South Hadley?Michael J. Ciolek, Sr., 90, passed away peacefully on February 15, 2021 at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. He was born in Springfield, MA on June 19, 1930. As a lifelong resident of South Hadley, he was an active member of St. Theresa's Church and the church's men's group. Michael enjoyed being involved in many aspects of the town, including being a member of the Knights of Columbus and being a Town Meeting Member. He was also involved with South Hadley Youth Athletic groups. Michael started in residential construction in the early 60's and later became a successful real estate developer in Western MA, founding both Associated Builders in 1971 and later South Hadley Realty Trust....

Alice Gordon Stewart, 82 of Granby, MA passed away after a quick and unexpected decline of health. Alice was born in New York City on March 5th, 1938 to Miriam T. Ellison and Thurlow M. Gordon. She married Fred Stewart, III on November 7, 1956. She faithfully and lovingly followed Fred around the country as his service and work required, eventually retiring in Granby to be near family. In Granby Alice found an even larger family that she ever expected to have. She volunteered her time and money to many groups and causes helping those not as fortunate in life. Alice's legacy will live on in Granby through her gifts to Friends of the Library. The other great love in Alice's life was gardening...

Edna (Desmarais) Zucker, 101, died peacefully on February 10, 2021. Born in Holyoke on January 13, 1920, she was the daughter of Henry and Rose (Beaudry) Desmarais. She lived in Granby for 64 years before moving to South Hadley in 2013. She was a communicant of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and volunteered for various programs there. She was also a member of The Red Hat Society and was a school volunteer for many years. She had been a 4-H leader and belonged to a Granby travel group. She will be deeply missed by her 3 daughters; Robilee Atherholt and husband Elliott of Chesapeake, VA, Nancy Geneczko and husband Thomas of S. Hadley, and Wendy Paris and husband Stephen of Rochester, NY. She...

Joseph "Leo" Desmarais Sr., son of the late Jean B. and Jessie (Fortin) Desmarais; passed away in his sleep at home with his wife of 50+ years, Barbara J (Lavoie) Desmarais, at his side on January 7, 2021. He was pre-deceased by his brother Paul who is survived by his wife Dorothy "Dot" (Paquette) Desmarais. Joseph is also survived by his children, Joseph Jr. and his wife Renee of Belchertown, MA, Janice, and her partner Kevin of Agawam, MA, Cherie (Desmarais) Jillson and husband Wesley and sister Crysti Jillson of Chicopee, MA, Christine and partner Shane. of Easthampton, MA. He leaves behind his brother- in-law, Richard "Dick" Lavoie and wife Pauline (St. Armand) of Myrtle Beach, SC; his...

Joseph "Leo" Desmarais Sr., son of the late Jean B. and Jessie (Fortin) Desmarais; passed away in his sleep at home with his wife of 50+ years, Barbara J (Lavoie) Desmarais, at his side on January 7, 2021. He was pre-deceased by his brother Paul who is survived by his wife Dorothy "Dot" (Paquette) Desmarais. Joseph is also survived by his children, Joseph Jr. and his wife Renee of Belchertown, MA, Janice, and her partner Kevin of Agawam, MA, Cherie (Desmarais) Jillson and husband Wesley and sister Crysti Jillson of Chicopee, MA, Christine and partner Shane. of Easthampton, MA. He leaves behind his brother- in-law, Richard "Dick" Lavoie and wife Pauline (St. Armand) of Myrtle Beach, SC; his...

Edward Thomas Corrigan Jr. (76) of South Hadley, MA passed away peacefully on New Year's Day, 2021 due to complications from Parkinson's with Lewy Body. Just like he dealt with all experiences in life, Ed managed his illness with strength and positivity. On his final day, he was surrounded by his family in his home. Ed was born and grew up in Jersey City, NJ and later moved to Longmeadow, MA where he resided for 44 years before moving to South Hadley. He is a graduate of St. Peter's Prep High School in Jersey City, NJ where he was on the varsity football and track teams. He later graduated from St. Peter's College where he was captain of the nationally ranked Pershing Rifles precision drill...

Ruth Thornton, 82, passed away peacefully on Dec. 29, 2020 surrounded by her family. Ruth was born in Holyoke, the daughter of Raymond and Ruth (Mutch) Hennequin. She was married to her high school sweetheart and husband of 61 years, R. Michael Thornton who passed away in 2018. She was a lifelong resident of South Hadley and a member of the First Congregational Church of South Hadley for over 60 years. Ruth began her career in Human Resources at Mt Holyoke College in the early 1970's. She then worked in Human Resources at Amherst College where she retired in 2002 as Assistant Director. After retiring, Ruth worked as Ombudsperson at Amherst College and was instrumental in starting...

