 (rain date:  Aug. 12) at Roseland Cottage. Free. 860-928-4074.

Fri.  Aug. 5
First Fridays
PUTNAM --- This year the Putnam Business Association’s First Fridays returns to its roots --- celebrating the arts. Artists, vendors, performances and more will fill Main Street in downtown Putnam from 5 to 9 p.m. www.discoverputnam.com.

Sat.  Aug. 6
Wee Walk
POMFRET --- The Wyndham Land Trust’s family-friendly Wee Wander Walk, “Bats at Lyon Preserve” will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Dress appropriately and bring your camera. www.wyndhamlandtrust.org

Sat.  Aug. 13
History Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Historical Society will present “The Historic Mills of Pomfret” by Dick Symonds at 10 a.m. at the Pomfret Community & Senior Center on Rt. 44. Free. More info on the town’s website.

Fri.  Aug. 19
Twilight Concert
WOODSTOCK --- The Woodstock Recreation Commission and Historic New England will present, as part  of its annual Twilight Concert series, Beck N’ Call from 7 to 8:30 (rain date:  Aug. 26) at Roseland Cottage. Free. 860-928-4074.

Sat.  Sept. 10
Historical Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Historical Society will present “Common Sense: TLGV Town Commons and Greens” by Bill Reid at 10 a.m. at the Pomfret Community & Senior Center on Rt. 44. Free. More info on the town’s website.

Sat.  Oct. 1
Wee Walk
WOODSTOCK --- The Wyndham Land Trust’s family-friendly Wee Wander Walk, “Leaves and Mushrooms at Rapoport Preserve” will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Dress appropriately and bring your camera. www.wyndhamlandtrust.org

Sat.  Oct. 8
Historical Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Historical Society will present Connecticut State Historian Walter Woodward at 10 a.m. at the Pomfret Community & Senior Center on Rt. 44. Free. More info on the town’s website.

Sat. Nov. 5
Dueling Pianos
PUTNAM --- Day Kimball Healthcare will present Dueling Pianos Presented By Foxwoods Resort Casino at 7 p.m. at Connecticut National Golf Club. Benefit: Day Kimball Healthcare At Home. More Info: daykimball.org/pianos.

Sat. Nov. 12
Historical Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Historical Society will present “The Last Green Valley Notables & Notorious” by Bill Reid, TLGV chief ranger, at 10 a.m. at the Pomfret Community & Senior Center on Rt. 44. Free. More info on the town’s website.

..

caption, page 4

Sporting Medals
Keenan LaMontagne (left) and Ian Hoffman sport their medals from the Greater Hartford Invitational. Photo by Josh Welch/Woodstock Academy.

captions, page 7:

Girls’ Tennis
The Woodstock Academy girls’ tennis team took a celebratory selfie.  Photo by Keith Atchinson/Woodstock Academy.


Prep Celebration
Mario de la Cruz (25, far right) gets congratulated on his goal while Jorge Angeles (rear) gets a bear hug for his assist in the Centaurs prep soccer team’s only goal against Putnam Science Academy. Photo by Marc Allard.


caption, page 8:

Viau Serves
Woodstock Academy second singles player Gabriel Viau serves against Fitch.


