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Earl Owen Cornish, 85, of Terryville, husband of Donna (LeSavage) Cornish passed away Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at the Pines in Bristol.

Earl was born July 25, 1933 in Munising, MI; he was the son of the late Earl C. and Ethel Belle (Strong) Cornish. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War. Prior to his retirement, he worked as a self-employed Design Engineer.

In addition to his wife Donna of 64 years, he is survived by his sons, Steven of Burlington, Timothy and his wife Monique of Bristol, Kristine Dobrowolski of Farmington, Richard and his wife Vicki of Mandeville, LA, Thomas and his wife Elizabeth of Burlington, David Cornish and Robin Gilghrist of Dillon, CO, and Sharon Harshaw and her husband, Gregory of Simsbury; as well as his beloved grandchildren and their spouses, James and Michelle, Nicholas and Melissa, Louis Sgt. US Army and Angie Cossette, Jessica and Rich Sanzo, Dustin and Lauren Dobrowolski, Samantha and Nick Chiasson, Owen Cornish, Sgt. US Marines, Michael Cornish, Rachel, David, and Brian Harshaw, as well as four precious great grandchildren, Hannah Cossette, Carter and Mathew Sanzo and Richard Cornish, and Earl’s lap cat, Raven.

Earl enjoyed fishing, and flying model airplanes; although visually impaired, after his retirement, he kept busy by making homemade sauerkraut and pickles, as well as using his smoker to make a variety of jerky and sausage. He loved to tell tales of his youth spent in the Upper Peninsula, MI. In his later years, he spent many enjoyable hours playing WII golf with any family member, but especially his oldest son Steven.

In memory of Earl’s love for children, and in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Earl’s name to ‘Make a Wish’ foundation at www.ct.wish.org

A memorial service will be held 11AM on Monday at the Scott Funeral Home, 169 Main St., Terryville.  Relatives and friends may call at the funeral home one hour prior to the service.  Burial with military honors will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Bristol.  www.scottfuneralhomeinc.com

Evangeline (Martin) Thibault, 93 of New Britain and formerly of Southington, passed away on Monday, February 25, 2019 at Bel Air Manor, Newington.

Born February 14, 1926 in St. Agatha, ME she was the daughter of the late Albert and Amanda (Martin) Martin.

Evangeline retired from New Britain Memorial Hospital (HFSC) after 25 years of service. She loved to play bingo, cards, reading, puzzles and especially scratching her lotto tickets. She was also an avid Red Sox fan.

She is survived by her four daughters, Jeanne Fort of New Britain, MaryAnn Azarigian and husband Clifford of NC, Monique Skowronek of VT and Margaret Paruske and husband Richard of SC; daughter-in-law, Joanne Thibault of Farmington; a brother, Gene Martin and wife Claudette of Southington, a sister, Corrine Munson of Newington; 14 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, 6 great great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her two sons, Martin Thibault and Marcel Thibault, a son-in-law, Kenneth Fort; a sister, Viola Wilkens and five brothers, Conrad, Richard, Reginald, Onios and Omer Martin.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Tuesday, 11 a.m. at St. Dominic Church, 1050 Flanders Rd., Southington. Burial will follow at St. Thomas Cemetery. Calling hours will be prior to the Mass from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the DellaVecchia Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St., Southington. For online expressions of sympathy and directions please visit, www.dellavecchiafh.com

Joseph A. Sazanowicz Jr., “Saz,” 64, of the Plantsville section of Southington, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on Friday, March 1, 2019. He had been the loving husband of Nancy (Morin) Sazanowicz for 41 years, the proud father of his children, Rachel and Robert and a caring son, brother, and friend.

Joe was born in Southington on November 23, 1954 to Irene (Przygocki) Sazanowicz and the late Joseph A. Sazanowicz, Sr. and had been a lifelong Southington resident.

Joe was a dedicated law enforcement officer. He started his career with the Berlin Police Department in January of 1978 and retired in January of 2004.  He immediately went on to work for the State of Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. He started as an Inspector in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, Rocky Hill, in the Elder Services Bureau and later in the Public Integrity Bureau where he proudly investigated allegations of elder abuse and financial crime.  He spent his last years with the Office of the Waterbury State’s Attorney where he assisted in post-arrest investigations, often in service of society’s most vulnerable victims.

Joe loved the life he created with Nancy and their children.  He was the first one up and last one to bed. In between he golfed, vacationed, enjoyed the outdoors, made wine, read books, cooked his famous specialties, listened to rock, debated passionately, bragged about his kids, and watched baseball and football.  He talked, ate, drank, loved, and laughed to the max.  He truly lived life to the fullest.  He will be remembered for the way he could draw people in and make them at ease, leading by example, being the life of the party, but also the grumpiest before the party, his love of wine and food, his impressive golf club throwing, the knack he had for finding a good deal at the grocery store, and detecting if the thermostat was touched.

