Becher signs NLI
to Holy Cross
WOODSTOCK — The Woodstock Academy senior Simon Becher had long ago verbally committed to the College of Holy Cross in Worcester.
Last week, he made it official.
Becher, from Brooklyn, signed his National Letter of Intent for a full four-year scholarship to play soccer for the Crusaders in the Library at Woodstock Academy.
“I’m extremely happy. It’s been a long time coming. I’ve waited about a year and a half to make it official,” Simon Becher said.
Becher never played soccer for the Centaurs.
He played for Oakwood Soccer Academy in Glastonbury since he was in eighth grade.
“It’s been an unbelievable experience. It’s taken a long time to get to this point, a lot of car trips, a lot of practices, a lot of driving around for my wife and I, but at the end of the day, it all paid off,” said his father, Mike.
According to his Dad, what set Simon apart was his personal drive.
When there was no practice in Glastonbury, Simon would work out in his yard or in the basement or at Woodstock Academy.
“I always felt like he did more than the average person to get where he is at,” his father said.
It’s been a pretty incredible ride lately for Simon.
Shortly after the calendar flipped to 2018, Becher was on his way to Florida to participate in a tryout camp for the U(nder)-20 U.S. National team that will play in the World Cup in 2019. Becher is in a pool of just over 30 players in consideration for that honor.
Next week, Simon and his younger brother, Nathan, head to Holland for a week as part of an Oakwood Academy experience.
But playing for Oakwood meant he had to sacrifice the experience of playing with his friends at The Woodstock Academy, many of whom were looking on when Simon signed his NLI.
“My friends have been nothing but supportive of me throughout this whole thing. They’re always there for me, always pushing me, and helping me to strive to be my very best. To have them here, my family, my teachers, it’s something really special,” Simon said. “Not playing at the high school was a big decision. It makes you feel like you are letting your friends down, but they never made me feel guilty about it.”
The Crusaders finished 7-9-4 this past season, but Simon feels the program is on an upswing under the guidance of Marco Koolman who will be entering his seventh season as men’s soccer head coach next season.
“I think I fit into his style very well. I couldn’t be more excited to come in and try to make an impact as a freshman,” Simon said.
Simon said the school as a whole was a winner in his book with great academics, a good soccer program and nice facilities.
It didn’t hurt that the school is also not far from his Brooklyn home.
“I wanted to stay close for my parents,” Simon said. “I wanted to stay on the East Coast and 40 minutes away in Worcester is like in my backyard. My family and parents are such a big part of getting me to this place, I wanted them to be able to come up and see me play.”
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
Joan E. Morrell
PUTNAM — Joan (Berthiaume) Morrell, 80, of Elvira Heights died Feb. 7, 2018, at home. She was the wife of Albert J. Morrell for 62 years. Born in 1937 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Aldege “Dave” and Edith (Diggins) Berthiaume.
Joan worked for American Optical in the safety division. She enjoyed reading and traveling.
She leaves her son, David Morrell (Susan) of Canterbury; her daughters Deborah Apostolik (Jack) of Leesburg, Fla., and Christine Lynch (Bill) of Spencer, Mass.; her grandchildren, Tiffany Chabot, Stephanie Daniels, Michael Kroell, and Joseph Kroell; and her two great-granddaughters, Abrielle and Natalie Rose.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Feb. 12 in St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, with burial in St. Mary Cemetery. Donations: Oncology Department at Day Kimball Hospital. 12 Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory 104 Church St., Putnam.
R. ‘Tom’ Musumeci
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Feb. 2, 2018, Rosario “Tom” Thomas Musumeci of Boynton Beach, died in the TrustBridge Hospice in Boynton Beach. He fought cancer —glioblastoma brain tumor.
Tom was born Nov. 26, 1942, in Mellili, Sicily Italy to the late Giuseppe and Vincenza (DiMauro) Musumeci. Tom arrived at Ellis Island on Aug. 17, 1948, with his father while his mother and older sister, Sebastiana (Nella), had come to the U.S. the year before.