Roundup
Heading into final week
of regular season
The regular season is rapidly coming to a close for spring sports programs and the Woodstock Academy boys’ tennis team came into the week with just two matches remaining.
The Centaurs played Stonington on Tuesday (the match ended too late for this edition) and will finish up with a Senior Day celebration May 21 against Killingly at Killingly which is the home court for both programs.
“We haven’t played Killingly yet so it will be a nice way to thank them for letting us share their courts by sharing some food with them,” said coach Siana Green.
The Centaurs came into the week with an 8-5 record after a 7-0 win over Lyman Memorial May 14.
The Centaurs normally play about 18-20 matches. This season the schedule allowed for only 15. All of those were matches against fellow ECC schools as the Centaurs did not play any out of league teams.
The Bulldogs did not present a big challenge for the Centaurs. The three Centaurs singles players, Evan Haskins, Gabriel Viau and Joe Zhou, all won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. The Centaurs finished up by sweeping the doubles matches as well.
Woodstock finished with a 4-2 record in Div. II of the ECC as it started the week with a 7-0 victory over New London sweeping the pro-set matches. Jai Abrams won his match 10-0 while Haskins and Viau both scored 10-1 victories for the Centaurs.
Then, it got a little more difficult as they traveled to E. Lyme to play the undefeated Vikings.
The Centaurs didn’t come away with the win, but they did win three matches in the narrow 4-3 defeat. It was the most matches won by the Centaurs since 2015 when they lost to E. Lyme 5-2 and the first time in 15 years that they had won three matches against the Vikings.
Viau posted the only singles victory for the Centaurs; a 0-6, 7-5, 7-5 decision over Aditya Kabra at second singles.
The Vikings closed out the match with a win at first doubles but the Centaurs made it close as the duo of Ari Abrams and Tyler Chamberlin posted a 7-5, 6-3 win over Andrew Campbell and David Chung at second doubles.
Owen Rigney and Diego Rodriguez took third doubles, 6-1, 6-4 over Ethan Cummings and Kenny Zheng.
The Centaurs returned home for a match against Fitch May 13. “It was sunny, no wind, and hot,” Green said.
The Falcons scored the 7-0 victory over the Centaurs. Viau had the best match again as he battled for three sets with Andres Sarder before falling, 6-2,1-6, 6-1.
Outdoor Track: LaMontagne wins again
Keenan LaMontagne continues to add to his impressive track resume. The senior won the discus competition May 14 at the Greater Hartford Invitational track meet with a throw of 166-feet, 5-inches.
Fellow senior Ian Hoffman was fifth in the 800m, and continues to edge closer to girls’ track coach Josh Welch’s school record, with a time of 2:03.5.
On the girls’ side, Centaurs junior Magdalena Myslenski was second in the discus with a 109-foot toss. The 4x800m team of Linsey Arends, Julia Coyle, Leah Castle and Leila MacKinnon also posted a second-place finish in 10:07.
Arends was also fourth in the 800m and Bella Sorrentino placed fifth in the 100m hurdles.
Girls’ Tennis: Centaurs win in CT and VT
It was a never-ending week for the girls’ tennis team as it played four league matches and then boarded the buses last weekend for a trip to Vermont.
The team won against Stowe High School, 4-3. The match with Champlain Valley Union High School was cancelled by rain.
The second doubles team of Stella Atchinson and Emma Massey broke the 3-3 tie against Stowe, the defending Vermont state champion, with a win at second doubles.
First singles player Addy Smith; fifth singles Morgan Bentley (Vermont plays five singles and two doubles matches) and the first doubles team of Logan Reynolds and Ellie Bishop-Klee also posted wins for Woodstock (8-4).
Paige Owens and Peyton Bentley spent a long time on the court in Ledyard but it was worth it.
The girls’ tennis team’s third doubles posted a 3-6, 6-1, 12-10 win to help the Centaurs secure a 5-2 victory over the Colonels early last week.
The Centaurs improved to 5-0 in Div. II of the ECC with the win.
Jackie Trudeau and Sydney Schuler added straight set victories at second and third singles. Reynolds and Bishop-Klee recorded a win at first singles and the second doubles of Morgan Bentley and Stella Atchinson also had a positive result.
The Centaurs had to go a bit further south earlier and played not one, but two matches, against ECC Div. I leader Stonington.
The Bears are always tough and showed that again as they improved to 11-0 with a pair of 7-0 victories over the Centaurs.
The Centaurs doubles teams had the best chances. The third doubles team of Owens and Peyton Bentley were nipped in the first match, 9-7 and the first doubles team of Bishop-Klee and Reynolds battled hard in the second but fell short 8-6.
The long week continued May 13 with a trip to E. Lyme. It was a match that could have gone either way as the second and third doubles went to three sets and two of the four singles matches had a set tied at five.
Unfortunately for the girls’ tennis team, all of those matches went to the Vikings who prevailed 5-2. Trudeau won at second singles and the duo of Reynolds and Bishop-Klee were successful at first doubles.
Prep Soccer: Playing for the Cup
The inaugural year of the Woodstock prep soccer program has been spent playing a series of friendlies against prep school and club programs. This weekend, the Centaurs actually have a chance to play for something. Woodstock will travel to Carver High School in Massachusetts to play the Boston Bolts 2003/2004 Central NPL team for the New England Premiership Cup at 11:30 a.m. May 21.
Should the Centaurs win the match, they would qualify for the Nationals.
Unfortunately, the Nationals are in July in Colorado in a Major League Soccer stadium and Cherackal said there would be some logistics involved to get the team there.
Earlier in the tournament, The Centaurs downed Liverpool in the quarterfinals, 2-1.
Zach Lorenz scored the first goal for Woodstock and Jordi Sanabra scored what proved to be the game winner.
The semifinals were much easier. The Centaurs rolled past Steel United 2004, 5-0.
