Obituaries of burlington people - Town of Burlington

M. Blais, Tomiko A. Blais, Christine M. Blais, Jessica Y. Blais, Joseph R. Blais and Bradford W.Blais all at home in Burlington; his three sisters, Deborah Thomas and her husband Leonard ofEnfield, Rebecca Gaynor of Collinsville and Melissa Thiezzi and her husband Jon of Collinsville.Friends may call at The Ahern Funeral Home, 111 Main St., Rt. 4, Unionville on Thursday, Dec.16 from 5-8 p.m. Funeral services will be held Friday, Dec. 17 at 11 a.m. in the CongregationalChurch of Burlington, Rt. 4, Burlington with the Rev. Wendall Taylor officiating. Burial will followin Center Cemetery, Burlington. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to theBlais Children Educational Fund, c/o Farmington Savings Bank, Rt. 4, Burlington, CT 06013.BLAIS, JOSEPH C. 74, of 206 East Chippens Hill Road, husband of Barbara(Canedy)Blais,died 3-31-1993. He and his wife had lived in Burlington 40 years. Born 11-24-1919, in Canaan,ME and raised in Collinsville, he was a son of the late Cleophas P. and Elodie (Gauthier)Blais.He was an Air Force veteran of WW II and a former prisoner of war in Germany. Besides hiswife, he leaves a son and daughter-in-law, Bradford and Mary Ann Blais of Burlington; threedaughters and two sons-in-law, Deborah and Leonard Thomas of Ellington, Rebekah and JohnGaynor of Canton and Melissa Blais of Collinsville; a half-brother, Gerald Paquette ofFarmington; five brothers, Victor of Longmeadow, MA, Roland of South Hadley, MA, Robert L.Pillip and Henry of Bristol; five sisters, Violet Pelletier of Farmington, Juliette Royal of Huron,Ohio, Helen LaPlant, Florestine Gromoshak and Irene Blais of Bristol. Burial in West Cemetery,Bristol, CT.BLAKESLEE, SUSAN B. 87, wife of Wallace, of 19 North Street, died 6-27-1980. Born inBurlington 10-18-1892, she was the daughter of the late Adna and Anna (Upson) Barnes. APlymouth resident for many years, she was a member of Plymouth Congregational Church. Inaddition to her husband, she is survived by a son, Frank of Miami Springs, Fla.; a daughter,Mrs. Norma Crowley of Middlebury; a sister, Mrs. Mildred Alderman of Burlington; twograndchildren. Burial at West Cemetery, Plymouth, CT.BLANCHARD, BERNARD R. 85, of West Avon Rd., Unionville, husband of Ann (Kelly)Blanchard, died Sunday, (Oct. 18, 1998) at his home after a long heart & kidney illness, Bernardwas born on April 14, 1913 in South Branch, Newfoundland, the eighth of twelve children. Hecame to Burlington in 1924, where his father had been hired to open and manage the BurlingtonFish Hatchery, then and now, a popular field trip destination for Connecticut school children.Along with the rest of his family, he became an American citizen soon afterward. Mr. Blanchardwas a life long musician, a violinist, who combined formal training and a natural "ear" to masterthe dance repertoire of Gaelic, Nova Scotian, and French Canadian fiddle music. He was atalented baseball player with his Collinsville High School Team and with the Farmington Valley(sandlot) league, cited by legendary Hartford Courant sport's writer, Bill Lee, as a " fine hittingpitcher with a curve that seemed to break from 3rd base". Bernard was a graduate of MorseSchool of Business, in Hartford. During World War II, he served with the Army Air Force RadioCommunication Corps in the remote outpost of Hsinching, China, rising to the noncommissionedrank of Master Sergeant. In post war Connecticut, Bernard worked for theHartford Electric Light Company and became manger of Helco's Meter and Service Division,before his retirement in 1975. In recent years, he wrote and published three books of essaysand reminiscences on life in Newfoundland, Canada and Burlington, Ct. in the early 2Othcentury. The last of these books, A House Beside the Road (Pondside Publication's, 1993), isoften cited, and quoted from, in the Canadian Broadcasting Company's (CBC) public radioprogramming. Mr. Blanchard was a member of St. Mary's "Star of the Sea" Roman CatholicChurch in Unionville. He served as a lay helper for many years and led the teaching of hymnsduring the years of renewal. He is survived two sisters, Helen Sullivan and Cecilia Delisa;(Cecelia, d.1-16-2004, b.1-15-1915) and a brother, Chris Blanchard. He leaves his children,Charles Blanchard, Rosemary Blanchard, Michael and Greta Blanchard and Helen and Thomas0' Connor. His six grandchildren, Bridget, Caitlin, Jeanette, Esther, Michael, and Reuben.Friends may call at the Ahern Funeral Home, 111 Main St., Rte 4, Unionville, Wednesday, 2-4pm and 7-9 pm. Funeral liturgy will be celebrated Thursday, 10 am in the Church of St. Mary16