Raymond L. Morin,

WWII vet

DANIELSON — Raymond L. Morin, 89, of Danielson died Dec. 14, 2016, at Davis Place in Danielson. He was the husband of Rita (LaFlamme) Morin for 70 years. 

He was born Oct. 19, 1927, in Killingly, son of the late Israel and Laura (Chenail) Morin. Ray was a longtime resident of Killingly. He was a veteran of WWII serving with the U.S. Navy on the USS Macon, a light destroyer. 

He owned and operated Morin’s Atlantic Gas Station in Dayville for more than 10 years. Ray was a 50-year member of the Pomfret Rod and Gun Club and enjoyed the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing. He was an avid fan of horse racing and the Patriots. 

Besides his wife Rita he leaves his children, Richard Morin (Elizabeth) of Pomfret Center, Kevin Morin of Dayville, Gail Morin of Dayville; eight grandchildren, five great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by a brother Rene Morin.

A Mass of Christian Burial was Dec. 20 at St. James Church, Danielson, with burial with military honors in Holy Cross Cemetery. Donations: Hospice of NE CT, 320 Pomfret St., Putnam, CT 06260. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson. 

 

Randall D. Wiedner,

Army vet

PUTNAM —  Randall D. Wiedner, 56, of Union St., died Dec. 10, 2016, in Day Kimball Hospital. Born in 1960 in St. Louis, he was the son of the late Margret Wiedner and Earl Wiedner.

Randy was a 1978 graduate of the Jennings High School in Jennings, Kan., and was a peacetime U.S. Army veteran.  He worked at U.S. Button for the past 10 years as a press mechanic in the pre-form department, previously working as a pipefitter and welder.

He was known as the class clown and loved being the center of attention making everyone laugh. Randall was a “Jack of all trades and a master of none” and pleasured in having a beer with friends.

He leaves his son Thomas Wiedner of Lake Orion, Mich. ; his daughter Ashley Loewen of Waterford, Mich; brother of Chris Wiedner of Illinois; three grandchildren Samantha Wiedner, Thomas Wiedner II, and Emma Lee Wiedner.

The Funeral was private. Gilman & Valade Funeral Homes and Crematory, Putnam.

 

Carol E. Walberg

WOODSTOCK — Carol E. (Shooter) Walberg, 76, of Woodstock, died Dec. 12, 2016, at home.

Her husband, Donald Walberg, died in 2013.  She leaves one son, Donald R. Walberg of Pomfret; three daughters, Jill Duggan of Canton, Mass., Judy Walberg and her husband Dan French of Woodstock, Kristen Walberg of Charlton, one brother, Dennis Shooter of Columbia; one sister, Katherine Shooter of Woodstock; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.  She was predeceased by a brother, Thomas Shooter and a sister, Diane Anderson.

She was born in Williamsport, Penn., daughter of the late Charles and G. Marie (Beiter) Shooter and lived in Woodstock most of her life.  She was the Woodstock tax assessor for 25 years, retiring in 2002.  

The Funeral was private.  Donations: Charity of the donor’s choice.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.  

 

Randall Thomson Ash

TOLLAND/PUTNAM — Randall “Randy” Thomson Ash, 73, died Dec. 11, 2016, at Hartford Hospital after a lengthy and courageous battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.  

Randy was born April 16, 1943, into a Navy family in Riverdale,  Md.,the third child and second son to Chief Petty Officer Robert Kenyon Ash, USN and Eleanor Charlotte (Ritchie), whose families were long-time residents of this area.  

During his earlier years, Randy’s military family lived in Maryland; Oahu, Hawaii; Maine; Virginia; and Puerto Rico before returning home to Connecticut in 1954.  He attended many schools before his father returned the family to his hometown of Putnam.  In 1961, Randy graduated from Putnam High School, 12th in his class of 91.  Randy then attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, located In Troy, N.Y., with the aspiration of becoming an architect.  He also attended UConn.

In 1962, Randy married the love of his life, Shirley Adams, his long-time school sweetheart.  They were blessed with two wonderful children, Donna Lee, and Craig Randall.  For the next 23 years, Randy enthusiastically pursued a career at the principal employer in Putnam, the Belding Heminway Corticelli Company.  In 1986, he began a 25-year career being self-employed with American Light Industries in affiliation The Sandstrom Carbide Company of Warwick, R.I., as a machinist.  

