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Dan Porcic with his parents and AD and Head Coach Thomas Espinosa on the right. Courtesy photo.


PUTNAM — Putnam native and sharp shooter from Putnam Science Academy Dan Porcic has made his decision. The 6-foot, 4-inch guard who made a living behind the 3-point line committed to the Concordia College (N.Y.) May 14 via Twitter.
Porcic, who played for the Mustangs for 3 years, improved his skill set drastically when coming to PSA. Dan scored 329 points at the Prep Basketball level in just 2 years which ranks him 34th all-time in Putnam Science Academy history, giving him bragging rights over his older brother Dino who finished with 159 points.
Head coach Tom Espinosa said Porcic brought a positive attitude to the team no matter how many minutes he would play and helped the Mustangs to a 76-6 record in those two years along with capturing the 2018 National Prep Championship. Dan was the Mustangs 3-point specialist tallying 65 career 3-point field goals including a career-high 6 made 3’s in a game which he did twice.
Porcic had a couple key moments in his time at Putnam Science Academy, like his career-high night in 2018 that saw the sharp-shooter finish with 25 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Capital Prep. Dan also helped the Mustangs pull off a tough road win vs Cushing Academy this year coming in off the bench in the 2nd half to hit 4 of 5 shots from deep to finish with 12 points. After the game, coach Espinosa called it, “A game we don’t win without Dan.” Head Coach and Athletic Director at PSA Tom Espinosa couldn’t be happier for Porcic saying, “He’s an extremely hard working kid who is driven to reach his full potential. Espinosa added, “For a local kid to play for one of the best prep level teams in the country is very difficult. It’s absolutely amazing that Dan was able to compete every day at this level, it’s something that many people truly don’t understand. Dan will always be remembered in the Mustang family; we know he will be very successful moving forward from Putnam Science Academy.” When asked about making the jump from public school basketball to the Prep level, Dan said, “Playing at Putnam Science Academy helped me get recognized nationally and it helped me grow as a player and as a man.”
Dan said; “I decided on Concordia College because the coaches and the players made it feel like a home… I believe my best basketball is ahead of me in New York at Concordia.”
Josh Sanchas
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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It’s the kind of attitude Woodstock Academy coach Rich Garceau wishes more members of his Centaurs boys’ golf team had.
Senior Mason Stewart stepped on to the tee on the first hole at the Great Neck Country Club in New London May 23.
The results of his first swing were not exactly pretty. Stewart failed to recover from it on that hole where he finished with a double-bogey 6.
But the rest of the round went a whole lot better.
Stewart rallied and finished with a 37, his best effort of the season.
Unfortunately, it didn’t come in a winning effort as the Centaurs fell to Waterford, 5 ½ - 1 ½, to drop to 7-4-1 on the season and 0-3-1 in Div. II of the ECC.
The loss followed on the heels of a 5-2 loss to undefeated Killingly.
“Other than East Lyme, which is in Division I, the best golf as a division is being played in Division II,” Garceau said. “Even the matches that we have lost, we were always in it.  The competition is very stiff in this division. On Thursday, we lost to a good team at Waterford.  No shame in that.  We still have some good teams that we will be hosting in the days to come and I have no doubt they will be a fight to the last stroke.  I have confidence in our players that they can get over the hump and get a win or two in the next couple of weeks.”
The key will be to get more players in the same scoring mode as Stewart.
The closest teammate to Stewart May 23 was Owen Borski who finished nine strokes back with a 46. Jake Starr and Robert Maheu both carded 47s.
Things were better in the match at Killingly although it didn’t show up in the result.
Stewart shot a 43 but freshman Kyle Brennan and Maheu were just a stroke in back of the senior and Jake Starr was just one back of them.
It’s not the physical part of the game that’s haunting the Centaurs players, it’s the mental.
“We need to get ourselves to the mental part of our game where we stop thinking about what could go wrong and start believing that it is all going to go right.  These are skilled athletes who have the golf skills to succeed in any sport.  They need to find that in themselves now,” said Garceau.
The Centaurs have just four matches left on their schedule. And three of the four are against some of the best in the ECC.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

