Dominick Joseph Tocci
Dominick Joseph Tocci passed away at 9:37 p.m. March 21, 2026, in East Haddam.
Dom was born on July 20, 2005, the son of Lisa Madden and Joseph Tocci.
He was born at Newton-Wellesley Hospital but spent most of his life living in Woodstock.
He graduated from the Woodstock Academy in 2023 and attended the College of the Holy Cross, where he studied political science and was set to graduate in 2027.
Dom was someone everyone wanted to be around.
His coaches described him as “the kind of player every younger athlete looked up to; the kind of teammate who made the dugout lighter, and the kind of person you never forget.”
He was as stubborn as a mule and was always quick to make a wise crack that would make people laugh.
He was a human sports encyclopedia: he could tell you stats of the most random players down to the decimal point.
He was an avid sports fan as well, with his favorite teams being the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots.
His favorite color is green.
He was in Ireland for his study abroad.
When he throws a football, he throws it without the laces. He would tell you he was the worst defensive outfielder when he played baseball, but his coaches still put him out there.
The picture of him diving headfirst for a baseball that was behind him will live in all our minds.
He thought he made the best Mac’n’Cheese, which was always al dente and cooked without milk.
He had the worst sense of fashion but insisted it was “fire” – he might have the worst school photo ever taken.
He hated yard work and thought it was “useless.”
The 2015-2016 Celtics were his favorite basketball team.
He took four years of Italian in high school, but he will tell you he didn’t learn a single word.
His favorite animal was frogs.
And he loved his family.
He leaves his mother, Lisa Madden, his father Joe Tocci; two siblings, an older brother, Vincent Tocci, a younger sister, Antoinette Madden; and his stepfather, Richard Madden, stepmother Meredith Scannell-Tocci; grandfather Joel Collamore, grandfather Fran Charette, step grandparents Carla O’Malley and Rick O’Malley, step grandfather Joseph Madden. uncles, aunts, and cousins.
Visitation was March 28 at Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St. Putnam.
A Mass was conducted March 30 at St Mary of the Hills in Boylston, Mass.
Donations: to be used to pay for baseball at all four Woodstock area teams – Woodstock Little League, Woodstock Academy Baseball, American Legion Tri-Town, and CT Mustangs.
Checks payable to Woodstock Little League, PO Box 94 Woodstock, CT 06281; or via their venmo, https://venmo.com/ code?user_id=3648163231565489 184&created=1774455047.387615&printed=1
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Randall Frederick Haines
With broken hearts and deep love, we share the passing of Randall Frederick Haines, husband of Geraldine Haines, first born son of Robert Hall Haines and Nellie Buchok of Southington. He grew up and attended schools there with his sister Cathy Haines and brother Brian Haines.
He had a loving smile and great sense of humor, loved playing guitar, and most of all had a deep love for the Lord Jesus.
He played baseball in high school, and lacrosse in college as well as other sports.
Six years at Southern Connecticut State University awarded him a master’s degree in library science.
After his marriage in 1983 to Geraldine Berger, he worked at the Choate Rosemary Hall Library in Wallingford in addition to delivering mail on campus.
Together they raised two wonderful children, Julia R. Haines and Joel C. Haines while in Wallingford then in Putnam.
While in Wallingford, he then worked at the Cheshire Reformatory as a librarian, moved onto the Manross Memorial Library in Bristol.
After moving to Putnam in 1988, he was head librarian at Pearl L. Crawford Memorial Library in Dudley.
From there he worked as children’s librarian at the Putnam Public Library and his last job as children’s librarian for 15 years at East Lyme Public Library. He attributed his love for working with children at the library to his wife, Geri Berger Haines. He loved doing story hours and crafts and arranging summer programs for the children. It brought out his more creative side, he said.
Randy battled Parkinson’s disease since 2006 for 20 years and went through multiple physical hardships through the years because of the Parkinson’s.
He loved playing Scrabble with his wife while in retirement along with Yahtzee and Bingo with his two children and three grandchildren, Lennox, Liam and Nadia Haines, in spite of his pain.
On Nov. 29, 2025, he was sent to Hartford Hospital where he was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma of the liver.
He died peacefully in his home with family around him on March 20, 2026.
His love for the Lord Jesus would shine through his life as he dealt with his pain through the years. He will be forever in our hearts.
A Memorial Service will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, April 9, at Lighthouse Church in Plainfield with reception following.
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