Randy was noted for being a man of principle and passion.  He worked tirelessly and was driven by purpose while maintaining focus on both immediate and long-term objectives.

While in his early years he saw far-flung and exotic places, Randy spent the last 62 years of his life in the serene and beautiful “Quiet Corner” of northeastern Connecticut.  He loved the area and the community. 

Randy’s fascination with military planes, ships and submarines began during his youth and continued throughout his life.  Randy was also an avid Red Sox Fan and enjoyed Formula 1 Racing. 

He leaves his wife of 54 years, Shirley, and their two children: Donna Brown (Roger) and and Craig Ash (Jenifer) and their daughter Sophia Nora; three siblings: Nancy M. Ash (Dr. Joseph H. Burke) of Bluffton, S.C., and Colonel Robert K. Ash Jr. (Linda) of San Antonio, and Jon Jeffrey Ash (Sue) of Warwick.

Final arrangements are being made by the immediate family and will be private. 

 

Ernest A. Bousquet Jr.

PUTNAM — Ernest A. Bousquet Jr., 79, died Dec. 15, 2016, in Webster Manor Nursing Home.  He was the husband of Judith (Reynolds) Bousquet.  Born in 1937 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Ernest A. Bousquet Sr. and Mary (Kenyon) Bousquet.

Mr. Bousquet worked in the research laboratory at American Optical for 38 years.  

In addition to his wife Judy, he leaves his son, Robert Bousquet of Putnam; his daughter, Mary Cotnoir (Paul) of Putnam; and his grandchildren, Joseph Cotnoir, and Daniel Cotnoir. 

Services are private. Donations: Notre Dame Center, 555 Plantation St., Worcester, MA 01605. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes and Crematory.

 

Lillian H. Blanchette

BOSCAWEN. N.H. — Lillian H. (Buchholz) Blanchette, 89, died Dec. 17, 2016, at Concord Hospital. She was the wife of the late Robert J. Blanchette.

Lillian was born in 1926 in New Britain, the daughter of the late Wilhelm “William” Buchholz and Olga (Liedtke) Buchholz and was the youngest of seven children. She lived there for 70 years until she moved to Boscawen in 1998.  She was a member of St. Matthews Lutheran Church in New Britain.  

She leaves three children and their families, Dennis Blanchette (Janet) of Thompson and their three children, Daniel Blanchette (Lisa) of Pomfret, Ellen Blanchette and her fiancé Anna of Salem, Mass., and Alison Blanchette and her partner Justin of Manchester; Denise McMahon (Kevin) and their three children Erin, Colleen, and Jennifer all of Boscawen; Daniel Blanchette and fiancé Stephanie of Westminster, Colo., and his son Marshall of Northglenn, Colo.; her sister-in-law, Irene Buchholz of Irvington, Vir. She is predeceased by five brothers and one sister. 

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 22 in the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. Burial will take place at a later date.  Donations: Pope Memorial S.P.C.A., 94 Silk Farm Rd. Concord, NH 03301.  

 

Bernice P. Brown

POMFRET CENTER — Bernice (Grabiak) Brown, AKA “Ma Brown,” 77, of 400 Deerfield Rd., died Dec. 13, 2016.  She was the wife of the late Lewis James Brown Sr. and a companion of the late Clarence V. Vitalis. 

Born in 1939 in Harrisburg, Penn., she was the daughter of the late Walter and Mary (Yaukauskas) Grabiak.

Mrs. Brown attended Vandergrift High School and was a homemaker who was very proud of her children and grandchildren.  She enjoyed playing bingo, crocheting, bird watching, painting, watching wrestling and auto racing. She was also a lifetime member of the Woodstock Fair. 

She leaves her daughters, Christine Papuga (Christopher) of Sterling, Lisa Dyer (Christopher) of Pomfret Center, and Angela Frechette of Danielson; her brother, Walter Grabiak (Nancy) of Leesburg, Fla.; her sisters, Ruth Roberto of Vandergrift, Penn., Dorothy Humes of Wauregan, and Josephine League of Danielson; her grandchildren, Ayden Papuga, Shaun and Liam Dyer, Keith and Austin Frechette, and Michael Rosario; her great-grandchildren, Owen and Logan Dyer. She was predeceased by her son, Lewis James Brown Jr.; her daughter 

 

Stephen R. League

WOODSTOCK — Stephen R. League died Dec. 6, 2016. 

