Getting beat on a walk-off hit once in a week is bad enough. Twice? Such was the fate of the Woodstock Academy baseball team last week.
The Centaurs fell to Killingly early in the week, 2-1, and then lost to St. Bernard, 4-3, in eight innings.
The week ended on a more difficult note as Ledyard, one of the top teams in the ECC, if not the state, handed Woodstock Academy a 10-0 loss May 11.
The loss to the Colonels dropped the Centaurs back to the .500 mark at 8-8. They are now 3-4 in Div. II of the ECC.
“It’s tough,” said Woodstock Academy coach Brian Murphy. “The kids are working hard and getting better, but we felt a little snakebit. They’re grinding. They have committed to do that. As I told them, sometimes, you’re going to get knocked down a few times and you just have to get back up.”
The Centaurs and Redmen battled through 4 ½ scoreless innings until Killingly broke through in the fifth May 7.
Austin Dionne singled and pinch-runner Brady Waterman moved up to second on a walk, to third on a sacrifice, and scored on a single through a drawn-in infield by Tyler Cournoyer. The Centaurs tied the game in the top of the sixth when Eric Preston walked and, two outs later, Jonathan Smith drew a free pass which opened the door for a game-tying single by Luis Miranda.
In the bottom of the seventh, Cole Levigne had a one-out single for the Redmen and Castor Ward walked. After a foul out, Cournoyer singled to load the bases to bring up No. 3 hitter Jacob Tarryk.
Tarryk launched a bomb to the opposite field that went well over the head of left fielder Doug Newton to knock in the game winner. It led to another heartbreaker May 9.
Woodstock Academy took the early 2-0 lead on the Saints when Tommy Li singled, stole second and scored on a Preston single in the third. Nathan John (3-for-4) added to the lead in the fifth with an RBI single.
Freshman Brendan Hill held down the Saints on just one hit for the first 5 2/3 innings.
“He pitched exceptionally well and he’s been one of our really nice surprises this year. Picking him up was big. He’s done well. He has a presence on the mound and confidence. In every little cloud, there is always a silver lining and that was one,” Murphy said.
But the Saints got to Hill in the sixth.
Sam Davis and Max Adams singled and Jakob Morell was hit by a pitch. Kevin Fay singled home one and two more scored on a passed ball to give the Saints a 3-2 lead.
Woodstock Academy tied the game in the top of the seventh.  Li reached on an error and two outs later, John singled him home. John, the team’s starting first baseman, leads the Centaurs with 15 runs batted in.
The Saints won the game when Fay singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth.
The game-winning hit came off Woodstock Academy ace Luke Matthewson who also suffered the loss against Killingly and saw his record drop to 5-3. Matthewson has thrown 44 2/3 innings thus far this season.
But the close game with the Saints spurred Murphy’s action to use his ace again in relief. With Matthewson unavailable and Preston unable to go, the Centaurs went to a pitching-by-committee approach May 11.
Ledyard took advantage and scored three runs in each of the first two innings. The Colonels put it away with four in the sixth. Ledyard pitcher Cade Walters allowed just one hit, a single by Smith, in the second inning.
The Centaurs had four regular season games remaining coming into the week.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

