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Helping

Putnam Boy Scout Troop 21 Senior Patrol Leader Angelo DeSalvio 17, of Putnam, helped to carry donated items into the Interfaith Human Services of Putnam – Daily Bread Food Pantry during the recent combined Troop 21 and Cargill Council 64, K of C food drive. Photo: John D. Ryan

 

 

 

 

Scouts, Knights 

collect food, 

raise money 

for local needy

 PUTNAM —  Members of Putnam’s Boy Scout Troop 21and Knights of Columbus Cargill Council 64 spent last Saturday at the Cargill Council Hall on Providence Street collecting food, personal care items and money for the Interfaith Human Services of Putnam (IHSP) – Daily Bread Food Pantry. Meanwhile, another work crew collected food donated for the pantry by generous customers just down the street at Putnam Supermarket. All of this added to the effort just a few days before, when Troop 21 hauled a donation of breakfast cereal to Putnam, from Weetabix North America’s facility in Clinton, Mass.

More than 100 man-hour’s work netted over 1,100 pounds of non-perishable food and almost $100 in cash for the private, non-profit, interfaith food pantry for the needy.

Run by Interfaith Human Services of Putnam, IHSP – Daily Bread Program Coordinator Kathi Peterson, of Putnam, said the pantry provides non-perishable food every month for an average of at least 250 needy families, accounting for more than 750 people, in the towns of Putnam, Pomfret, Woodstock and Eastford.

“We see many two-parent families struggling, trying to survive on two part-time jobs,” Peterson said. “We’re here to provide food support when we can for those who need it.”

The non-profit, interfaith charitable IHSP – Daily Bread Food Pantry provides literally thousands of meals every month from its headquarters at the Living Faith United Methodist Church, on Grove Street in Putnam.

To help their neighbors in need, members of Boy Scout Troop 21 and K of C Council 64 join forces twice a year to run food drives. The two organizations came together on Saturday in the person of Peter A. Lombardo, 51, of Putnam, who is both Troop 21’s Scoutmaster and one of Council 64’s Past Grand Knights.

“Worldwide, the Knights of Columbus have a ‘Food for Families’ campaign that Cargill Council has been part of since we started the council’s annual food collection in (March of) 2009,” he said. “Our Scouts are here because it gets them outside themselves, into their community, to see that there are people here who don’t have what they have. The Boy Scouts of America has its nationwide ‘Scouting for Food’ program. This gives our Scouts the chance to help.”

Troop 21 Assistant Scoutmaster and Cargill Council Brother Knight Casey Dundon, 19, of Putnam, was there to help. “It’s hard; not everybody can afford things right now,” he said. “We’re helping people in our community.”

During Saturday’s drive dozens of motorists pulled into the parking lot with their money and bags of groceries, while Putnam Supermarket customers were making their donations nearby. Just after noon, the group trucked everything over to Daily Bread, and took care of the unloading.

Although the drive is over, IHSP – Daily Bread still needs help. Checks may be mailed to: P.O. Box 281, Putnam, CT 06260.

 

 

PUTNAM — The Putnam Arts Council and Putnam Parks and Recreation Department are now in the running to bring a 10-week live music series to Putnam next summer.

Sponsored by Levitt Pavilions, the national nonprofit behind the largest free concert series in America, Putnam Arts Council and Putnam Parks and Recreation hope to qualify as one of the 10 winning organizations competing in the Levitt AMP [Putnam] Grant Awards. The Levitt AMP [Putnam] Grant Awards are an exciting, new matching grant opportunity created by Levitt Pavilions to serve small to mid-sized towns and cities up to 400,000 people. Ten nonprofits, or municipalities partnering with a nonprofit, will receive up to $25,000 each in matching funds to produce their own Levitt AMP Music Series—an outdoor, free concert series featuring a diverse lineup of professional musicians.

Supporters are asked to visit http://amp.levittpavilions.org/voter-registration-page to register and vote. Online public voting is open now and ends Nov. 30 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. The Top 20 finalists will be selected through online public voting. Levitt Pavilions will then review the Top 20 in December and the 10 winners will be announced Dec. 15.

The Putnam Arts Council and Putnam Parks and Recreation Department submitted the proposal for Putnam. The proposed venue site is Putnam’s Rotary Park and Main Street in Downtown Putnam.

The proposal for Putnam is now posted on the Levitt Pavilions website for public voting.

A successful campaign for Putnam depends on community participation to get as many online votes as possible to bring the concert series to town. 

Community support, as measured by the number of online votes received, will be one of the key factors when Levitt Pavilions selects the 10 winners.

 

 

Lucien A. Mandeville,

Korean war vet

WOODSTOCK — Lucien A. Mandeville, 83, of Laurel Hill Dr., died Nov. 11, 2014, in Day Kimball Hospital.  Married on June 17, 1956, he was the husband of Mary (Hughes) Mandeville.  Born in 1931 in Wauregan, he was the son of the late Theodore and Blanche (Saborine) Mandeville.

