Layout 1 (Page 1) - Stonebridge Press and Villager Newspapers

2 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, November 27, 2009
OBITUARIES
WORCESTER — Roland E. Bedard, 83,
passed away Thursday, Nov. 19 in Blair House
in Tewksbury, surrounded
by his loving family.
His wife, Jeanne H. (Ryan)
Bedard, died in 2007.
He leaves a daughter,
Elaine Bernier, and her husband,
David, of Dracut; sonin-law
John Chauvin of Port
Charlotte, Fla.; brother Omer
Bedard of Arcadia, Fla.; two
sisters, Florence LaJuenesse
and her husband, Joseph, of
Dennis and Claire Hackett
and her husband, Charles, of
Spencer; three grandsons,
John Chauvin Jr. and his wife,
Michelle, of Port Charlotte,
Fla., Michael Chauvin of
Oxford and Bryan Bernier of Dracut; two
WEST BROOKFIELD — Howard S.
“Howie” Gay, 64, died suddenly on Sunday,
Nov. 15 while wintering in
St. James City, Fla.
He leaves his wife, Donna,
of 42 years; two sons,
Lincoln Gay and his wife,
Sarah, and Brett and his
wife, April; four awesome
grandchildren, Alec,
Gabrielle, Lauren and
Taylor; one brother,
Winthrop B. Gay Jr., and his wife, Joan; two
LEICESTER — Joseph D. Laraia, 40,
passed away Saturday, Nov. 21 peacefully,
surrounded by his loving
family.
He leaves his beloved
mother, Nancy L. Laraia of
Worcester; his son and best
buddy, Ethan J. Laraia; his
longtime companion, Kellie
Giorgio, and her daughter,
Jordyn Giorgio. He also
leaves his grandmother,
Dorothy Savoy of Worcester; his aunts,
Donna Bottali and Maureen Reno; his
uncles, Carlo and Mark; his goddaughter,
Aliecia Bottali; his godparents, Thomas
and Patricia Gremo; and many cousins and
friends.
His sister, Cheryl Field, and his grandmother,
Shirley Laraia, predeceased him.
BARRE — Michael A. Messer, 47, of
Farrington Road, died at home on
Wednesday, Nov. 18.
He leaves his son, Jake T.
Messer of Holden; his
mother, Barbara A. (Leone)
Davis, and her husband,
Ronald, of Worcester; a
brother, James A. Messer,
and his wife, Karen, of
Worcester; a stepbrother,
Michael Davis of Stafford
Springs, Conn.; a stepsister, Patricia
Simkonis of Naples, Fla.; his former wife,
Marianne J. (Croteau) Messer of Holden;
his close friend for more than 30 years,
James Thibeault of Leicester; aunts,
uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces.
SPENCER — Helen T. (Morrissey) Tebo
Ruel, 86, of Pleasant Street, died Saturday,
Nov. 14 in her home after a
long illness.
She was predeceased by
her husband, Donald Ruel.
She is survived by her
son, John J. Tebo, and his
wife, Sandra, of Spencer; a
sister, Jeannette Daviau of
Worcester; 12 grandchildren,
including Heidi
Jariwala and her husband, Neil, of
California, 11 great-grandchildren, nephews
and nieces.
She was predeceased by a son, Francis R.
Tebo of Spencer, who died in 2008; a brother,
Roland E. Bedard, 83
Florence C. Andrews, 95
Howard S. Gay, 64
Joseph D. Laraia, 40
Michael A. Messer, 47
Helen T. Tebo Ruel, 86
great-granddaughters, Meaghan and Kaitlin
of Florida; two great-grandsons, Christopher
and Anthony of Worcester; and many nieces
and nephews.
He was predeceased by his daughter, Marie
Chauvin (2008), brothers William and Eugene
Bedard and sister Lucille Sanborn.
He was born in Worcester, son of William
and Orise (Perodeau) Bedard. Roland was a
World War II Army veteran and served in the
European Theatre. He was an avid bingo player
and enjoyed spending time with his family.
Calling hours were held at Nordgren
Memorial Chapel, 300 Lincoln St. The graveside
committal service was at Worcester
County Memorial Park in Paxton on Monday,
Nov. 23.