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PUTNAM —The Putnam Science Academy Lady Mustangs second year saw great success and Head Coach Derek Marchione has already made a few splashes in the early goings of the offseason.
In the last month, the Lady Mustangs have added two lethal shooters in Delaney Haines and Sophie Tougas and a slashing guard from New York in Angelica Velez.
Velez will be making a big step as an eighth grader playing in high school at the Prep level. Angelica made social media headlines a few months back with one of her highlights being posted on Instagram by “Overtime” a basketball social media juggernaut. Velez used her patented cross-over along with bouncing the ball between the defender’s legs and splashing a step-back three-pointer as the defender fell to the ground. She plays AAU with Exodus, .N.Y., a Nike EYBL program, and for coach Dominique Nute. At 5-foot, 6-inches she is known for her defense and can score at all three levels on the offensive end with a knack for getting to the basket and finishing at the rim.
Something the PSA Lady Mustangs struggled with last year was shooting the ball. This year, PSA will turn to not only 1 but 2 shooters who can make an immediate impact on the team.
Sophie Tougas, a 6-1 guard from Brewster Academy, saw success at Brewster piling up over a dozen Division 1 offers before electing to transfer to Putnam Science Academy. She is known for her shooting ability. Tougas holds offers from: The University of Albany, Seton Hall, George Mason, Lafayette, Siena, UMass-Lowell, Rhode Island, Colgate and Cal State-Bakersfield just to name a few. Tougas shot 35 percent from downtown in 2017 while averaging 9.5 points per game, sparking plenty of interest from Division 1 programs. Sophie then made a splash in New Hampshire at Brewster before eyeing PSA as a chance to take her game to the next level. “Sophie Tougas is a great shooter, we didn’t have many shooters last year so she will help stretch the floor and improve our offense in the half-court” said Coach Marchione. “You can’t leave her open, she can score the ball in multiple ways and I can see her being huge for us this upcoming season.”
It’s not just Tougas who can shoot the ball from 3-point land.
Delaney Haines, who was a semi-finalist for Maine’s Miss Basketball and was named to Maine’s McDonald’s All-Star Game, comes from Portland, Maine, and brings with her a lot of intrigue. Haines was hurt during her senior year at Deering High School and came back from injury towards the end of the season helping lead her team to the State Championship game. At 5-8, Haines averaged 17 points per game during her senior year campaign and shot 80 percent from the free-throw line. Delaney did it all grabbing 3.5 rebounds per game to go along with 2.5 steals per game and 2.6 assists per game.
“Delaney Haines is a post-grad from Maine, she’s another shooter that will help us tremendously. She made the finals of the state tournament in Maine and is a proven scorer …  She’s skilled and she will only get better when she plays with the type of players we will have on our team,” Marchione said.
Josh Sanchas
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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David L. Krajewski
DANIELSON — David L. Krajewski, 63, died May 9, 2019, at UMass Medical Center, Worcester.
He was born in Putnam, son of the late Henry Krajewski and Elsie (Lafantasie) Krajewski living in Danielson most of his life.  David was formerly employed by Crabtree and Evelyn.  David was also a tattoo artist, enjoyed painting and drawing and was an avid reader.  
He leaves his wife of 29 years, Lynn L. (Perreault) Krajewski; a son Ethan Salony of Danielson; two daughters, Nicole and Holly Tetreault of Moosup; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; two sisters, Kathleen Traut of New Hampshire and Bonnie Judkins of Texas.  
A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date. Donations: Friends of Assisi Food Pantry, 77 Water St. #A, Danielson, CT. 06239.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

Robert L. Cloutier,
WWII vet
QUINEBAUG — Robert L. Cloutier, 96, of Quinebaug, died May 6, 2019, at home.  He was the husband of the late Marguerite M. (LaFlamme) Cloutier.
Born in 1922 in Webster, he was the son of the late Lucien and Frances (Krysiak) Cloutier.
Robert was a proud veteran of WWII serving with the United States Army 898th Aircraft Battalion for three and a half years without a furlough and received four bronze Battle Stars. He fought in the battles in Naples-Foggia, Italy, Rome-Arno, Italy, The Rhineland, and Central Europe.
Mr. Cloutier worked for many years as a steel worker at Worcester Wire.
He was a member of the VFW Post 10088 in Quinebaug; he was on the board of directors at St. Stephen Church in Quinebaug, and a member of Quinnatisset Country Club. Bob was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, and golfing.
He leaves his children, Robert M. Cloutier (Karen) of Thompson, Suzanne M. Logan of Thompson, Jennifer A. Doherty (Joseph) of Dudley, Judith A. Grossman of Ft. Worth, Texas, and Jaqueline M. Spahl (David) of Naples, Fla.; a brother Paul Cloutier of E. Windsor; a sister Shirley Gabor of Webster; and five grandchildren Emily, Katie, Allison, Hannah, and Colette.
The Mass of Christian Burial was May10 in St. Stephen Church, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. Donations: St. Stephen Church, P.O. Box 897 N. Grosvenordale, CT 06255. Valade Funeral Home & Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale.