In addition to his wife Nancy and his mother Irene, Joe is survived by daughter, Rachel Sazanowicz of Brooklyn, NY and son, Robert Sazanowicz and his wife MeeNa of Cheshire, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by three sisters, MaryAnn Adams, Carolyn Bruschino, and Barbara Cardini.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Joe’s memory may be made to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation at www.curemeso.org/donate, or the Police Athletic League of Waterbury, a youth support organization, at www.waterburypal.org/contribution.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. directly at the Immaculate Conception Church, 130 Summer St., Southington. Burial will follow in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Southington. As was his wish, rather than calling hours, we will celebrate and toast to Joe. Please join us at the Aqua Turf Club, Southington, following the burial. Plantsville Funeral Home has been entrusted with handling the arrangements. For online condolences, please visit www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com.

Charles H. Keeler, 87, of Bristol, beloved husband of 49 years to the late Ruby (Whiting) Keeler, died on Saturday (March 2, 2019) at St. Francis Hospital. Charles was born on March 4, 1931 in Littleton, New Hampshire and was a son of the late Charles and Katherine (Knapp) Keeler.

Charles served honorably in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He loved spending his time going country and western dancing and also being with his family who he loved dearly.

Charles leaves behind his son: Charles Keeler of Vermont; his three daughters: Melodee Rivera of Bristol, Sherry Quirion of Plainville, Patty and her husband Robert Kerr of Florida; his two sisters: Laura LaClair, Ruby Stringer; his fifteen grandchildren: Craig Posados, Crystal Keeler, Jill Lindhart, Sarah Renolds, Frankie Vezina, Tammy Magnini, Charles Keeler, Tammy Mcdermott, Dustin Morehouse, Ken Kerr, Terisa Kerr, Michelle Bailey, Katie Lee, Teena Quirion, Troy Quirion; many great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends may call at Funk Funeral Home on Wednesday (March 13, 2019) between 5 and 8 PM. A prayer service will be held on Thursday (March 14, 2019) at 10 AM at Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave, Bristol. Burial with military honors will follow in West Cemetery, Bristol.

Please visit Charles’ memorial website at www.FunkFuneralHome.com

Evelyn (Lamphear) Ciesiensky, widow of Anthony “Tony” Ciesiensky, passed away on Tuesday February 26, 2019.

She was born in Walden, VT on December 25, 1924, the daughter of the late Harold and Mable (Barnett) Lamphear.

She is survived by her daughter Antoinette “Toni” Harlow-Gilbert; two granddaughters Lisa and Lori Harlow all of Bristol, CT; her great-grandchildren, Kayla, Tyler and Ryan her sister Thelma Trybulski. She was predeceased by her sisters Dorothy Clark, Ida Foster, Genevieve Piro, Margaret Lawson and Eugenia Pauliott and her brothers, Harold Jr., Carl and David Lamphear.

She had much love for all of her family including her many nieces and nephews.

She worked in factories during the war and retired along with her husband from a hotel they managed in New Britain for seventeen years. She was a long time member of St. Gregory Church.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday March 23, 2019 at 11AM directly at St. Gregory Church, Maltby St. Bristol, CT. The burial will be at a later date at Durant Cemetery, Lower Cabot, VT.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of one’s choice. To leave an online condolence or to share a memory or a photo, please visit Evelyn’s memorial web page at www.OBrien-FuneralHome.com

Raymond L. Thibeault, 71, of Bristol, beloved husband of Jocelyn (Myers) Thibeault, died on Friday (March 1, 2019) at St. Francis Hospital.  Raymond was born on June 16, 1947 in St. Agatha, Maine and was a son of the late Clarence and Velma (Guerrette) Thibeault.

Raymond was a parishioner at St. Matthew Church, Bristol and worked for 38 years at Connecticut Spring and Stamping. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

In addition to his wife of 52 years, Raymond leaves behind his son: Peter A. Thibeault of Bristol; his daughter: Lisa M. Clinton of Bristol; his five brothers and four sisters-in-law: Jerry and Sandra of Florida, Percy and Claudette of Maine, Phillip and Rina of Maine, Danny and Linda of Bristol, Jeff of Bristol; his four sisters and two brothers-in-law: Jean Cote of Bristol, Sherene and Phillip Pelletier of Maine, Shirley and Bob Campagna of Maine, Janice Guerrette of Maine; two grandchildren: Haley Clinton, Kyle Parker; a special god child: Cindy Myers; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Raymond is predeceased by his three brothers: Ricky, Jimmy, Roger; brother-in-law: Raymond Cote; and granddaughter: Alyssa Parker.