Memorial donations may be made to the
Massachusetts Veterans Shelter, 69 Grove St.,
Worcester, MA 01605.
nordgrenmemorialchapel.com
SPENCER — Florence C. “Carol” (Harvey)
Andrews, 95, of Paxton Road, died Tuesday,
Nov. 17 at Life Care Center of
Plymouth.
She was the wife of Albert
E. Andrews Sr., who died in
2005.
She leaves her son, the Rev.
Douglas H. Andrews and his
wife, Elizabeth, of Pittsfield,
N.H.; her daughter, Linda C.
Cook, and her husband, Paul
E., of Plymouth; 10 grandchildren, 21 greatgrandchildren
and 12 great-great-grandchildren;
nieces and nephews.
She is predeceased by her son, Albert E.
“Sonny” Andrews Jr., in 2006, her daughter,
Joyce Andrews, in 1960, a brother, George
Harvey, and a sister, Barbara Adams.
Carol was the food and lunch director for
the Spencer School System for 24 years, retiring
in 1980.
She was born in Worcester, the daughter of
Madison and Florence (Taylor) Harvey. She
graduated from the former Commerce High
in Worcester. She was a longtime member of
the First Congregational Church of Spencer
and its Women’s Fellowship. She was a member
of the Spencer Agricultural Association
for more than 30 years, the Worcester County
4-H Center and the Spencer Chapter of the
Eastern Star.
Funeral services were held Friday, Nov. 20
in the First Congregational Church, 205
Main St., Spencer. Calling hours were in the
J. Henri Morin & Son Funeral Home, 23
Maple Terrace, Spencer. Burial was in Pine
Grove Cemetery in Spencer.
Contributions may be made to the First
Congregational Church Memorial Fund, P.O.
Box 187, Spencer, MA 01562.
www.morin-morrison.com
sisters, Martha Harder and her husband,
Mel, and Marilyn Gaudette and her husband,
John; and several nieces and
nephews.
A graveside service was held Tuesday,
Nov. 24 in Pine Grove Cemetery in West
Brookfield.
The family requests donations be made to
the Pine Island Fire Department, 5700 Pine
Island Road, Pine Island, FL 33956.
Varnum Funeral Home, Inc., 43 East Main
St., West Brookfield, is directing arrangements.
He was born in Worcester, the son of the
late Arthur Laraia, and graduated from
Worcester Vocational High School. He
worked as an electrician and was also a volunteer
firefighter in Leicester. He enjoyed
golfing, traveling and spending time at
Cape Cod. He will be sadly missed by all
that loved and knew him.
Visiting hours were at Callahan & Fay
Brothers Funeral Home, 61 Myrtle St.,
Worcester. The funeral was Wednesday,
Nov. 25 at St. John’s Church, 40 Temple St.,
Worcester. Interment was in St. John’s
Cemetery in Worcester.
Memorial contributions may be made to
the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St.,
Framingham, MA 01701.
For an online guestbook, please visit
www.callahanfay.com.
Michael was born in Jacksonville, Fla.,
on May 7, 1962 and lived in Holden for 10
years before moving to Barre five years
ago. He was a lineman for National Grid for
20 years and enjoyed traveling and spending
time with his son.
His funeral was held on Monday, Nov. 23
from the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main
St. (Route 122A), Holden, with a Mass of
Christian Burial in St. Mary’s Church, 114
Princeton St., Jefferson. Burial followed in
Grove Cemetery, 1290 Main St. (Route
122A), Holden.
The family requests donations be made
to the Messer Family Educational Fund,
c/o Sovereign Bank, 164 Reservoir St.,
Holden, MA 01520.
www.milesfuneralhome.com
John Morrissey; and a sister, Rita Connors.
She was born in Worcester, the daughter
of the late John and Cecile (Roberts)
Morrissey, and lived in Oxford before moving
to Spencer 32 years ago.
Mrs. Ruel was retired from Russell’s Co. in
Spencer. She enjoyed making silk flower
arrangements and giving them to friends
and family. She loved camping and enjoyed
to be around people.
A memorial service was held Thursday,
Nov. 19 at Paradis Funeral Home, 357 Main
St., Oxford. Burial followed at North
Cemetery in Oxford.
Memorial contributions may be made to
the Jehovah Witness Kingdom Hall, 4
Memorial Drive, Leicester, MA 01524.