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Clyde R. Giambattista,
Vietnam war vet
PUTNAM — Clyde R. Giambattista, 83, of Corbin St., died May 12, 2019, in his home. Born in 1935 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Anthony and Madeline D. (Gray) Giambattista.
Mr. Giambattista served proudly in the U.S. military for 22 years. As a teenager he enlisted in the Connecticut National Guard before enlisting in the U.S. Army with the 81st Airborne Division. After serving in the Army, Mr. Giambattista served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam war. During his military career, Mr. Giambattista visited many foreign countries including Germany, Pakistan and Russia.
He enjoyed trips to Foxwoods Casino to play poker also enjoyed watching horseracing. He was an avid reader who loved reading about history and the military.   Clyde was a life member of the VFW Post # 10727 in Omaha, Neb.
He leaves his sons, David Patrick Giambattista (Lisa) of Omaha, and Vincent Michael Giambattista also of Omaha; his brothers, Alvin Giambattista (Carol) of Sterling and Anthony B. Giambattista of Plainfield; his sister, Donna Coderre (Ronald) of Putnam; his grandchildren, Nathan and Audrey; nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Service was May 20 in Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam, with burial with military honors in The Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery, Rocky Hill.

Albert LaFleur Jr.,
Air Force vet
PUTNAM — Albert H. LaFleur Jr, 81, died May 17, 2019, at Davis Place in Danielson.  He was the husband of Tonia (Fellnor) LaFleur.  Born in 1937 in Hartford, he was the son of the late Albert and Catherine (Droney) LaFleur.
Albert was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He was employed as an electronic engineer and was a member of the Knights of Columbus Saint Francis X. Cabrini, Post 4096 in Bridgeport. Albert enjoyed camping.
He leaves his two sons, James LaFleur (Pamela) of Bridgeport, and Charles LaFleur of Florida; two daughters, Robbin Provasoli of N. Grosvenordale and Kathleen LaFleur of Milford; eight grandchildren Frederick, Sarah, Kailee, Alexander, Andrew, Cassandra, John and Anthony; one great-grandson, Nathaniel.  He was predeceased by his sisters, Patricia Yandow and Margaret Pinault.
A Funeral Mass will be at noon May 25 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Richard Edmonston
WOODSTOCK — Richard A. Edmonston, 83, of Woodstock, died May 14, 2019, at home. He was the husband of Arlene (Milliard) Edmonston. Born in 1935 in Asheville, N.C., he was the son of the late Ralph T. and Ollie Lou (Jackson) Edmonston.
Richard worked for Honeywell in Hartford for 35 years, before retiring at the age of 57. He spent winters in Yankeetown, Fla., where he volunteered during the development of the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve. He boated and fished almost daily in the Gulf of Mexico and bicycled along the many trails. He loved to fly both a glider and his Cardinal Cessna airplane.
In addition to his wife Arlene, he leaves his son Steven Edmonston and his fiancée Doreen King of Woodstock Valley;  his daughters, Patricia Flaherty (Pete) of Woodstock, Lisa Wolslegel (Bill) of Woodstock Valley, and Laura Peiser (Rudy) of Woodstock; his brother “Jack” Edmonston (Marylou) of Asheville; three grandchildren, Nick and Krista Wolslegel, and Nicole Tomkievich.
Visitation is at 2 p.m. June 1 at the home in Woodstock, in a celebration of Richard’s life. Donations: Friends of the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve, by going to their website, www.wgpfl.org.  Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St, Putnam.

Joseph J. Butvilas Sr.
E. KILLINGLY — Joseph J. Butvilas Sr., 67, of E. Killingly died May 15, 2019, at Hartford Hospital.
He was born on Feb. 10, 1952, in Brooklyn, N.Y., son of the late Joseph and Albina (Zilaitis) Butvilas. Joseph worked at Anchor Glass Container as a master mechanic. He was an avid outdoors man and enjoyed fishing.
He married Kathy Ann (Jasmin) Butvilas on Dec. 25, 1981, and they were together for 43 years, she died in 2014.
He leaves his children Amanda Hilerio (Jason) of Grafton, Mass., Katrina Johnston (Phrank) of Plainfield, and Joseph J. Butvilas Jr. (Michelle) of Centennial, Colo.; grandson Aiden Joseph Butvilas of Centennial; sisters Sylvia Nyszczy (John), Stormy Houle (Peter), Sue Kotyk (Mike) and Carol Shagdza.   Donations: Oceanconservancy.org. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