Wayland Sheldon Jr.,
Nat'l Guard vet
WOODSTOCK — Wayland N. Sheldon Jr. of Old Hall Rd., died May 6, 2019, at home. He was the husband of 64 years to Nancy M. (Aldrich) Sheldon.  Born in 1934 in Putnam, he was the son of the late Wayland N. and Hazel (Currier) Sheldon Sr.
Wayland was proud that he served seven years with the National Guard and attained the rank of E5. He began his working career on his grandfather’s farm on Sheldon Rd., after which he became a tractor trailer driver for Linemaster Switch, Fisher Brothers Dairy, Kenyon Oil and at the same time, Place Oil and Trucking, Wajer’s Trucking, and retiring from Moskowitz Transportation. Wayland loved the time that he spent farming and was the consummate “Professional Big Rig Driver.”
He was a 45-year member of the Putnam Lodge #46 AF&AM Masonic Lodge in Woodstock and was a constable for the town of Woodstock for many years. Wayland started his own baseball team the “Pat’s 5.” He also enjoyed playing basketball, running marathons and was an avid Boston Red Sox Fan.
He leaves his wife; three daughters, Marjorie S. Roy (Richard) of Woodstock, Wendy E. Young (Timothy) of Woodstock, Tamara H. Doyon of Killingly; six sons, Mark W. Sheldon Sr. (Beth) of Eastford, Brian N. Sheldon (Marie) of Woodstock, Matthew D. Sheldon of Woodstock, Scott W. Sheldon (Lynn) of Mansfield, Gary W. Sheldon of Woodstock, and Peter T. Sheldon (Susan) of Woodstock; his siblings Ronald Sheldon of Pomfret and Susan Fallenius of Florida; 27 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by a daughter, Cindy L. Whitehouse, a sister Deborah Pratt, and a step brother Richard Sheldon.
A Memorial Service will be June 9 at a place to be announced. Donations: Audubon Society, 218 Day Rd., Pomfret Center, CT 06259. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Ira E. Flannery Sr.,
Air Force vet
N. WINDHAM — Ira Flannery Sr., 63, peacefully departed to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ unexpectedly May 2, 2019, at home.
Ira was born on July 8, 1955 in Dexter, Maine, to the late Milo H. Flannery Sr. and Joanne
Flannery. Ira spent his childhood in Waterbury for some time; he moved to Danielson where he graduated in 1974 from Killingly High School, then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.
As an active member, Ira was stationed England as well as various states across the country. He eventually settled in Connecticut to raise a family. It was here he joined the U.S. Postal
Service, beginning as a clerk and diligently working his way up to his last position before retirement as postmaster.
In all he did, Ira gave his entire heart and filled the room with laughter. From rounds of golf with friends, to breakfasts at church, to holidays and picnics with family, Ira was all about love; love for his family and friends, the people who brightened his life and were illuminated by his endless capacity to make you feel like the most important person in the world.
He leaves his son, Ira Flannery Jr. of Liverpool, N.Y.; daughter Janna Oakfellow-Pushee (Ian Pushee) of Ayer, Mass.; grandchildren, John Thomas, Danielle, Everett, Sarah, and Margaret; brother, Milo Flannery Jr. Ira was predeceased by his sister, Deborah Lalumiere and her husband Jean.
There will be a Celebration of Life service at 11 a.m. May 18 at the Christian Fellowship Church, 140 Pudding Hill Road, Scotland. Wear your golf, Patriots, Cardinals or military attire. Burial will be at Maine’s Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery with full military honors. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Jeremie DeBruycker Sr.
PUTNAM — Jeremie K. DeBruycker Sr., 33, of Woodstock Ave., died unexpectedly April 27, 2019, at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London.  Born in 1985 in Palm Springs, Calif., he was the son of Robin (Watson) Lajoie and the late Jerry DeBruycker.
In Connecticut, Jeremie worked for Whitcraft LLC in Eastford. He loved cutting and styling hair, drawing and listening to Rap/Hip-Hop music and making his own music with friends and family. Jeremie was an avid sports fan and he enjoyed watching the Boston Celtics and Green Bay Packers; however, what he loved most of all was spending time with his family, especially his two children Jaida and Jeremie Jr., and four nephews Joseph, Jordan, Jayden and Jessiah.
He leaves his mother, Robin (Watson) Lajoie and father, Mark Lajoie, both of Putnam; son, Jeremie K. DeBruycker Jr. of Putnam; daughter, Jaida DeBruycker of Danielson; sister, Jaimie DeBruycker of Dayville; his brother-in-law, Darrell McClellan of Dayville. He was predeceased by his grandparents, Burley and Maxine Watson, his father, Jerry DeBruycker and his cousin who was raised as his brother, Christopher Watson Jr.
Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. May 15 in the Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