Mr. Mandeville was the president of deville Dairy Inc. from 1979 to 2004. He was honorably discharged in 1954, serving as Sergeant 1st class with the 23rd Regiment during the Korean war. He received a Bronze Star for meritorious service. 

In addition to his wife, he leaves his sons, Kenneth Mandeville (Carolyn) of Weston, Fla., Christopher Mandeville (Susan) of Stamford, Steven Mandeville (Patricia) of Voluntown, and Philip Mandeville of Shelton; his brother, Louis Mandeville of Plainville; his sisters, Anita Mandeville of Farmington and Claire Engelhardt of Texas; and his 10 grandchildren.  He was predeceased by his brother Alfred Mandeville. 

The Mass of Christian Burial was Nov. 15 in Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret. Donations: Charity of one’s choice. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Lori Altdorf

BROOKLYN — Lori (Oatley) Altdorf, 52, of Brooklyn, died suddenly Nov. 14, 2014.  She was the daughter of Herbert Oatley and the late Jacqueline Oatley.  

Lori enjoyed the beach, traveling, family and being with her dog Snookie. Lori was employed at Classic Pizza  and enjoyed working with the staff and served the public for over 30 years.   She was a kind , loving and very generous person. She was an organ donor and even in death she was still able to give to others. She leaves two daughters, Shawna and Karissa Altdorf; Francisco Hernandez whom she cared very deeply for;  a sister Roberta Flaherty; brother Herb Oatley Jr. (Karen); a sister Michele Klein (Alan); brother Michael Oatley (Monique); former husband Ron Altdorf; nieces and nephews. The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 20 at St. James Church, Franklin Street, Danielson. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Mary Elisabeth

(Polly), deTreville

CONCORD, N.H. — Mary Elisabeth, (Polly), deTreville, 83, died Oct. 17, 2014, in the Havenwood-Heritage Heights Health Services Center in Concord, after a lengthy battle with stroke-related dementia and cardiac complications.  

A 1949 graduate of the Dwight School for Girls in Englewood, N.J., and a 1953 graduate of Mount Holyoke College majoring in religion, she lived in Pomfret and later in Woodstock for almost 40 years, She was long term librarian for her Woodstock church and upon relocating to Grand Isle, Vt., in 1994 she was  similarly occupied with the Congregational Church in Burlington, Vt. Active politically, she  served her various communities as a member of the League of Women Voters; the Quinebaug Valley Health and Welfare Council and the Grand Isle Historical Society. She worked with Bosnian refugees in both Connecticut and Vermont helping them settle into a new life and teaching them English as a second language. She was employed by the Rectory School in Pomfret for more than 25 years as a teacher and tutor working with dyslexic children. Friends and caregivers will remember her best for her ready smile, enthusiasm and consistently pleasant disposition. 

She leaves her husband, former Grand Isle County Assistant Judge Andrew deTreville; a daughter, Elisabeth Sauer of Waltham, Mass.; a son,  Peter A. deTreville of  northeastern Pennsylvania and five grandchildren.  A memorial service and internment will be held in Grand Isle next August.

 

Virginia Barry

WOODSTOCK — Virginia S. (Simonds) Barry, 90, died Nov. 6, 2014, in Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam. .  She was the wife of John F. Barry who died in 1996.  

Virginia was born in Somerville, Mass., daughter of the late Albert L. and Catherine R. (Galvin) Simonds and lived in Webster for many years before moving to Woodstock.  

She leaves a son John and his wife Corinne (Racicot) Barry in Franklin, Mass.,; three daughters Jane Barry Flynn of Acushnet, Mass.,, Virginia and her husband Douglas McCrae of Kennebunkport, Maine and Martha and her husband Mark Caron of Canterbury; one sister, Janet C. Simonds of Webster and eight grandchildren.  

Virginia was born in Somerville, Mass., daughter of the late Albert L. and Catherine R. (Galvin) Simonds and lived in Webster for many years before moving to Woodstock.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

Henri P. Caldwell

Born on April 24, 1932, Henri died Oct. 6, 2014. 

Henri grew up in Gramercy Park of New York City. He loved his high school almamater “Friends Seminary” where he graduated in 1950. He liked to say that he was in the top 25 of his class.   He would neglect to say that there were only 26 in his class. Henri graduated from Northwestern University in 1958 after being honorably discharged from the Army (12/6/1954 – 12/3/1956).  

Henri had a career with Cincinnati Milacron for more than 30 years where he went from servicing machine tools to selling them all over the New England region. 