SEND ALL OBITUARY NOTICES TO
THE NEW LEADER, 25 ELM ST., SOUTHBRIDGE, MA 01550, OR BY
E-MAIL TO DDORE@STONEBRIDGEPRESS.COM
NORTH BROOKFIELD/SPENCER —
Franklin J. Boulanger, 54, of
Elm Street, died Saturday,
Nov. 21 at Mary Lane
Hospital in Ware.
He leaves his wife of five
years, Debra L. (Tillotson)
Boulanger; a son, Kyle
Trottier of Douglas; a stepson,
Nathan Tillotson, and a
stepdaughter, Amanda L.
Pierce, both of North
Brookfield; his mother, Doris
M. (Madelle) Boulanger of
Spencer; a brother, Edward F.
Boulanger, and his wife,
Katherine, of Shrewsbury; a
nephew, Edward F. Boulanger
II, and his wife, Heather, of
Connecticut; an uncle, Franklin Madelle of
Worcester, and several cousins.
LEICESTER — Kenneth P. Sullivan Sr.,
96, died Sunday, Nov. 22
after a brief illness.
His wife of 58 years,
Eleanor C. (Conaty)
Sullivan, died in 2002.
He leaves four children,
Ursula M. Korman of West
Springfield, Thomas P.
Sullivan of Sheffield, Paul
K. Sullivan of Worcester
and Kenneth P. Sullivan Jr.
of Leicester; his sister-inlaw,
Mary Bollinger of
Towson, Md.; eight grandchildren,
four great-grandchildren,
nieces and
nephews.
Two brothers, William and
Joseph Sullivan, predeceased him.
He was born in Rochester, N.Y., the son of
Jeremiah and Ellen (Callahan) Sullivan. He
graduated from St. Peter’s High School,
attended Holy Cross College and graduated
from New England School of Accounting.
Mr. Sullivan was a World War II and Korean
Army veteran and continued to serve in the
reserves, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.
BROOKFIELD — Lynne A. (Adams)
Geldard, 74, of Deer Run, died Wednesday,
Nov. 18 at Quaboag on the Common in West
Brookfield.
She leaves two daughters, Sally Geldard
Hewes and her husband, Douglas, and
Jennifer Geldard and her husband, John
Hooven, of West Brookfield; one sister,
Barbara Dye of Kansas; one grandson,
Maxwell Hooven; and several nieces and
nephews.
A daughter, Cynthia Gordon Geldard, predeceased
her in 1988.
She was born in Waterbury, Conn., daughter
of the late Robert and Martha (Wilson)
Adams.
Mrs. Geldard worked as an administrator
HOLDEN — Irene A. (Brousseau)
Hippert, 89, formerly of Worcester, died
peacefully Thursday, Nov.
12 in Holden Nursing
Center, surrounded by her
loving family.
Her husband, Edward E.
Hippert Sr., predeceased
her in 1975.
She leaves a daughter,
Joyce J. McDonnell, and
her husband, James, of
North Grafton; three sons, Edward E.
Hippert Jr. and his wife, Charlene, of
Spencer, Gerald R. Hippert and his wife,
Maureen, of Leicester and Martin M.
Hippert and his wife, Jacqueline, of
Milwaukee, Wis.; 13 grandchildren and
seven great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by three brothers,
Joseph, Roland and Victor Brousseau, and
two sisters, Jeanette Strakose and Cecille
Essex.
She was born in Worcester, daughter of
WORCESTER — Alfreda S. “Winnie”
(Winski) Reidy passed away peacefully in
UMass Memorial Medical
Center, University Campus,
on Tuesday, Nov. 17, surrounded
by her family.
Her beloved husband of 42
years and best friend, James
G. Reidy, predeceased her on
Sept. 8, 1988.
Winnie leaves her three
children, James and his
wife, Kate, of Minneapolis, Minn., Phyllis
Borowiec and her husband, Richard, of
Spencer and Robert and his wife, Rosemary,
of Millbury; five grandchildren who were
the light of her life, Ann and her husband,
Jamie Lund, of New York, N.Y., Meghan
Borowiec of Sunderland, Michael Borowiec
of Spencer, and Thomas and Joseph Reidy of
Millbury; and many loved nieces and
nephews.
She was predeceased by a sister, Helen
Milaszewski, and a brother, Richard Winski.