Chaneek Park scored the only goal Woodstock needed, followed by goals from Juan Carreno, Jabari Decoteau and Pol Saiz. The Centaurs also benefitted from an own goal.
Cherackal believes the Boston Bolts may have won the Cup last year.
Although it will be their biggest, it will not be the Centaurs last competition of the season. Woodstock will travel to Maryland for a tournament over Memorial Day weekend.
The Centaurs warmed up last week with a friendly against Putnam Science Academy and lost to the Mustangs, 4-1.
Putnam Science Academy, on the other hand, had nothing to lose as it was their final game of the season with graduation the next day.
Mario de la Cruz scored the only goal for the Centaurs halfway through the first half on a cross from Jorge Angeles.
Baseball: Bacon Gets Title
In the words of coach Brian Murphy, “It was a great baseball game.”
It was just unfortunate for his Centaurs that it was Bacon Academy that walked off the field with the 4-1 win last week.
The victory gave the Bobcats the ECC Div. II regular season title.
Woodstock finished its Div. II schedule with a 6-2 record after a 16-4, five-inning win over Montville May 11.
The Centaurs saw their overall record fall to 12-5 with a 7-5 loss at Valley Regional in Deep River May 14.
Bacon took a 1-0 lead over Woodstock in the top of the third inning, but the Centaurs answered in the bottom of the inning with two outs. Hamilton Barnes singled past third and Jon Smith laced a run-scoring double into right field.
It was all senior pitcher John Novak of Bacon would give up as he scattered eight hits and went the distance. Kaden Murphy was his equal on the hill as went six innings and only gave up eight hits.
“Our pitching kept us in it,” Brian Murphy said. “Kaden did a great job and Riley (O’Brien) pitched the seventh. We got what we needed from that aspect.”
Bacon did manage to take the lead in the sixth on an RBI ground out by Chris Lusignan. The Bobcats added a pair of runs in the seventh on RBI singles from Dan Shane and Steven Laliberte.
Smith and Carter Morissette each had two hits but Woodstock just could not push enough across.
“We had opportunities, some chances, especially with two outs with runners in scoring position and we just didn’t get it done. We gave it everything we had,” Brian Murphy said.
The Centaurs opened a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Montville. But the hosts answered with three in the bottom of the inning. But it was another patented two-out rally that put the game away for Woodstock.
Eric Mathewson reached on an error and later scored on one to tie the game. After a second out, Smith doubled home Ethan Davis who had reached on an error. Zach Roethlein then knocked in Smith with a base hit.
Morissette reached on a dropped third strike, Jackson Goetz walked to load the bases. Roethlein came home on an error and Hamilton Barnes knocked in Morissette with a double. Both Goetz and Barnes scored on wild pitches to give the Centaurs an insurmountable 9-3 lead.
Goetz, Barnes and Kaden Murphy each finished with two RBIs in the win.
The Centaurs fell behind Valley Regional early, rallied to take the lead briefly, but saw the Warriors chip away and post the two-run win. The hosts opened a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first only to see it evaporate in the top of the second.
Three walks loaded the bases for Woodstock Academy and Mathewson brought the first run across with a single. Morissette made it a one-run deficit when he scored on a wild pitch and Brennan Blow followed with a two-run single to give the Centaurs a short-lived advantage.
Valley Regional tied the game in the bottom of the second and went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth.
Barnes singled home Goetz in the fifth but the Centaurs could not push the tying run across. Davis and Goetz each had two hits in the loss for Woodstock.
Boys’ Lacrosse: 8th Win
The Woodstock boys’ lacrosse team has two games left and that means, with an 8-6 record, the worst they could do is finish .500. That was the result of a 14-3 win over Norwich Tech May 12.
“It really was important for us because you don’t want to get behind in the loss column,” said coach Jason Tata. “It keeps the morale up. It’s nice to have the eight wins but I want 10. I want these next two games, but I know it will be an uphill climb.”
The Centaurs finish the regular season this week with matches against Fitch and E. Lyme on the road.
After that, it’s possibly the ECC tournament and definitely the Class M state tournament.
“We just have to work on dialing things in. Overall, we’re a nice, complete team but there are a lot of little things that we have to work on. Sometimes, the clears don’t work out the way we want or we’re a little lazy on offense or defense. We have to tighten up those bolts a little bit because we’re going to likely meet up with a team that we have never played or seen film on. We have to make sure we are dialed in on our side,” Tata said.
The Centaurs finished up last week on the road at the Warriors.
But they never let Norwich Tech, winners of its previous three matches, into the game.
Woodstock scored five goals in the first six minutes, getting two each from Zach Gessner and Jonah Libby. Gessner would finish with four goals in the win.
Libby added four assists while Jared Neilsen had a goal and three assists.
The Centaurs were missing a key ingredient against Waterford earlier in the week.
 Their top face-off player, Jacob Jurnovoy, was away on a college visit and his presence was sorely missed.
It loomed large early as Waterford dominated the draw and built an early lead enroute to a 14-5 win over the Centaurs.
The Lancers dominated possession in the first half, taking 23 shots. It led to a 10-1 lead with only Gessner, off an assist from Libby, able to get on the board for the Centaurs.
The Centaurs trailed 12-2 going into the final quarter after Libby scored a goal in the third. Woodstock did cause Waterford a little consternation when it scored the first three goals of the final period. Neilsen scored twice and Libby added his second goal of the game but the Lancers were able to weather the storm as they scored two goals in the final 4 1/2 minutes to account for the final.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

.