He was born March 2, 1974 in New Kensington, Penn., to Josephine League of Danielson and Roger League of Richmond, Va. He was a wanderer at heart, never known to be in one spot for too long. He split his time later in life between Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Woodstock.

Stephen enjoyed life to the fullest. Music, dance landscaping and traveling with his dog Portia are just a few of the many things he was known for. He was remembered for his kindness, ability to make you laugh, or just make you feel better no matter the situation. He was never afraid to be himself, no matter what anyone thought. He was one of a kind.

In addition to his mother, he he leaves his step-father Robert Blanchette of Danielson; his sister Maria Gandy-Winslow (Scott) of Brooklyn; his sister Diana Gandy of Fort Lauderdale; and his brother Joseph League (Melissa) of Canterbury; five nieces, two nephews, two great-nieces, and two great-nephews. 

The funeral was private. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

 

Allan R. Ambruson

PUTNAM — Allan R. Ambruson, 80, of Putnam, died Dec. 17, 2016, at home.

He was born in Worcester, son of the late Sven and Linnea (Pearson) Ambruson and lived in Worcester before moving to Putnam 16 years ago.  He was a retired healthcare worker, having worked many years at Worcester State Hospital.  He enjoyed going to the casino and baseball, especially the New York Yankees.

He leaves his companion of 16 years, Jeannette (Jason) Lepasio of Putnam; two step-daughters, Lorna Caprio of Woodstock and Lynnette Smith of Putnam; a brother, Lyndon Ambruson (Lisa) of Warren, Mass.; two sisters, Lois Charlebois (Paul) of Florida, Marcia Ciak and her companion Albert of Blackstone, Mass.

Visitation is from 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 7 with a prayer service at 2:30, in the Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

Nancy L. McCauley

PUTNAM — Nancy L. McCauley, 54, of Putnam, died Nov. 24, 2016.

Nancy was born in Natick, Mass., and had previously lived in Webster and Thompson before moving to Putnam five years ago.  

She was a bartender at the Village Restaurant in Woodstock.  She had a love for animals, especially dogs and was an avid fan of NASCAR and the Boston Red Sox.

She leaves her companion, Joseph Ouellette and his daughters of Putnam; her mother, Nancy (Carter) Horniak and her step-father, Ed Horniak of Hillsboro, N.H.; her step-mother and best friend, Mary McCauley of Putnam; her daughter, Heather Skow of Springfield, Mass.; a brother, Robert E. McCauley III of Webster; three sisters, Tamara Battista (Paul) of Dudley, Brenda Lemire and her companion Paul Lemire of Webster. Robyn McCauley and her companion Robert Muzziolli of Webster; eight grandchildren. She was predeceased by her father, Robert E. McCauley II  in 1996 and by a daughter, Holly Albestki-Almquist in 2016.

A Celebration of Life will be held and announced at a later date.  

Donations: Any animal rescue shelter of the donor’s choice.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

Kathleen Snow

WOODSTOCK — Kathleen E. (Mooney) Snow, 69, of Woodstock, died Dec. 5, 2016, at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam.

She was born in Putnam, daughter of the late Thomas and Emma (Mese) Mooney and lived in Putnam and Woodstock most of her life. 

 She was a Special Education teacher, working for the Woodstock School Department.

She leaves her husband of 49 years, Walter A. Snow of Woodstock; two sons, Scott T. Snow (Jean) of Dudley, Jason A. Snow of Woodstock; a daughter, Kelly M. Phar and her companion, Michael McIntosh of Pomfret; two brothers, Robert Mooney of Putnam and George Mooney of Thompson; one sister, Lillian Rondeau of Putnam; four grandchildren, Kieley, Nicholas, Trinity and Robert.  

The funeral was private. 

Donations: Woodstock Little League.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

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Academy

honor rolls

WOODSTOCK — The Woodstock Academy First Quarter Honor Roll  includes:

Seniors

High Honors: Adam Anastasio, Kaylea Bessios, Abigale Binette, Christian Bombara Jr., Allison Brady, Audrey Chase, Linxian Chen, Vivek Cherian, Emily Faist, Maya Fraga, 

Cameron Grube, Dylan Grube, Daniel Harrington, Delane Hartland, Allen Horn, Emily Hughes, Emma Kellermann, William Liscomb, Grace Logan, Steven Lotter, Yuanchen Ma, Jessica Mason, Alexandra Matthews, Jonathan Mustis, Payton Muzyczka, Isabel O’Neill, Jake Owens, Madison Palmerino, Olivia Pappas, Franchesca Pescatello, Claudia Plummer, Kendyll Smith, Coleen Solitro, Jordyn Staveski, Cassidy Thorpe, Jackie Wedegis, Jordyn Woodland, Manni Yu and Tongyue Zhang.