John O. Brandt Jr.
POMFRET CENTER — John O. Brandt Jr., 76, of Pomfret Center, died May 5, 2019, at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam.
Along with his twin sister Lois Marie, he was born March 21, 1943, in Putnam, to John O. Brandt Sr. and Irja Klemola.
John learned enough to earn a good living. He was grateful for the positions he held at Fiberoptics Technology, General Electric, and United Technologies, all of which paid him more than he was worth.  All of his earnings were intended to provide for his wife, Norma P. Brandt, whom he believed would surely survive him. Fate would have it that Norma predeceased him and he used the money instead to found a nursing scholarship program at Masonicare in her loving memory. This memorial scholarship fund and the financial aid it provides to aspiring nurses has been the greatest achievement of his life, outside of convincing Norma to marry him.
A Graveside service will be at 2 p.m. May 17 at Abington Cemetery, Pomfret. Donations: Any charity of your choice or just do something nice for a stranger. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

Charlotte A. Couture
PUTNAM — Charlotte Ann Couture, 71, of Knollwood Rd., died May 7, 2019, at Day Kimball Hospital.  Born in 1947 in Webster, she was the daughter of the late William O. and Estelle (Ciak) Couture.
Ms. Couture worked for many years behind the deli counter at Stop and Shop in Putnam, prior to that she was employed at Linemaster Switch in Woodstock.
Charlotte enjoyed crocheting, sewing, gardening, and 10-pin bowling, and was a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
She leaves her son, Shawn Couture (Mia) of Thompson; a grandson, Giovanni Couture of Thompson; her siblings, Georgette Couture of N. Grosvenordale, William Couture of Thompson, Richard Couture of Thompson, Denise Couture of Putnam, and David Couture of Bernardston, Mass. She was predeceased by a sister, Rosalie Daigneault and a grandchild Rhys Couture.
Visitation was May 13 in Valade Funeral Home & Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale. Burial is private.