She was born in Worcester on Nov. 28,
1919, a daughter of John and Anna (Pilis)
Winski, and resided on 11 Alpine St. most of
her life. Mrs. Reidy worked as a bookkeeper
Franklin J. Boulanger, 54
Kenneth P. Sullivan Sr., 96
Lynne A. Geldard, 74
Irene A. Hippert, 89
Alfreda S. Reidy, 89
Born in Southbridge, he was the son of
Edward J. Boulanger and lived most of his
life in Spencer.
Mr. Boulanger was a machinist working at
Norton Company for 20 years. He graduated
from David Prouty High School in Spencer.
He served in the Air Force during peacetime.
He was a member of the former St.
Mary’s Parish in Spencer. He was an avid
hunter and fisherman.
A Memorial Mass was held Wednesday,
Nov. 25 in Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 7
Church St., Spencer. Burial followed in
Worcester County Memorial Park in Paxton.
Contributions may be made to the
American Heart Association, 20 Speen St.,
Framingham, MA 01701.
The J. Henri Morin & Son Funeral Home,
23 Maple Terrace, Spencer, is directing
arrangements.
www.morin-morrison.com
He worked as a postal inspector for many
years before becoming the postmaster in
Leominster.
Mr. Sullivan was the director of the
Worcester Postal Credit Union and the
Veteran’s Agent for the Town of Leicester.
He was a founding member of St. Pius X, a
member of Hillcrest Country Club for 53
years, Leicester Counsel Knights of
Columbus No. 4528, Bishop O’Reilly
Assembly 4th Degree, Worcester Lodge of
Elks and the Massachusetts Chiefs of
Police Association.
Mr. Sullivan lived a full and active life
and was golfing just last week with the
Growlers.
The funeral was held Wednesday, Nov. 25
from Callahan & Fay Brothers Funeral
Home, 61 Myrtle St., Worcester, with a Mass
at St. Pius X Church, 1154 Main St.
Interment with military honors was in St.
Joseph’s Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to the
Auburn District Nursing Association, 191
Pakachoag St., Auburn, MA 01501.
For an online guestbook, please visit
www.callahanfay.com.
for 15 years in the Cell Biology Department
at the University of Massachusetts Medical
School in Worcester before retiring.
Lynne was a member of the Holy Trinity
Church in Southbridge and loved to sing,
make jewelry, do charity work and was very
involved in politics and equal rights.
A memorial service for Lynne will be held
at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 3 in Holy Trinity
Church, 446 Hamilton St., Southbridge.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations
may be made to the American Cancer
Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA
01701.
Varnum Funeral Home, Inc., 43 East Main
St., West Brookfield, is directing arrangements.
Napolean and Alice (Harpin) Brousseau.
Irene worked at Catholic Charities for
many years, and she also volunteered at the
Green Island Neighborhood Center. She
was a longtime member of St. John’s
Church and associate member of the
Sisters of Presentation in Fitchburg. Irene
was a very devoted and active mother when
raising her children, and in later years she
was very proud of and enjoyed her grandchildren
and great-grandchildren. She was
a prolific reader and an avid sewer.
The family would like to thank the
Holden Nursing Center staff and the
UMass Memorial Hospice team for the loving
care that their mother received.
The funeral was held on Tuesday, Nov. 17
from Callahan & Fay Brothers Funeral
Home, 61 Myrtle St., Worcester, with a Mass
in St. John’s Church, 40 Temple St.,
Worcester. Burial followed in Worcester
County Memorial Park in Paxton.
For an online condolence book, please
visit www.callahanfay.com.
for Norton Co., and later Carlton Woolen
Mills. She graduated from Commerce High
School.
Winnie was a member of Our Lady of
Czestochowa Church. She was a member
and past president of the church's Women’s
Guild and was active in her parish, serving
as the secretary for the CCD program for
many years and volunteering at the Monday
Night bingo games.
Her world centered around her family. She
especially enjoyed their annual vacations to
Cape Cod and the many family gatherings.
Winnie also liked completing crossword
puzzles, the more challenging the better.
The family would like to extend a heartfelt
thank you to Magda and the staff of the
Sutton Unit of Millbury Health Care Center,
as well as, the doctors and nurses at UMass
Memorial, University Campus.
The funeral was held on Saturday, Nov. 21
from Henry-Dirsa Funeral Home, 33 Ward
St., with a Mass in Our Lady of
Czestochowa Church, 34 Ward St. Burial
was in Notre Dame Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to
the charity of the donor's choice.