Honors: Casey Allen, Kalle Balogh, Caitlyn Bavosi, Ryan Black, Alexander Bosio, Caleb Bowen, Dante Brisson, Nina Campbell, Cassie Caron, Molly Castano, Xin Cen, Maxwell Chace, Lauren Chenail, Christopher Claprood, Andrew Clark, Colette Cloutier, Mackenzie Conover, Meghan Corey, Katherine Dalimonte, Nathan Deluca, Ethan Desmond, Brittany Eber, Logan Farley, Rebecca Feldman, Timothy Ferrigno, Seamus Flynn, Camille Frigon, Qi Gao, Roxanne Garceau, Kathia Gonzalez, Briana Guillot, Jacob Hall, Molly Harrington, Julie He, Ran He, Yihao He, Zidie He, Brian Hemeon, James Hemeon, Rebecca Hermann, Patrick Houlihan, Ya-Chien Hsu, Tyler Huhtanen, Xinyi Jin, Grace Jocson, Kaley Kasacek, Shealyn Kelley, Jessica Kratochvil, Kylie Kusnarowis, Bethany LaFramboise, Sylvia Lawrence, Emily Lengyel, Yuang Liu, Laura Looby, Samuel Majek, Christian Mayotte, Sean McGroary, Myles Murren, Luke Nielson, Matthew Papp, Zhibo Peng, Taylor Phillips, Conor Quinn, Toni Ramos, Alexander Rangel, David Redfield, Thomas Robidoux, Shayna Robinson, Julia Roemer, Samantha Ross, Clara Sarantopoulos, Ian Sauco, Joseph Schley, Bryn Sconzo, Jessica Semancik, Hannah Shimer, Collin Singleton, Cuinn Stevenson, Paige Stuyniski, Graham Sweetnam, Chloe Tew, Joseph Thompson Jr., Alyssa Tracy, Caitlin Tracy, Kelly Trivella, Jacob Trudeau, John Underwood, Anthony Ventura, Tongyao Wang, Dingchen Yao, Yuting Zeng, Zikai Zhang, Honghui Zhou, Yingnan Zhu and Wei Zou.

Recognition:  Hannahrose Andrews, Ivan Asikainen, Hazem Barkache, Darcey Bastow, Jacob Brule, Elise Bulmer, Hunter Campbell, Jaden Cheng, Keeling Chiu, Aidan Cleary, Zackery Cordier, Katrina Davis, Carly DeLuca, Bruce Dexter III, Liam Dyer, Sydney Feragne, Stephen Gagnon, Hunter Garceau, Shai-Lin Gothreau, Caitlyn Ireland, Mikko Koivisto, Tyler Lajoie, Devin Leroy, Tianan Lin, Phoebe McCarthy, Lara McClelland, Zhuocheng Mei, Angela Nigro, Ty Nilo, Janhvi Patel, Zachary Ramos, Mikayla Roush, Edwin Ruiz-Sandoval, Sean Stenglein, Mackenzie Stewart, Sydney Trudo, Jesse Viteri, Jameson White, Caleb Wilcox and Feilong Zhou.

Juniors

High Honors: Jessica Anderson, Haley Armstrong, Zhiqing Chen, Eleonora Chervenkova, Abigail Dustin, Caroline Eaton, Griffin Edwards, Nora Guszkowski, Julian Martin, Ciri Miller, Kiara Monahan, Hannah Reynolds, Hailey Schofield, Ian Sohan, Sophia Stoll, Jacob Webber, Jamie Woods and Zhiging Chen.