Patricia ‘Poppy’ Lark
ARLINGTON, Va. — Patricia M. “Poppy” Lark died May 3, 2019.
It was her radiant smile that first entranced everyone who met her. Once they knew her better, they were smitten by her sense of humor, sometimes sharp, mostly gentle. She herself was gentle, proud yet self-effacing. She was unfailingly generous, ready to help friends and strangers in any way she could, offering her time, her talents, and her financial resources.
Poppy had a love of language, something that threaded through her life in personal and professional ways. Among her passions were cross-word puzzles, which she finished with ease, and Scrabble which she usually won against capable opponents. She enjoyed exploring the etymology of words, both at her jobs (especially in the early years as editor and proofreader) and in her non-professional life. She enjoyed finding grammar mistakes or misnomers in newspapers, and rarely missed a chance to incorporate her clever, often hilariously witty, words and ideas in cards to friends. She was an avid Jeopardy fan, able to hold her own against most of those who competed on air.
She also had a well-known passion for soups and coffee, to begin and end each meal. She liked hiking in the Utah national parks. While she enjoyed trips to foreign countries (especially zip-lining in Costa Rica), she was impelled to return to the Utah parks every few years. She also had an immense fondness for summer trips to Bailey Island, Maine, where her grandfather, Perry MacNeille (who designed Perryville, Md.) had built a summer home that remains in the family. She expressed the wish - just weeks before she died - to visit and once more enjoy the sea from the porch. Many evenings, Poppy would play her piano to an audience of one; occasionally she’d share her talents and passion in duets with a flutist friend. Bach was her favorite composer.
Poppy was born as Patricia MacNeille April 23, 1940, in Rochester, N.Y., to Patricia and Stephen MacNeille. As a child, she lived for a few years in Oakridge, Tenn., but spent most of her school years in Thompson. She graduated from UConn in 1963. Immediately after graduation she became a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal for two years, from 1963-1965, at Koalas, Dakar, and St. Louis. She returned to visit Senegal 40 years later and was embraced warmly by Senegalese friends who recognized her enduring charm. In 1984, she graduated from George Mason Law School and practiced law briefly before turning to a career in legal editing.
She leaves her husband, Lutz Prager; two sisters, Stephanie “Stephie” MacNeille and Christine “Mimi” Kent; a brother, Robert “Robbie” MacNeille; nephews and nieces, and dozens of friends and admirers. She is predeceased by her sister, Elizabeth (“Bethie”) MacNeille.  Donations: Charity of your choice or to the Halquist Memorial Inpatient Center, in Arlington. As Poppy might say, “Either is preferable.”

David Gemmill,
British Army vet
N. GROSVENORDALE — David Gemmill, 85, died May 16, 2019, at Hartford Hospital. He was the husband of the late Anne O’Brien who died in 2007.
David was born in Ongar, England, son of the late David Gemmill and Margaret (Addison) Gemmill. He lived in N. Grosvenordale for the past 39 years, prior to that living in Woodstock. David served in the British Army. He was a field engineer.  He was a member of the Brooklyn Tennis Club.  
He leaves his son Chad B. Gemmill of Woodstock; a daughter Deborah Gemmill (John Dumfareville) of England, Vt.; four grandchildren; a brother, Iain Gemmill and a sister Jillian Jacobs, both of England. Donations: Habitat for Humanity, 808 Norwich Rd., Plainfield, CT 06374. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

Holly L. Poulin
BLACKSTONE, Mass. — Holly L. (Cook) Poulin, 66, died May 11, 2019, in Landmark Medical Center, Woonsocket, R.I., after a long illness.
She was born in Milford, Mass., and raised in Millville, Mass., the youngest child of Edward W. and Thelma M. (Hauge) Cook. She had lived in Blackstone for 27 years. She enjoyed reading and caring for her cockatiels.
She leaves her husband of 27 years, Richard F. Poulin; three children, Leslie V. Fontaine (David) of Woodstock, John W. Vear (Jennifer) of N. Grosvenordale, and Donna Vear Hamilton (Brian) of Pomfret; six grandchildren; two brothers, Craig and Bruce Cook.
Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, Webster.