On December 17, 2020 Alan Douglas Tilton left this world for greener pastures. He will be missed by Gail his wife of 65 years, his sister Sally, his children Kenneth (predeceased) Sherburne, Cheryl and Stephen. His grandchildren, Chris, Lonnie, Jimmy, Ethan, Richard, Jill, Bethany, Issac, and Jeremy, his great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. He will be missed by his extended family and dear friends. Alan brought joy wherever he went. He would quickly become close friends with everyone around him, the grocer, doctors, receptionist, the person in an elevator, a repair person, the delivery person, postal workers, friends of friends... He would strike up a conversation with...

On December 17, 2020 Alan Douglas Tilton left this world for greener pastures. He will be missed by Gail his wife of 65 years, his sister Sally, his children Kenneth (predeceased) Sherburne, Cheryl and Stephen. His grandchildren, Chris, Lonnie, Jimmy, Ethan, Richard, Jill, Bethany, Issac, and Jeremy, his great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. He will be missed by his extended family and dear friends. Alan brought joy wherever he went. He would quickly become close friends with everyone around him, the grocer, doctors, receptionist, the person in an elevator, a repair person, the delivery person, postal workers, friends of friends... He would strike up a conversation with...

Emme, or Em, as she was known to her family and friends, passed away at home with her husband, Al, and cats Minnie and Max, at her side, after fighting a seven month battle with breast cancer. Emme was born February 1, 1952 in Mineola, NY to Edgar N. Walther, and Jean(Wilgus) Walther and lived in New York until 1969 when the family relocated to Granby, MA. Following high school, Emme worked for dentists in Longmeadow, MA and South Hadley, MA. She was married to Alan Golinksi in 1981 and together they jointly owned and operated Olde Hadley Hearth and Patio in South Hadley until their retirement in 2007. Emme loved the outdoors and was an avid skier, gardener and animal lover but will be...

Alfred Edward Motzer, 94, of Loomis Village, South Hadley, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully November 12, 2020, following a short illness. Born on April 28, 1926, in Meriden, Connecticut, he was the son of the late Alfred H. Motzer and Ann McGuire Motzer. Al lived in Meriden for 50 years. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps immediately upon graduation from Meriden High School and was trained as a flight engineer on the B-24 bomber. When the war ended, he was transferred to serve in the Military Police. Upon discharge from the service, Al returned to Meriden and entered his father's business, Hobson & Motzer, in Wallingford, Connecticut, taking over leadership when his father...

Alfred Edward Motzer, 94, of Loomis Village, South Hadley, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully November 12, 2020, following a short illness. Born on April 28, 1926, in Meriden, Connecticut, he was the son of the late Alfred H. Motzer and Ann McGuire Motzer. Al lived in Meriden for 50 years. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps immediately upon graduation from Meriden High School and was trained as a flight engineer on the B-24 bomber. When the war ended, he was transferred to serve in the Military Police. Upon discharge from the service, Al returned to Meriden and entered his father's business, Hobson & Motzer, in Wallingford, Connecticut, taking over leadership when his father...

Barbara L. (Stebbing) Cummings of 44 Silver Street, South Hadley, Massachusetts died at Charlene Manor on November 3, 2020. Born in Chertsey, Surrey, England on December 14, 1920, her family moved to London in 1939. During WWII she worked a the Town Hall overnight dispatching first responders to fires and other emergencies. In 1943, she married John E. Ericson who was serving in England with the 8th Army Air Corp with the 303RD Bombardment Group. After settling in Granby, she became a U.S. citizen in 1964. While in Granby, she was active in the Church of Christ, 4-H, Pilgrim Fellowship, Grange, P. M. club and joined the British Wives Club at W.A.F.B. In 1967 she married Robert H. Cummings...

Galina Alexandrovna Ponomareva (Matviychuk), 74, of Granby, Massachusetts, yielded up her spirit with her husband by her side on August 13, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. Galina was born in Lutsk, Ukraine, in 1945, and graduated from the University of Lviv, Ukraine, in 1969. She married her soul mate in 1970, and over the next 50 years together they brought up their seven children and faced life's joys and challenges. Galina was an extraordinarily brave woman with a free spirit, who was a lifelong learner and educator. She received a Master's Degree in Ukrainian and Russian Linguistics from the University of Lviv in Ukraine and was an active member of the Scientific Student...