Vivian M. Craig
POMFRET CENTER — Vivian M. (Sisbarro) Craig, 99, formerly of Seely-Brown Village, died May 8, 2019, at Matulaitis Nursing Home.  She was the wife of the late James M. Craig.  Born in 1919 in Newark, N.J., she was the daughter of the late Vincent and Lena (Sisbarro) Uzzolino.  On Oct. 12, 1949, in New York, she was united in marriage to James M. Craig. He died May 13, 2000.
During the Swing era, she was a singer and tap dancer.  After marriage, she became a consummate homemaker and hostess, friend to many and famous for her sense of fashion, her entertaining and her Italian cooking.  In later years, she enjoyed crocheting and made many pieces now treasured by family members.  She also maintained her interest in cooking, treating family and neighbors to her cookies, meatballs and pastafagiole.
She leaves her children, Robert Craig (Barbara) of Pomfret, James Dennison of New Jersey and Eileen Rubino (Frank) of New Jersey; two sisters, Muriel Oggier of Florida and Helen Staweski of New Jersey; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.  She was predeceased by her siblings, Anthony Sisbarro, Richard Sisbarro and Eileen Bohner.
Visitation is from 5:30 to 6 p.m. May 17 in Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam, followed by a service in the funeral home at 6. Donations: Wyndham Land Trust, P.O. Box 302, Pomfret Center, CT 06259 or online at www.wyndhamlandtrust.org for the acquisition of land for preservation.  

Andrei Dyba
DAYVILLE — Andrei Dyba, 37, of Woodfield Dr., died May 8, 2019, at Brigham & Women Hospital in Boston.  He was the husband of Elena (Krivosheenko) Dyba. Born in 1881 in Russia, he was the son of Vladimir and Vera (Alekseeva) Dyba.
Mr. Dyba was a self-employed professional photographer
Andrei was a happy individual who always loved telling jokes, he was a good Christian who believed in God, and was devoted to his family.
He leaves his wife; his parents; two sons, Richard and Gabriel Dyba, both of Dayville; and two sisters Svetlana Ionkin and Kristina Dyba, both of Putnam.     Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Helen M. Dziki
DAYVILLE — Helen M. Dziki, 96, of Dayville, died, May 11, 2019, at home.
She was born Nov. 22, 1922, in Rogers, daughter of the late Stefan and Mary (Novakowicz) Macina.
She was the wife of Joseph M. Dziki. They were married on June 26, 1948, at St. Ignatius Church in Rogers.
Helen was a graduate of Killingly High School. She worked for several local companies as an assembler.
She retired from Rogers Corp. in 1972. Helen was a communicant of St. Ignatius and of St. Joseph Church till both closed.
Helen leaves her children David Dziki of Merrimack, N.H., Janice Blanchette (Ted) of Dayville, Judith Konesni (William) of Pomfret Center, and Barbara Musselman (Brian) of Melrose, Mass.; eight grandsons, seven great-grandchildren. Helen was predeceased by her husband Joseph in 2006 and her sisters Stella Bachand, Julia Weigel and Dorothy Macina.
Burial will be with her husband Joseph in Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson.
Donations: Day Kimball Hospice and Palliative Care, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.


Louis J. Godzik Jr.
N. GROSVENORDALE — Louis J. Godzik Jr., 78, died April 29, 2019, at the Harrington Hospital at Hubbard, Webster. He was born in Webster son of the late Louis J. Godzik Sr. and Irene (Beaulac) Godzik and lived here all his life.  Louis was owner operator of Checker Board Enterprises.  Louis was a member of the Gold Wing Road Riders Assoc., also member of the Community Fire Dept., and involved in Scouting for many years. He enjoyed riding his Trike, and was a Red Sox and Patriots fan. He leaves his wife of 58 years, Barbara A. (Rojecki) Godzik; two daughters, Tamara Kruzel of Woodstock and Brenda Duquette (Paul) of Thompson; two sons Gregory Godzik (Donna) of Thompson and Matthew Godzik (Alycia) of Putnam; nine grandchildren; a sister, Barbara Langelier of N. Grosvenordale.  
A Funeral Mass was May 10 in St. Anthony of Padua Church, Dudley. Donations: St. Anthony of Padua Church, Dudley Hill Rd., Dudley, MA. 01571. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

