Obituaries

Oct 27, 2023

Beloved Mother, Grandmother, and GG Gail A. (Drake) Anthony, 84, died Friday at home. Born in Holyoke, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Margaret (Brady) Drake, grew up in South Hadley and has lived in Belchertown for 11 years. Gail was a member of Life Point Church in Chicopee, was a kindergarten teacher at a Christian...

Oct 23, 2023

Jean (Krajewski) Thibault, 84, passed away peacefully at home on Monday October 23rd. She was born in Holyoke, daughter of the late Walter and Jenny (Windoloski) Krajewski, grew up in Holyoke and has lived in Chicopee for 65 years. She was a longtime member of Mater Dolorosa Church and later St. Patrick's Church. Jean was a retired bookkeeper and...

Oct 20, 2023

Joanne M. (Dubois) Tourville, 87, of Chicopee, MA, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 20, 2023. She was born on December 24, 1935 in Springfield, MA to the late Albert and Jeannette (Quenneville) Dubois. She was pre-deceased by her husband, Thomas Tourville in 1999. She leaves behind her son, Christopher Tourville and his wife Katherine of Lancaster, PA, her...

Oct 17, 2023

William "Bill" Astley of Holyoke passed away on October 17, 2023 at Holyoke Medical Center.

William was born on July 27, 1937, in Holyoke, MA to the late Robert F. Astley (1978) and Clara (Ittner) Astley (1978). After graduating from South Hadley High School in 1955, he worked several jobs before becoming a Customer Service Technician for...

Oct 12, 2023

Nancy A. Roberts, 81, died Thursday October 12th. She was born in Holyoke, daughter of the late Andre and Rose (Flaherty) Champagne. Nancy leaves two children Jill Chmiel and her husband Phil of Chicopee and Cheryl Roberts-Boudreau and her husband Mark of Dade City, FL, three grandchildren, five great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren. She was predeceased by...

Oct 5, 2023

Raymond O. Bernard, 65, entered Eternal Life on October 5, 2023, with his family at his side after a brief illness.  He was born April 19, 1958, in Holyoke to the late Raymond O. and Rita (Guertin) Bernard.  Ray (known as Rusty in his younger years due to his red hair) grew up in Chicopee and attended Williston Academy.  ...

Oct 2, 2023

Kristen M. Sullivan-Smith, 49, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, October 2nd, 2023. Kristen was born in Springfield, daughter of Barbara (Delisle) LaRoche and the late John Sullivan. Kristen worked as a medical assistant and was a Leukemia Survivor. She loved spending time with her children, visiting the beach and spending time with her crazy cat, Luna. Kristen is predeceased...

Oct 2, 2023

Blanche Cooke, 94, passed away peacefully on 10/2/2023. She was born in Holyoke on 6/8/1929 to the late Clifford Cooke and Marion Dyer Cooke. Blanche graduated from South Hadley High School in 1947. She lived her entire life in Granby first at Cooke's Corner and most recently at Phins Hill Manor. She worked as a bookkeeper after high school...

Sep 27, 2023

Diane (Coulombe) Basile, 58, died peacefully on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 surrounded by her family. She was born on July 8, 1965 in Ware, MA to Herman J and Joan A (Moore) Coulombe Jr. She is survived by her husband, Gerald Basile of South Hadley, MA. The love of her life and her best friend. She was predeceased by...

Sep 19, 2023

Teresa A. (Boos) Kelley, 92, died Tuesday September 19th in Florida. She was born in Springfield, daughter of the late Charles and Lida (Baudin) Boos and grew up in the South End of Springfield. Teresa received her nursing degree from Springfield Hospital and worked in Massachusetts for local physicians, schools and nursing homes as well as home care in...

Sep 14, 2023

Barbara Ann (Brewster) D'Astous, 89, died Thursday September 14th at Regal Care in Holyoke. In her own words, Barbara was born October 18, 1933 in Westfield, daughter of the late Fredrick Reed Brewster and Beatrice Roseandra (Whitaker) Brewster. She lived in Littleville, MA attended Chester schools and graduated from Doerr Academy of Cosmetology in Springfield. She married Zenon J....

Sep 10, 2023

Paul F. "Ruby" Ruel, 77, died Sunday September 10th in Holyoke Medical Center. He was born in Holyoke, son of the late Clarence and Loretta (Desmarais) Ruel and lived most of his life in South Hadley. Paul worked for John Hancock as a longtime insurance salesman. Paul was an outstanding athlete, playing baseball and basketball for South Hadley High...

Sep 7, 2023

Alden "Michael" McClafin, 63, passed away on Thursday September 7, 2023, surrounded by his family. Michael was born in Holyoke, son of the late Alden and Evelyn (Brown) McClaflin. He grew up in South Hadley before settling in Chicopee and worked professionally as a Custodian in the Springfield School District and as a driver for Hulmes transportation. Michael had...

Sep 6, 2023

William Joseph Allard of Media PA, formerly of West Springfield MA, died on September 6th at the age of 85.  He was a graduate of Commerce High School in Springfield MA and a veteran of the United States Army.  William worked for decades at Adams and Ruxton Construction Company and was an active member of the AFL-CIO union for...

Sep 5, 2023

James W. Dwyer, 79, passed away on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at Holyoke Medical Center. James was born in Suffolk, England, son of the late William W. and Ella (Brunning) Dwyer. He grew up in Holyoke, before moving to raise his family in South Hadley in the 70's. James worked professionally as an installation engineer for Verizon. In his...

Aug 29, 2023

John F. (Jack) Root, 95 years old, passed away peacefully in hospice care at Renaissance Manor on Cabot in Holyoke on August 29, 2023. He was born in Holyoke, MA on November 2, 1927, to Arthur Root and Bertha Foster Root. He was a graduate of Holyoke High School and Holyoke Junior College (now Holyoke Community College). He trained...

Aug 23, 2023

Kevin Godek, 62, passed away surrounded by his loving family on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, at Baystate Medical Center. Kevin was born in Holyoke, son of the late Philomene (Bach) and Edward J. Godek Sr. He worked professionally as an insurance agent for the Knight's of Columbus. Kevin was an avid gardener, cribbage player, and was responsible for running...

Aug 22, 2023

Claire L. (Menard) Cook, 84, died Tuesday August 22nd. She was born in Holyoke, daughter of the late Noel and Rita (Lemieux) Menard and has lived in South Hadley all her life. She was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and a proud democrat. Claire worked on and off for many years but primarily cared for her...

Aug 19, 2023

Douglas Brooksbank, 66, entered into eternal rest on Saturday August 19th surrounded by his loving family. He was the loving husband of 45 years to Dolores Brooksbank. He was born in Holyoke, attended local schools, graduating from Holyoke Trade. Douglas retired from Kings Trucking as a driver and also worked for Overnight Trucking. Douglas enjoyed woodworking, camping with his...

Aug 17, 2023

Carolyn Maria Sears Michaud passed away on Thursday, August 17, 2023. Carolyn was born on January 30, 1965 to Joan and William Sears Sr. in Chicopee. She was a graduate of Chicopee Comprehensive, and went on to get a degree in interior design from Cazenovia College. Carolyn worked for many years as a sales representative on the East Coast...