Honors:  Isabel Barrett, Madison Bazinet, Julia Bibeault, Aaron Blanchflower, Luke Bourque, Abigail Brousseau, Kennady Brown, Jessica Brunelle, Caitlin Cannon, Taylor Castano, Mackenzie Cayer, Brendan Chapuis, Christopher Cheney, Julia Christensen, Natanael Colon, Jordan Couture, Kennedy Davignon, Andrew Davis, Mya Deshaw, Kalianna Dingui, Harrison Durand, Devin Foisy, Katherine Frankhouser, Lily French, William Gajewski, Cassandra Gallant, Wanjiru Gatheru, Emily Hamill, William Hamill, Dalton Hawie, Ashley Hemphill, Connor Huda, Thayne Hutchins, Denali Johns, Denver Jones, Ivan Karlsen, Alexis Lathrop, Eden Law, Abigail Lefemine, Zhirong Li, Yilin Liu, Jared MacDonald, Steven Madenjian, Lillian Mandeville, Hannah Matsas, Jacob McCourt, Kathryn McLoughlin, Margaret McLoughlin, Noah McNamara, Ryan Miller, Molly Millix, Jared Mycroft, Joshua Nowak, Natalie O’Connell, Lindsey O’Dea, Jordan Perkins, Olivia Perry, Evan Plasse, Charlotte Powell, Xinchi Qian, Alexander Ramos, Erin Raymond, Julia Reilly, Jordan Renaud, Joshua Resnick, Jaden Rosselli, Ashley Roy, Elizabeth Roy, Stephanie Roy, Jillian Savoie, William Schad, Samantha Sheldon, Clara Siegmund, Makara Sorel, Corey Stanley, Ruyuan Tan, Hannah Walley, Dongxing Wei, Yiyang Xu, Zachary Zavorskas and Boyan Zhang.

Recognition:  Abbygayle Anderson, Tristan Anderson, Mary-Margaret Andrulot, Daniel Antunes, Izabella Barrett, Gabriella Bessette, Anastasia Bibeau, Skylar Brousseau, Dani Collins, Wyatt Cummings, Isabelle Dubois, Zachary Ellsworth, Elizabeth Everson, Nicolas Fernandez, Erica Frost, Harrison Frost, Qi Gao, Carson Hadley, Aaron Hallene, Likun Hu, Stephanie Nielson,  Yingru Qu, Leah Randolph, Naomi Rivard, Molly Rush, Rachel Salmon, Maeve Stevenson, Tyler Stuba, Azya Thornton, Huanran Wang, Breana Weidele, Ethan Werstler, Tyler Williams, Krista Wolslegel and Manqi Zhao.

Sophomores

High Honors:  Samuel Allegretti, Sophie Archambault, Peyton Aubin, Elaina Babbitt, Kathleen Boshka, Zachary Brown, Hannah Burgess, Olivia Burrell, Summer Chaponis, Yilin Chen, Noelle Ciccarelli, Heather Converse, Ely Driscoll, Mackenzie Eaton, Joseph Graley, Madelyn Grube, Katherine Harrington, Ethan Holcomb, Jack Hovestadt, Hailey Jaques, Nathan John, Ariana Koivisto, Noah MacAlister, Kathryn Mason, Liam McDermott, Emily Menard, Selena Muniz, Chloe Nolin, Julianna Nuttall, Samantha Orlowski, Zachary Paige, Margaret Ritzau and Rebekah Wesler.

Honors:  Ethan Adams, Mingxin An, Ashleigh Angle, Morgan Bassett, Hannah Bessette, Michael Bilica, Emmalee Binette, Abigail Botta, Lisette Cantone, Emma Ciquera, Shannon D’Alessandro, Brianna Dennett, Rachel Durand, Caleb Feen, Zachary Fontaine, Benjamin Frechette, Aria Gianfriddo, Jenna Gormley, Hanna Guillory, Ava Hassell, Chong He, Erika Helmetag, Benjamin Holden, Lauren Hovestadt, Yuhan Huang, Jacob Ireland, Sofia Jendrewski, Regan Kasacek, Emma Kelleher, Brendan King, Natalie Low, Robert Maheu, Olivia Majek, Zoe Manfredi, Cole Matylewicz, Lauren Neely, Amanda Nowak, Inyoung Park, Holden Pimental, Eric Preston, Nathan Price, Nicole Robichaud, Justin Roireau,  Mariangela Ruggeri, Adam Sanderson, Maria Scandalito, Grace Simon, Olivia Stanikmas, Victoria Staples, Codi Staveski, Regan Stuyniski, Shiyun Tang, Derek Thompson, Ethan Thorpe, Sophia Trifone, Samuel Trudeau, Ame Tsamaase, Abigail Vaida, Mikayla Wilcox, Joseph Woronecki III, Kejian Wu, Xuan You, Luke Zavorskas, Hanzhi Zhang and Michael Zheng.