Funeral services will be held on Monday (March 11, 2019) at 9 AM from Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave, Bristol to St. Matthew Church, 120 Church Ave, Bristol for a 10 AM mass of Christian burial. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery. Relatives and friends may call at Funk Funeral Home on Sunday (March 10, 2019) between 5 and 8 PM.

Please visit Raymond’s memorial website at www.FunkFuneralHome.com

Tracy Lynn Dagata, age 49, of Bristol, beloved mother and friend to everyone that knew her, passed away at her home on January 10, 2019 due to complications of diabetes. Born Tracy Lynn Cruz on August 10, 1969, in Bristol, CT, to Darlene Freimuth and Miguel Cruz.

Tracy enjoyed nature, photography, watching Master Chef with Gordon Ramsey, camping, crossword puzzles and playing online Myrtle Beach Sudoku. “Have a sparkling day” was one of her favorite sayings. Anyone that knew Tracy also knew she was a lifelong NFL fan of the Patriots.

Tracy leaves two sons, Vincenzo Dagata and Kayden Cruz; daughter, Sentra Cruz; mother, Darlene Garcia; and her younger sister, Marissa Cruz. She was preceded in death by her father.

Tracy’s family will be celebrating her life privately.

www.OBrien-FuneralHome.com

Trista Nicholson, 33, of New Britain, formerly of Bristol, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, January 27, 2019.

Born on February 2, 1985, she was raised in Bristol, and attended local schools where she excelled in athletics, especially basketball and softball.  Trista recently worked in the masonry profession as an independent contractor.  Remembered for her “rosy glow”, her upbeat personality, kindheartedness, and sense of humor, she was a loving mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend who left this world too soon and will be greatly missed.

Trista leaves her daughter, Dasia Porrini; mother, Michele Mazza; her sister, Christyl Evangelisto and fiancé Jesse Friedlander,  along with their children, Rylan and Rayna Friedlander; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Trista was laid to rest in Pittsfield, MA.  Family and friends may gather in celebration of her life on Sunday, March 10, 2019, from 2-4 p.m. at Plainville Funeral Home, 81 Broad St, Plainville.  Words of remembrance will be shared at 4 p.m.  For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.PlainvilleFuneralHome.com

By TRACEY O’SHAUGHNESSY

STAFF WRITER

WATERBURY — The newspaper industry and Connecticut lost a titan of the free press and devoted patron of the community Saturday with the death of William J. Pape II.

The longtime editor, former publisher and president, and chairman of the board of American Republican Inc., was 87.

He had also been the publisher for the Bristol, Southington, and Plainville Observers.

As recently as last month, despite deteriorating vision and hearing, he was at his grandfather’s roll-top desk in his beloved newsroom, dressed in his customary charcoal gray trousers, crisp white shirt and navy blue blazer. Daily, he pinned an American flag to one lapel.

For years, Pape hung onto a gold nugget his adventurous grandfather picked up on a trip to investigate mines in Butte, Mont., at the turn of the century. That connection to his namesake was deep and abiding. Though Pape could be taciturn and diffident, and shunned attention on himself, he shared anecdotes about his grandfather liberally and with infectious mirth.

It was that kind devotion to his grandfather, who bought The Republican in 1901, that underscored Pape’s commitment to his family and fierce support for press freedom.

“Mr. Pape represented the best in family stewardship of a newspaper, upholding the Republican-American’s long tradition, as he was principled and fearless, unafraid to protest the long misdirection of Connecticut’s public policy no matter how many people would consider him politically incorrect. Thank God he was!” said Chris Powell, a columnist and retired managing editor of the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, and a director of the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information.

“Just as important, he steadily improved the Republican-American, even as civic engagement was declining in the state and financial pressures were forcing curtailment everywhere else in the newspaper business,” Powell said.

“His legacy is not just the vigorous, civic-minded news organization he led, but the example he set for independent journalism.”

Like his grandfather, Pape was a lover of the sea, history and newspapers. Among his many awards, including his 1999 Yankee Quill Award, in recognition of his lifetime contribution toward excellence in journalism in New England, he may have been most proud of his lifetime membership in the Liverpool Nautical Research Society. For decades, he helmed his sailboat, Sundance, generally with an assembled crew of occasionally boisterous family members.