John L. Tetreault
WEBSTER — John L Tetreault, 69, of Webster died May 15, 2019, at UMass Memorial -University Campus of Worcester.
John was born July 13, 1949, in Worcester, son of the late Euclid and the late Esther (Kowalewski) Tetreault.  
He was employed some 20 years by Plaza Pontiac Dealer as automobile service technician. Previously he was a union pipe fitter.
He leaves his wife Lorraine (Kreger) Tetreault; one brother: Eugene “Butch” Tetreault of Worcester; three sisters: Leona Brown of Dudley, Denise Merchant of Rhode Island and Deb Furhman. Bartel Funeral Home and Chapel, Dudley.

James F. Wheeler Sr.
WEBSTER — James F. “Jim” Wheeler Sr., 78, died May 16, 2019, at home.
He was born Dec. 17, 1940, in Hartford, one of the 10 children of Richard and Doris (Matthewson) Wheeler, and lived in the Thompson area during his younger years. He graduated from Tourtellotte Memorial High School in N. Grosvenordale in 1958 and on July 4, 1960, married the love of his life Madeline.
Mr. Wheeler began his career as an auto body mechanic, owning Wheeler Auto Body in Webster for 15 years. He then worked in construction for Local #243 in Auburn until his retirement in 1999. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and lots of traveling, including long drives in different parts of the country with his wife.
He leaves his sweetheart and wife of almost 59 years, Madeline R. (Jacob) Wheeler; three children, Debbie M. Martin of Oxford, James F. “Dino” Wheeler Jr. and his girlfriend Suzanne Miller of Webster, and Linda J. Rzeszutko of Putnam; five grandchildren, Kristine Martin, Michael Martin and his wife Regina, Jennifer Weiss, Tyler Weiss and Jacob Wheeler; two great-grandchildren; three sisters, Unabelle Tubbs and Judy Wheeler, both of Florida, and Edith Green of Connecticut; a brother, George Wheeler of Connecticut. He was predeceased by his son-in-law, James Rzeszutko; his brothers Thomas, Richard, Robert and David Wheeler, and his sister Marie Richer.
Donations: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, Webster.

Joseph Toussaint
DANIELSON — Joseph O. Robert Toussaint, 83, died April 27, 2019, at home.
He was born in Bridgeport, son of the late Joseph Toussaint and Imelda (Laflamme) Toussaint and lived in Danielson since 1966, prior to that living in Willimantic.  Joseph was the produce manager for many years at the First National Store.
He leaves his wife of 58 years, Leila (Blair) Toussaint; two sons, Michael Toussaint (Anna) of Burlington, and Paul Toussaint of Willimantic; two daughters, Sandra Milliron (Lennie) of Moosup, and Debbie Rattray (Jack) of Brooklyn; 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; two sisters, Annette Pelletier of Willimantic and Yvette Vertefeuille of N. Windham.
A Memorial Service will be announced and will be held at the Lighthouse Church of God, Plainfield. Donations: to his Church.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

Robert J. Vincent
DAYVILLE — Robert J. Vincent, 62, died May 8, 2019, at Hartford Hospital.
He was born in Sutton, Mass., son of the late Eugene Vincent and Claire (Snyder) Vincent living in Dayville for the past 20 years, prior to that living in Douglas.  He was a delivery driver for Calise Bakery in Worcester.  Everyone knew Robert because of his constant smile and kind heart.  Robert and his wife had a love for animals, and rescued many through the years.  His other great passion was horses.
He leaves his wife of 32 years, Karen M. (Brewer) Vincent; a son Jason D. Vincent (Amy) of Webster; a brother Michael Vincent of Marlborough; two sisters Diane Greenfield of SC and Loretta Small of Grafton.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster. Donations: A horse or animal rescue.  

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