Recogitioin:  Chase Anderson, Victoria Arnold, Renee Auger, Asa Bazinet, Owen Borski, Alessandra Cabrera, Grant Cerrone, Jasmine Charland, Devin Chenail, Hannah Chubbuck, Spencer Collins, Abraham Cooke, Haofeng Ding, Waverly Dombkowski, Julie-Anne Frechette, Isabella Garbutt, Madeline Gronski, Shannon Hermann, Ke Hu, Natalie Humphrey, Ellie Jellison, Jacob Ledbetter, Jadon Mcarthur, Delaney McIntire, Matthew Moffitt, Gunner Moore, Samantha Mowry, Sarah Naveed, Tavia Orvos, Pari Patel, Alivia Peabody, Noah Pepper, Audrey Poehler, Tristan Raszka, Jaylene Rivera, Andrew Roy, Sean Seabold, Lauren Semancik, Dylan Shea, Madison Skellett, Lydia Taft, Hannah Wotton and Ivy Young.

Freshmen

High Honors:  Emily Arters, Izetta Asikainen, Russell Beausoleil, Corinne Child, Nathan Craig, Emma Durand, Elizabeth Elza, Tessa Houlihan, Avery Jones, Rachel Lambert, Justin Marcotte, Zoe Marshall, Aidan Morin, Alexander Orbegozo, Quinn Ottilige, Katherine Papp, Haylee Renaud, Christopher Rossi, Kansas Sienna, Caitlyn Sroczenski, Aidan Stewart, Grayson Walley and Evelyn Withers.

Honors:  Alyssa Arends, Mackenzie Barrows, Nathan Becher, Jacob Black, Alexia Bourbeau, Addie Bouten, Lily Brin, Jordyn Brousseau, Jackson Chambers, Panagio Chrisovechotis, Jonathan Conover, Maia Corrado, Reagan Couture, Chandler Creedon, Jenna Davidson, Josephine Dlugosz, Sierra Eaton, Allison Faist, Clay Farley, Eva Farutin, David Fleck, Cassidy Fortier, Caroline Frost, Diana Gonzalez, Ingrid Hobbs, Jennifer Hobbs, Jessica Kasacek, Lauren King, Hannah Kipp, Ashley LaFramboise, Madelyn Lecuyer, Grace Leite, Seth Libby, Jack Lotter, Mary Lucier, Matthew MacPherson, David May, Jocelyn Mayotte, Aidan McDowell, Sonny Nielsen, Kelsey Oloff, Alexis Parent, Jaida Pearson, Sebastian Pelletier, Sophia Randolph, Anna Raymond, Emma Redfield, Emma Rhynhart, Rachael Roberts, Matthew Roethlein, Emily Ross, Susan Round, Courtney Ruszczyk, Hallie Saracina, Jack Savage, Julia Schad, Morgan Schmidt, Ashley Scott, Kayla Serafin, Ashley Smith, Linda St. Laurent, Daniel Suitum,  Isa Symington-St. John, Sarah Tuttle, Chloe Veilleux, Logan Wakefield, Gregory Weber, Aleya Wesler, Travis White, Melissa Wishart and Evan Wood.

Recognition:  Jack Adase, Lillian Bates, Zoey Beaudreault, Remi Benton, Maximilian Bosio, Reid Butler, Danielle Chaput, Makenzie Czmyr, Tarryn Desrosiers, Connor Downing, Christine Faist, Joseph Fleck, Kayla Gaudreau, Anthony Girard, Todd Gustafson, Chelsea Hart, Kathrine Ionkin, Nora Ives, Nathaniel Johnson, Jacob Longe, Victor Maldonado, Tristan Monahan, Trinity Phar, Zachary Radcliffe, Lucas Renaud, Anthony Santucci, Efstathios Savvidis, Stephany Senecal, Adam Shinkiewicz, Julia Theriaque, Nina Vasquez-Nichols and Alan Whitehead Jr.

 

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DANIELSON — The Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce 2017 recipients of the Chamber’s annual awards have been named. The award recipients will be formally recognized at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner & Awards Gala scheduled Jan. 20 at Connecticut National Golf Course in Putnam.