Tom lived in Middletown where he played Little League Baseball, becoming a member of the Connecticut Allstar Championship Team in 1953. He was a member of the Middletown High School Class of 1962, where he earned 11 varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball. He was awarded the Connecticut Scholastic Art Gold Key for his water color painting of the Charles W. Morgan Whaling Ship at Mystic Seaport. As a state winner, his painting was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Scholastic in 1960.
Tom began college in the fall of 1962 at Becker Junior College where he earned an associate’s degree in accounting and met the love his life, Jeri Lee Carpenter of Woodstock. They were married on Dec. 5, 1964, at St. Sebastian Church in Middletown.
While working and raising a young family in Woodstock Tom earned his bachelor’s degree at Nichols College in Dudley graduating in May 1970.
With some free time, he volunteered to coach local Senior and Little Leagues in Putnam and Woodstock. He coached for over 20 years, starting before his children were old enough to play ball. He knew he could make a difference to the community by offering equipment and transportation to disadvantaged youth. All were welcome on Tom’s teams as long as they could put on a baseball cap over their long hair! It was the ‘70s! His love of art never dwindled, he would stop at any or all art galleries no matter where he traveled, especially during a trip to Italy in 2005. It was a must to see the work of his favorite artists, from Sicily to Rome to Florence, Venice, and Milan, all the while providing his wife, Jeri with a rich history lesson from each.
Tom was a 48-year member in the BPO Elks Lodge 574 in Putnam and a member of the Knights of Columbus for many years as well. In retirement Tom’s passions were golfing and writing, having completed three novels.
He leaves his wife Jeri of 53 years; his three sons Brian (Selena) and Joseph (Karen) of Woodstock, Scott of Orlando, Fla.; one daughter Gina (Jason) Werner of Hartford; seven grandchildren: Mikayla, Shealyn, Thomas, Ella Rose, Giulia and Gianna of Woodstock and Nicholas of Palm Coast, Fla.; three sisters, Sebastiana (C. Richard) Rose of Florida, Ann Marie (Robert) Rogers, and Santina (Dale) Aldieri of Middletown; his father-in-law, Walter E. Johnson (Doris) of Daytona Beach, FL; brothers-in-law Richard (Jeanne) Johnson of Thompson, and Alan (Donna) Johnson of Brunswick, Ga.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 23 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam. The Mass of Christian Burial gathering will be at 10:15 a.m. Feb. 24 at the funeral home and the Mass will be at 11 a.m. at Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret. Donations: To honor Tom and his love of art and athletics — the Rosario “Tom” Musumeci Memorial Fund for the Arts and Athletics to benefit students and/or programs in these areas. Donations can be mailed to: The Woodstock Academy Office of Advancement, 57 Academy Road, Woodstock, CT
Richard O. Davis
BROOKLYN — Richard O. Davis, 84, of Brooklyn died Feb. 11, 2018, at Davis Place in Danielson. Richard was born Aug. 23, 1933, in Plainfield, the son of the late Russell and Margaret (Dailey) Davis.
He was the husband of the late Shirley Ann (Bolduc) Davis.
Richard worked at William Prym Inc. in Dayville until its closing, and later worked at Electric Boat in Groton. He along with his wife Shirley owned and operated S&R Gardens in Brooklyn. Richard was kind and giving to everyone.
He leaves his children Dianne Berube (Larry) of Dayville, Debra Sullivan (Jerry) of Brooklyn, Robert Davis (Madeleine) of Brooklyn and Gary Davis (Linda) of North Carolina; 10 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at a later date in Westfield Cemetery, Danielson. Tillinghast Funeral Home, Danielson.
Dick W. Ploof
MANSFIELD, Mass. — Richard (Dick) W. Ploof, 70, formerly of Danielson, died Feb. 4, 2018, at the Hope Hospice in Providence.
He was born Nov. 17, 1947, in Jefferson, Vt., the son of the late Herbert and Florence Mae (Eldred) Ploof.
Dick worked as a cross country truck driver his entire working life. He was a kind hearted man.
He leaves his children Tracy Caffrey (Jason) of Brooklyn, Barbara Busch (David) of Tolland, Becky Langlais (Roger) of Wakefield, R.I., Meagan Ploof of Endicott, N.Y., and Richard Ploof of Tunkhannock, Penn.; brother Donald Ploof (Maria) of Mansfield, Mass.; 10 grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister Luella Couture and brother Roger Ploof.