Patricia D. "Patti" Leaf, age 63, passed away peacefully July 25, 2020 in Amherst, MA where she has lived for the last four years. She was born in Vancouver, WA on March 1, 1957 to parents Carl and Doris Wastradowski. Patti was a 1975 graduate of Hudson's Bay Highschool in Vancouver, WA. Patti was married to Gary Leaf for forty-one years and raised two wonderful sons, Michael and Christopher. She was predeceased by her parents and sister, Jane, and is survived by her husband and sons, her daughters-in-law, Fajer and Alexandra, and her siblings Carol, Bill, Louise, and Lynn. Prior to Amherst she has also lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Midland and...

Bryan Albert Marcotte, 68, of South Hadley passed away peacefully July 13, 2020. He was born on July 26, 1951 in Boston, Massachusetts to the late Albert and Marie-Louise (Peroni) Marcotte. Bryan was a second generation owner of Marcotte Ford in Holyoke and dedicated his life to building the business that was passed down by his father. He loved his family dearly and giving back to his community. He was an avid supporter of the Holyoke Boys & Girls Club, Providence Ministries and Kate's Kitchen. Bryan will be forever missed by his loving wife, Carlene (Lambert) Marcotte and their four children, Suzanne Keller, husband Brian and their children Jackson, Brody and Hunter; Carolyn Crowley,...

Margaret A. Guiel, 88, of Granby passed away July 3, 2020. She was born on January 27, 1932 in Easthampton to Philip and Angeline (Ducharme) Pinard. She worked as a CNA for many years at the Northampton State Hospital and Holyoke Nursing Home. She loved taking care of people. Margaret enjoyed cooking and playing cards and bingo with her friends. She is survived by her husband, Henry Guiel, their three children, Nancy Guiel of Amherst, John Guiel of Holyoke, David (Sue) Guiel of Illinois, and two grandchildren, Chloe and Ciaran. She is also survived by her siblings, James, Charles, Peter, Philip and Francis. A calling hour will be held on Thur. July 9th from 9:00-10:00 a.m. at the Beers &...

Richard F. Remillard, 93, of Woodbridge St., passed away on June 26, 2020 at the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke of age-related complications. He was born September 14, 1926 in Stamford, CT, son of Rene W. and Ardelle (Calkins) Remillard. He was raised in his early years in Greenwich, CT and upstate New York, before moving to South Hadley at the age of 14. Richard joined the United States Army in 1945 where he was deployed to the Philippines, Midway, and Japan, serving as a Sergeant during WWII. After his service, he worked throughout his life as a contractor, specializing in carpentry, snow removal and many other skills. He loved working with his hands and no job was ever beyond his...

Carolyn R. Baston, 88, of South Hadley passed away June 17, 2020. She was born on March 25, 1932 in Portland, Maine to Philip and Doris (Mahoney) Ramsay. Carolyn graduated from Kennett High School in Conway, NH in 1950 and Keene State Teachers College in 1954. She worked for many years in New Hampshire as an elementary school teacher before moving to South Hadley in 2002. Carolyn was a member of the Center Church in South Hadley, a previous member of the Extension Group in Webster, NH, Concord Country Club, P.E.O. Chapter O-S and Ledges Golf Course in South Hadley. Carolyn was a crafter, knitter, painter and avid reader. She loved going to the lake relaxing on the porch or in a kayak and...

Carolyn R. Baston, 88, of South Hadley passed away June 17, 2020. She was born on March 25, 1932 in Portland, Maine to Philip and Doris (Mahoney) Ramsay. Carolyn graduated from Kennett High School in Conway, NH in 1950 and Keene State Teachers College in 1954. She worked for many years in New Hampshire as an elementary school teacher before moving to South Hadley in 2002. Carolyn was a member of the Center Church in South Hadley, a previous member of the Extension Group in Webster, NH, Concord Country Club, P.E.O. Chapter O-S and Ledges Golf Course in South Hadley. Carolyn was a crafter, knitter, painter and avid reader. She loved going to the lake relaxing on the porch or in a kayak and...

Virginia "Ginny" Ray Benoit, age 94, passed away on June 9, 2020 at Day Brook Village Nursing Center in Holyoke. She was born on September 2, 1925, to Charles and Blanche Ray in Stratford, Connecticut and grew up in Holyoke, graduating from Holyoke High School in 1944. In 1947, she graduated from the Holyoke Hospital Nursing Program as a Registered Nurse. Ginny was a devoted daughter who cared for her father and mother until their deaths. She had one beloved older brother, Kenneth Ray, who preceded her in death in 2001. She delighted in her six nieces and nephews and their families, who live in Oregon and Washington. Ginny was a respected industrial nurse at the Plastic Coating...