Charlotte Paradis
WEBSTER — Charlotte M. Bednarz Paradis, 52, died May 2, 2019, from complications of a long-term illness. In the last few weeks and days of her life, she was frequently visited by the people who loved her the most.
She was born in Webster the daughter of Paul M. Bednarz. She leaves her mother and stepfather, Pamela C. (Gevry) and James Bachand of Webster; five children, Tracy L. Bachand of Webster, Trishia M. (Sheehan) Craig (Stephen) of Danielson, Joseph C. Lamontagne of Putnam, Jonathan Paradis of Dudley, and Jeremy Paradis of Virginia; six grandchildren; grandmother. Donations: Rose Monahan Hospice Home, 10 Judith Road, Worcester, MA 01602. Scanlon Funeral Service, Webster.

Jeanne Adamuska
N. GROSVENORDALE — Jeanne M. (Courtemanche) Adamuska, 93, died May 6, 2019, at home. She was the wife of the late, John A. Adamuska who died Dec. 8, 2014. She was born in Southbridge, daughter of the late Flavien Courtemanche and Emily (Duclos) Courtemanche and lived most of her life in N. Grosvenordale. She was a retired textile worker, working at Stevens Linen.  She leaves a son, John Adamuska Jr. of N. Grosvenordale; two daughters Betty Dragon (Leo) and Debra Anderberg (Steven) of Temecula, Calif.; a grandson, Robert Adamuska Jr. who lived with his grandmother; grandchildren and great-grandchildren; two sisters. She was predeceased by a son Robert Adamuska Sr., and four brothers and four sisters.
The funeral was May 9 from the Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster ,with burial in St.  Anthony Cemetery, Webster.

Charles J. Recko,
Korean war vet
N. GROSVENORDALE — Charles J. Recko, 88, of N. Grosvenordale died May 11, 2019, at Davis Place in Danielson following a battle with cancer. Charles was born March 19, 1931, in Worcester, to the late Adam and Anna (Bujak) Recko.
Charlie graduated from St. Mary’s School in Worcester. After graduation he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and served during the Korean war assigned to the 5th Naval District out of Norfolk Virginia, on the Navy Sea Tug Woyout YTB-150. After leaving the Navy, he was employed by Joseph Leavitt Corp., an auto parts distributor of Worcester. In 1973, when he purchased City Line Sales Auto Parts in Dudley  and he along with wife Elizabeth, sons Charlie (Chris), and James operated the business until 1999 when he retired.
Charlie was a board member and past president of the Webster/Dudley Rotary Club and was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship award.  Charlie was also on the Board of Directors of the Webster First Federal Credit Union, was a member of the American Legion, Polish American Veterans, and 200 Sportsman Club.
Charlie was a long time numismatist. He belonged to the American Numismatic Association, and was awarded their 50 year lifetime membership award. He was also a member and board of director of the Oxford Nipmuc Coin Club. Charlie was an avid golfer. He had amassed a golf ball collection of over 8000 golf balls, along with all other types of golf memorabilia.
He leaves his wife Elizabeth J. (Nachajko) Recko of N. Grosvenordale; son Charles C. (Chris) Recko (Denise Santerre) of Thompson, and their daughter Loni Decelles (David) from Brooklyn; daughter Karen J. (Recko) Grzyb and her companion Joseph Kabala of Webster and her daughter Keli (Grzyb) Farrand, her son Christopher Grzyb (Jasmine) of Webster; son James A. Recko (Donna Gorski) of Webster and their daughters Jessica Recko and her companion Kerrin Ryan,  Jenna Recko and Jillian Recko, all of Webster; daughter-in-law; great-grandsons and a great-granddaughter; sister Wanda LaBak of Worcester. He was predeceased by brothers Joseph, John and sister Jane, and in 2018 his youngest son Brian.  
Memorial Mass is at 11 a.m. May 23 at St. Joseph Basilica, Webster. Donations: American Cancer Society; or the American Heart Association. Bartel Funeral Home, Dudley.

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