He raised his family in both Sturbridge, and Woodstock . Henri had a love for RVing. He drove his little Winnebago LeSharo all over the East Coast taking him on different adventures. He had a heart for service demonstrated by years of delivering Meals on Wheels in Woodstock. He was a lover of gadgets and had a great sense of humor especially puns. 

He leaves his son Ronald Caldwell (Susan Lichtensteiger) of  Essex, Vt., and their children Daniel and Gregory; daughter Patricia Bosco (Ralph) and their children Sara and Joey; half brother Michael Caldwell (Oxford Mich.), ex-wife Meryl Caldwell (Burlington); nephew Nathaniel Caldwell (Burlington), nephew Nelson Caldwell (Polly Vanderputten) and their daughter Bernadette; niece Juliet Caldwell of NYC. 

A memorial service celebrating his life was Nov 15 at Essex Alliance Church, 37 Old Stage Rd, Essex VT 05452.

 

Tracy Mistark

DANIELSON — Tracy L. (Stone) Mistark, 55, died Nov. 12, 2014, at the UMass hospital  in Worcester.  

 She was born in Putnam daughter of the late Claude E. and Leita (Lagace) Stone and lived here all her life.  

She leaves her husband of 31 years, Thomas E. Mistark, a son Jason Mistark of Danielson, a daughter Brittany L. Kight of E. Killingly; a brother Mark Stone of Danielson; four sisters; Pat Minor of Thompson, Denise Stone of Danielson, Kerry Stone of Dayville and Robin Sullivan of Danielson. 

Shaw- Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

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Clockwise from top left: Honorees Armand Jolly and Bob Clemens share a moment together following the ceremony honoring them for their service in WWII. Volunteer Liz Zachow of CorePlus Credit Union displays a baseball signed by Johnny Damon as Post #13 auctioneer Ron Coderre and Mike Vassar prepare for bids. Celebrity bartenders ( l to r) Putnam Bank President Tom Borner, Dick Loomis, Channel 3 WFSB news reporter Kevin Hogan, Brandi Hapgood and John Miller raised $1200 in support of Post #13. Former Red Sox catcher Roger LaFrancois, a celebrity bartender, autographs a baseball.

 

 

Salute to vets

By Ron P. Coderre

PUTNAM — Veterans Day arrived a day early for two northeastern Connecticut WWII veterans as they were recognized for their military service by American Legion Post #13 Nov. 10 in a ceremony held at J. D. Cooper’s Restaurant.

The honorees were Putnam resident Robert F. Clemens and Pomfret resident Armand J. Jolly.  Clemens served in the U.S. Marine Corps and Jolly in the U.S. Navy.  Incidentally, though both men served in different branches of the service, they are lifelong friends.

Cpl. Robert F. Clemens, USMC

The Bob Clemens story began on Dec. 23, 1943, when he enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 18.  He left for basic training on Parris Island on Jan. 8, 1944.  Following advanced training at Camp Pendleton, California and Hawaii, Clemens was deployed to the Pacific island of Iwo Jima with the 5th Marine Division.

The invasion of Iwo Jima started on February 19, 1945, where his unit drew heavy fire.  As part of the Motor Transport group, Clemens and the equipment had trouble moving in the volcanic ash, so he was moved to the front lines.  His unit was involved in extended live fire forays with the enemy prior to the end of the battle, which lasted 37 days.

Clemens is rightfully proud of the fact that it was the Marines of the 5th Division who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi, a military moment that is part of American history.  Following the surrender of Japan, Clemens was part of the force that oversaw the “Occupation of Japan.”  He was in Nagasaki, where he saw firsthand the devastation wreaked by the atomic bomb.  He was honorably discharged with the rank of Corporal on Aug. 5, 1946.

Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Armand J. Jolly

Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 20-year-old Armand Jolly enlisted in the U. S. Navy.  In 1942 he joined the newly launched USS Emmons 457, a destroyer that was later converted to a minesweeper, which was involved in many of the U.S. invasions including the beachhead at Normandy on D-Day.

Off the coast of Okinawa the Emmons was hit by five Japanese kamikaze aircraft, where he ran to man his anti-aircraft gun.  As the battle ensued the men were ordered to abandon ship.  Jolly jumped into the water, which was ablaze.  He was rescued, suffering burns to his face and arms, injuries that earned him a Purple Heart.

Of the crew of 242 men, 60 died and 77 were injured.  Jolly was later discharged with the rank of Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class.  Today he serves as the president of the USS Emmons Association.  The story of the Emmons has been told on the History Channel and in a book titled “The Emmons Saga.”

Salute to the Veterans

As part of the salute to Clemens and Jolly and all the men and women who have served in the U.S. military, Air Force veteran Maurice “Moe” Coderre opened the program with a stirring rendition of The National Anthem.  Linda Colangelo saluted the veterans with an emotional version of God Bless the USA.  The evening concluded with a salute to all veterans present with the singing of the songs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard by Colangelo.