Winners include:

Civic Achievement Award (An award given to an individual or group for their broad-based involvement with clubs, civic groups, charities etc. over a long period of time): Willie Bousquet, Recreation director for the Town of Putnam 

While it is Willie’s job to provide for the Town of Putnam’s parks and recreation, most people will acknowledge that Willie has gone far beyond the duties expected of his position. He has truly dedicated countless hours to numerous activities that we all enjoy in Putnam today. 

Just a few examples of how Willie has made a significant difference to the community include:

* Chairing the Putnam High School Athletic Alumni Association when no one else stepped forward even though he is not a Putnam High graduate;

* Spearheading much of the work that ensures a magnificent fireworks event each summer in Rotary Park;

* Willie was the moving force behind the Al Fresco Series in Putnam. Thousands have benefited from the free performances that have included opera, a Beatles program and evenings with Disco, Motown, Rat Pack, Elvis and Neil Diamond;

* He has provided key assistance to the Putnam Rotary Club and their Senior Shoot Out program which provides a fun night for high school seniors who are ending their high school basketball careers; 

* Willie has collaborated with Gary and Karen Osbrey of WINY Radio in the production of the very popular summer River Fire program;

* He has been instrumental in the production of the Trick or Treat night, the Great Pumpkin Festival, the Holiday Dazzle Light Parade and First Fridays in downtown Putnam.  

In addition, Willie is a 30-year member, past president and Paul Harris Fellow of the Putnam Rotary Club. He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus and the Elks Club. For all of his efforts to promote the many activities that bring so much joy to the residents of northeastern Connecticut, we are pleased to name Willie Bousquet as the recipient of the Civic Achievement Award. 

Business Leader of The Year Award (An award presented to an individual for outstanding business leadership and active participation in community organizations): Marc Archambaul of Archambault Insurance Associates

From a business standpoint, Marc Archambault is well known in northeastern Connecticut for the long-term successful operation of Archambault Insurance Associates, which was established in 1928 by Marc’s grandfather, Joseph Archambault and which Marc joined in 1991. Together, with his brother, Tom, Marc employs a staff of 18 insurance specialists that serve the insurance needs of over 5,000 families and individuals and 500 businesses. In addition to his business commitment, Marc has made a significant impact on many aspects of our northeastern Connecticut community. He is a past president of the Quinebaug Valley Community College (QVCC) Foundation and has the dubious distinction of serving the most terms of any president. He continues to advocate for QVCC students and for the College, by leading by example and being a valued member of numerous committees, including the Tackle the Trail event, which raised over $40,000 in support of the Foundation’s mission. He is the current president, a Paul Harris Fellow and past golf chairman of the Putnam Rotary Club. In the award nomination, Marc was described as a “diplomatic leader and a true statesman, exemplified by his ability to negotiate and lead discussions in a thoughtful manner, always ensuring that everyone’s opinion is heard and respected. 

Individual beneficiaries of Marc’s “broad-based” involvement range in age from five to eighty-five. They include coaching children playing Pomfret Little League baseball and Frog Rock Basketball, two organizations Marc has been involved with both before and after his children participated. Parishioners of Most Holy Trinity church now enjoy a beautiful church thanks to his chairmanship of the Church Building Committee. 

In summary, Marc has worked tirelessly to better northeastern Connecticut embodying the qualities of honesty, integrity and service and for those reasons, he was the committee’s selection for Business Leader of the Year award. 

Gold Key Award (An award presented to an individual or business for their outstanding service to the Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce): Rachael Johnston of Johnston & Associates Real Estate

Rachael has been an enormous supporter of the Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce since first joining the organization in 2003.  After joining the Board of Directors, she served in pivotal roles on numerous committees including Tastefully New England, Building Committee, Advertising & Marketing, Legislative Affairs and Health & Wellness. In a relatively short period of time, Rachael’s leadership skills found her in the officer’s chairs and in 2016 she served as president of the organization. In the nomination it was noted that, “she is one of the most dedicated, conscientious and respected leaders that has served the NCCC and its members. Her enthusiasm, dedicated service and welcoming spirit have made her an outstanding leader.”

Despite all that she does with the Chamber, she still finds time to volunteer at the Daily Bread food pantry in Putnam, the Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Association, the Putnam Rotary Club and her church. She is also a member of the Professional Standards Committee of the Eastern CT Association of Realtors and is well known for her work with elected officials to establish relationships that ultimately protect homeownership rights. Rachael Johnston exemplifies the definition of the Gold Key Award.

 

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