A graduate of the Taft School in Watertown and the U.S. Naval Academy, Pape began working at the newspaper in 1959, just after graduating from Harvard Business School. He was the third generation of Pape men to take the helm of the newspaper, maintaining its feisty independence in the face of growing corporate ownership in the newspaper industry.

Like his father, William B. Pape, he was a tireless fighter for press freedom. Pape enjoyed telling the story of the reporter who was denied access to the minutes of the Torrington School Board in 1950. When the Republican-American won a national Sunshine Award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2012, Pape took the occasion to recount the tale of long-ago reporter Jiggs Donahue. He sent an email to the company’s board of directors, noting the Sunshine Award was the paper’s latest example of fighting for public information.

The paper took the 1950 case to the Connecticut Supreme Court and lost. Nevertheless, the uproar after the defeat eventually led to what became the first Freedom of Information legislation in the state.

Pape recoiled at the term “journalist,” preferring instead the grittier “newspaperman,” suggestive of a flinty reporter who knew how to dig deep, hit hard and still craft an elegant sentence.

He loved the rough-and-tumble ferocity of newspapering and was never averse to litigating for the public’s right to know.

Pape’s newsroom is famous for the 1928 quotation from his grandfather he had framed, which began, “There are no sacred cows at this newspaper,” and ended, “No one can keep his name out of our papers if it belongs there.”

Pape was neither a sentimentalist nor a glad-hander, and the list of editors and reporters on the receiving end of his ire is long. He could not abide careless mistakes or tiresome excuses. “CAN’T ANYONE PLAY THIS GAME?” he once emailed the entire news staff, all in capital letters, before proceeding to question why coverage of key local events one weekend was unacceptably absent from the newspaper’s pages.

His responses to readers, too, were legendary in both their manners and bluntness. “I am sorry to hear you are unhappy with our newspaper,” Pape wrote to a reader who complained about too much negative news in 2017. “If the country is going to hell in a hand basket, I feel it is important that our readers know it.”

He was an avid Republican, but Pape was adamant that his reporters deliver the news with precision and objectivity, and that his editorial pages and news staff operate independently.

When Neil M. O’Leary became the Waterbury Police Department’s deputy chief in 2001, he requested a meeting with Pape at the newspaper. Pape made it clear the department needed to be more transparent, the mayor recalled. “He said, ‘Look, I know you’re a good cop, and I know you want to make a difference. But you’re going to have to make a change.’”

O’Leary said he incorporated that philosophy into his work in the police department and later as mayor.

“I learned more from Mr. Pape about transparency than probably any other one of my mentors. I promised him I would work toward that goal,” O’Leary said.

“His commitment to the readers never ever changed. Anyone would learn a lot about commitment from Mr. Bill Pape.”

As newspapers across the country began to fold, reduce staff and become a shadow of their former selves, Pape released to his staff a memo his grandfather wrote in 1946, just after the Waterbury Democrat folded. “These newspapers will do their best to be better and broader, less partisan, more community-minded,” his grandfather wrote. “They must give every cause a proper hearing, must think for themselves and the public more patiently and temperately.”

Like his predecessors, Pape moved up through the ranks of the company, beginning as assistant treasurer of the Eastern Color Printing Co., and eventually taking his father’s place as publisher and then editor and publisher.

Pape’s belief in press freedom was met with an equally avid commitment to civic engagement. He maintained an almost 19th century belief in the responsibility of a community’s most statured members to support its institutions.

Among his most treasured philanthropic endeavors was the Greater Waterbury Campership Fund, marking its 50th anniversary this year. Community leaders approached Pape with the idea of starting a nonprofit to send children to summer camp; Pape immediately agreed and offered the newspaper’s support.

Last year, 491 children attended camp thanks to the Campership Fund, the latest generation of thousands of children served since 1969. It is an organization that epitomized Pape’s belief that any child, given the right circumstances, was capable of overcoming obstacles of birth.

Pape, who graduated from the Naval Academy in 1953, also was devoted to veterans. He was a member of the American Legion, the Navy League and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. He fought diligently to commemorate the sacrifice of his cousin, Lt. (Rev.) Thomas M. Conway, a Navy chaplain during World War II. When a Japanese submarine torpedoed his ship, the USS Indianapolis, in 1945, Conway stayed in shark-infested water for three nights, comforting his shipmates, until he died. The Waterbury Veterans Memorial Committee installed the Thomas M. Conway Memorial, just adjacent the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, in 2015.

“Those who served our country never had a better friend,” said Bob Dorr, secretary and treasurer of the Waterbury Veterans Memorial Committee.

Dorr planned to nominate Pape to the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame in 2018. The application was due Sept. 1; Pape called him in July.