The Funeral was Feb. 8 in Tillinghast Funeral Home, Danielson, with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson.
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Donation
The Putnam Rotary Club donated $250 to the Putnam Eastford Little League. League fund-raising director T.J. Billiard, right, accepted the donation and presented Putnam Rotary Club President Rick Place with a plaque of appreciation. Linda Lemmon phot
caption:
Serving Potatoes
Troop 21 Scouts and adults serve baked potatoes, chili, and several other toppings at the Putnam troop’s Sixth Annual Baked Potato Buffet. The Scouts raised more than $700, to pay for camping gear and Scout summer camp. Photo by John D. Ryan.
PUTNAM — Try this recipe: Take 160 large potatoes, bake for an hour, add some special home-made Creole and French chili and a few other toppings – and you send a Boy Scout to summer camp.
It’s not magic; Troop 21 in Putnam did just that Feb. 10, when Scouts held their Sixth Annual Troop 21 Baked Potato Buffet, in the basement of St. Mary Church of the Visitation. Adding in the evening’s sale of candy bars, and the event netted Troop 21 more than $700.
Scoutmaster Peter A. Lombardo said the Scouts need the money. “Troop 21 never turns any boy away for financial reasons,” said Lombardo, a Putnam resident. “This money will help us to buy needed camping equipment and send our boys to summer camp.
The successful buffet was held the night before Troop 21 celebrated the annual Scout Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s, when Scouts in uniform marched in carrying the American and troop flags and received a blessing from the parish’s Parochial Vicar, Rev. Thomas P. Griffin.
Since the Boy Scouts of America was founded in 1910, Scout Sunday has been observed around the country every year, during the month the B.S.A. was founded, in February. It’s part of putting into practice the 12th and final point of the Boy Scout Law, “a Scout is Reverent.”
“It’s great to see that Troop 21’s Scouts are following their Christian faith and being ‘fishers of young men,’” said St. Mary’s Pastor and Troop 21’s Chaplain the Very Rev. David P. Choquette, himself a former Scout. “Troop 21’s Scouts are practicing what being reverent means in real life. It’s still a priority for them, no matter where they are or what the circumstances. That’s a great example for everybody.”
Chartered to St. Mary’s, Troop 21 is open to any boy aged 11 to 17. Scouts do not have to be Catholic or be members of the church. Troop 21 includes a mix of Catholics and Protestants, so the Scoutmaster said that needs to be taken into account.
“We’re taught that ‘a Scout respects the beliefs of others,’ so we make sure that we ask the parents’ permission first and that when they’re out with us our Scouts are allowed to worship God as their parents see fit,” Lombardo said.
The Scoutmaster noted that a Boy Scout troop’s operations are run by the boys themselves, with the adults overseeing transportation and making sure everyone is healthy and safe.
“Right now, Troop 21 needs more Scouts and more adult leaders,” Lombardo said. “We have an active, fun program here in Putnam. We do the kinds of things that many boys wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. We help our young men to develop character and leadership and have fun doing it. We’re looking for boys, their parents and members of the community to come and join us. We’d be happy to have you.” For information about joining or volunteering to help Troop 21, call Lombardo at (860) 963-0171 and leave a message.
Among other activities, Troop 21 started its year in September, helping out on-site at the annual weekend “Circle of Fun” carnival at St. Mary’s, followed by a weekend living aboard the USS Constitution and a hike on the Boston Freedom Trail, a science and technology program for Scouts at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London and the troop’s Christmas party and a Providence Bruins hockey game.
Lombardo said there’s more to come by the time the troop’s program ends with a week of Scout camp in July, with Troop 21 preparing to go winter camping, a food drive for local needy people, a weekend camping in New York at the 56th Annual West Point Scout Camporee at the United States Military Academy, camping with many other local Scouts at the 2018 Nipmuck District Spring Camporee on the grounds of Roseland Cottage in Woodstock and the troop’s fishing and wilderness survival weekend, in June.