“He wasn’t looking for recognition,” Dorr said. “He asked that I withdraw his nomination … he just knew what to do. He knew what to do to honor those who served.”

A devout Catholic who traced most of his impeccable manners and sense of service to Saint Mary’s School, Pape spoke of the Waterbury community as if it were a living creature. When the 100-year-old tower of the Republican-American’s building began to show its age, Pape was resolute that it be restored. “If we don’t fix that tower,” he told one reporter, shaking his head ruefully, “the community will never forgive us.” The tower was suitably renovated.

Martha Shanahan contributed to this report

https://www.rep-am.com/campership/2019/04/23/william-j-pape-ii2/

By SPENCER DREHER

STAFF WRITER

The long-time baseball former baseball coach at Southington high school, John Fontana, died last week at the age of 84.  He died watching sports, something that impacted his entire life.

Fontana began coaching at Southington in 1962.  In the 41 seasons that followed, the former SHS graduate compiled a 669-157 record with two state titles (1994, 1999), 24 conference titles, and 40 state tournament appearances.  His 669 wins rank 20th all-time nationally.

He also coached 192 players that received a college scholarship, including nine players who competed in the Division I and II College World Series.  Some notable players include Carl Pavano, who won a World Series with the Miami Marlins in 2003, and Rob Dibble, who won a World Series as a member of the “Nasty Boys” bullpen with the Cincinnati Reds in 1990.

Fontana served on the executive board of the Connecticut High School Coaches Association from 1966 to 1988, and was the president and chairman of the National High School Coaches Association throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.  He also served on the Connecticut High School Basketball Referees Association.

“John Fontana was one of those people you come across once in a lifetime,” Dan Scavone, the director of the CIAC Officials Association, told the Republican American. “He made such a positive impact, not only in our state, but also nationally. He was so influential and had such a positive affect with the ranks of coaches. He did so much for coaches and was a staunch supporter of education through positive coaching modules. John made it his business to positively advance the whole arena of coaching across our state.  You couldn’t imagine him not being present with us. That’s the bottom line.”

Fontana was inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the Southington High School Baseball Hall of Fame (1988), the Connecticut High School Coaches Hall of Fame (1987), and the Southington Sports Hall of Fame (2012), which he founded in 2010.

He won the Connecticut High School Coach of the Year award in 1975, the District and National High School Baseball Coach of the Year award in 1983, and was named the American Baseball Coaches Association’s National Coach of the Year in 1993.

“With Coach Fontana’s passing a couple words continue to come up in conversation: ‘legend’ and ‘icon’, and I agree with both descriptions,” said Dennis J. Stanek Jr., chairman of the Southington Sports Hall of Fame.  “However the Connecticut High School, even the New England athletic family lost a tireless advocate. John was an undaunted coach, leader, and loving father and good friend.  While he certainly refined many talented baseball players, and helped their careers, he was blessing to a lot of people. Not only his ballplayers, but his coaches and his circle of friends. He became a close friend of mine, I consider it a blessing that I was able to work alongside him with the Southington Sports Hall of Fame, which was an organization one hundred percent conceived by Coach.”

Outside of baseball, Fontana also served as a guidance counselor in the high school during his tenure.  After he retired in 2003, he devoted a lot of his time to the Southington Park and Recreation Commission, starting in 2008.

Dave Lapreay, Director of Recreation in Southington, said that Fontana continued to help kids and athletes in his role with the department.

“Working with him, Coach always had the best interest in our program and our department,” Lapreay said.  “He was on the board here for 13 years, and he always put the kids and our department first.”

Lapreay also played for Fontana in his time at Southington High, and said he appreciated how much Fontana pushed him to be at his best.

“He was the coach that every kid should wish to play for,” Lapreay said.  “He wanted the best for you on the field, off the field, and in the classroom.  He prepared me for baseball at the next level not just physically, but mentally as well.  I owe a lot to him.”

To comment on this story or to contact staff writer Spencer Dreher, email him at SDreher@SouthingtonObserver.com.

http://southingtonobserver.com/2019/10/25/obituary-john-j-fontana-84/

To see his Hall of Fame induction poster, click here: John Fontana (2012 Coach)

http://southingtonobserver.com/2012/10/12/all-in-the-family-john-fontanas-legacy-goes-well-beyond-the-wins/

http://southingtonobserver.com/2018/08/17/hall-of-fame-from-top-to-bottom-the-1999-shs-baseball-lineup-was-fontanas-greatest-team/

http://southingtonobserver.com/2016/11/03/hall-of-fame-when-it-rains-it-pours-the-1994-baseball-team-broke-a-33-year-drought-gained-national-ranking/