Charles “Joe” Boyd, 97, of Mansfield, died April 24, 2015. Born January 2, 1918 in Broughton, PA, he was the son of Duncan and Mary (Doran) Boyd. An Army Air Corps veteran, Joe served during WWII. In 1956, he and his wife came to Mansfield from Detroit so he could work for General Motors as the logistics manager. He was a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Mansfield Liederkranz, Elks Lodge, and BPOE #56.

Surviving are his children, Tom (Anne) Boyd of Mansfield, Nancy (Richard) Wair of Charleston, SC, Kay Foltz of Mansfield, and Gail (Charles) Bird of Athens; eight grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

Along with his parents, Charles was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 72 years, Virginia Boyd, who died exactly one year prior, on April 24, 2014; five brothers; and five sisters.

Joe was a role model and inspiration for men everywhere and will be missed.

Virginia Marie Boyd, 96, of Mansfield, Ohio died April 24, 2014. Born September 15, 1917 in Detroit, MI, she was the daughter of Alex and Clara (Gutenberg) Kennedy. Virginia and her husband moved from Detroit to Mansfield in 1956 with the opening of General Motors. A true homemaker, Virginia enjoyed gardening, sewing, and doing ceramics. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy. She was a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church.

She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Charles Boyd, whom she married February 11, 1942 at St. Birchman’s Church in Detroit, MI; son, Tom (Anne) Boyd of Mansfield; daughters, Nancy (Richard) Wair of Charleston, SC, Kay Foltz of Mansfield, and Gail (Charles) Bird of Athens, OH; eight grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Virginia was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, John and Edward Kennedy.

What a terrific lady and great friend to Noreen.

Harry Cooper, 72, of Hampton, Connecticut died on Sunday, December 23, 2012. He was born in Yugoslavia on August 10, 1940, moved to Germany during World War II as a young child, and came to the United States at the age of fifteen. Upon high school graduation he served in the United States Air Force and worked his way through college, receiving a degree in Biology from Central Connecticut State University. After first embarking on a teaching career, he was then employed by the State of Connecticut where he enjoyed a long and fulfilling career within the Department of Environmental Protection from which he retired in 1996.

Harry is survived by his beloved wife Betty with whom he had been married for 49 years, sister Erika Wojnarowicz of Burlington, brother Rudolph Klauser of Germany, daughters Debra Majeske and her husband Christopher of Milton, Carrie Patruno and her husband Eric of Willington, and Jennifer English and her husband Robert of East Hampton, his grandchildren Riley, Joelle, Jacob, Lauren, Mihretu, and Cody, as well as nieces and nephews.

Harry will be lovingly remembered by his family as a devoted husband, loving dad, and a grandpa who adored his grandchildren. He enjoyed his retirement years to the fullest and spent his days doing the things he loved most, being with family, playing his guitar, listening to music, reading, going on long hikes, kayaking, and working in the garden. He also had been a dedicated runner and tennis player for most of his life. Harry will be dearly missed by his family.

Dolores I. Gasiorowski passed away October 17, 2012 at the age of 86. She was the younger sister of Leonard Michael Majeske. Obituary

Noreen Ann Majeske, 89, of West Hartford, passed away on Saturday, August 27, 2011. She was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and was the beloved daughter of the late David and Kathleen Gleason. Noreen graduated with honors from St. Martin High School in Detroit and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Services from Marygrove College. During the war she volunteered at many USO events in support of our troops.

Her career focused on helping nursing home residents enjoy life. Noreen worked for over 25 years in the health care field and earned many awards for her excellence in enhancing people’s lives. She never stopped learning and took numerous advanced classes to help improve her nurturing skills. After retiring from health care, Noreen went on to work for Aetna in Hartford and also spent many years as a receptionist at Eneida’s Salon in Hartford. She finally retired at age 80.

Noreen was a devout Catholic all her life. She volunteered countless hours helping at church functions, activities and services. Noreen particularly favored St. Jude. She also was an avid fan of Law & Order. She never missed an episode and was a big admirer of Sam Waterston. Noreen loved life, always had a smile and was ready to help anyone. She had countless friends who will miss her warmth, humor and generosity. She will be dearly missed by her family.

Noreen had 4 children, Kathleen Bence, Dennis Majeske, Cheryl Majeske and Christopher Majeske. She loved her children and did all she could to make sure they were healthy and happy. She was blessed with 6 grandchildren, Christopher Bence, Meaghan Bence Etherington, Erica Norton, Zachary Norton, Riley Majeske and Samuel Mihretu Majeske.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, September 1, 2011 at the Church of Saint Peter Claver, 47 Pleasant Street, West Hartford. Burial will be private. There are no calling hours. Friends are asked to proceed directly to church Thursday morning. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. For directions and online condolences, please visit www.taylorandmodeen.com.

Enjoy the view…

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there,
I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight
On the ripened grain.
I am the gentle Autumn’s rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there.
I did not die.
My Spirit is still alive…

Joan Thompson, 78, Wife of Leonard “Mike” Majeske, died November 8th at Hartford Hospital.

She was the beloved and adored Mom of James Thompson and his wife Carol of Colchester, CT, Colleen Thompson Wasicko and her husband Michael of Finksburg, MD and Len Thompson and his wife Melissa of South Glastonbury She was “Babi” to James Thompson III, Kimberly Thompson, Natalie Joan Wasicko and Michael Wasicko and (step) Babi to Melissa and Katie Wasicko.

Her friends called her Joanie, her kids named her Mawh and her grandchildren knew her as Babi. Babi-Mawh-Joanie was born in Connellsville, PA to George and Mary (Duritsa) Egnot. She had three brothers, Don Egnot who died in 1976, Gene Egnot who lives in Christchurch, New Zealand and Ray Egnot, who died in 2006. Her extended family still lives in and around Connellsville and she will be deeply missed, especially by Liz Egnot, whom she referred to as her only sister, the wife of her brother Ray.

She was an artist and an inspiration to everyone who knew her. She knew when she was in 5th grade and got paid a nickel for the drawing of a classmate’s silhouette that she wanted to be an artist. She graduated from Connellsville High School, the class of 1950. She graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Moore Academy of Art with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art. She joined the Red Cross after college, because she wanted to see the world. She ended up in Korea and Japan in an entertainment unit, putting on skits for the soldiers abroad. She taught Art in the Hadley, MA school system and was the President of the Glastonbury Art Guild for many years. She was a courtroom artist for WVIT in Hartford and WTNH in New Haven, covering many trials that received national recognition. Her works hang in many banks, libraries and homes throughout the region.

Her first love was drawing charcoal portraits, always capturing the spirit of her subject in just a few strokes. But mostly, she loved her kids and they loved her. A Celebration of Joan’s life will be held Saturday, (November 13, 2010), 10:30 a.m. at the Glastonbury Funeral Home, 450 New London Turnpike, Glastonbury, CT. Please visit http://www.glastonburyfuneral.com for more info or to leave condolences online. Memorial Contributions may be made in Joan’s name to the Lupus Foundation of America, CT Chapter, 270 Farmington Avenue, Suite 218, Farmington, CT, 06032, the Arthritis Foundation , 35 Cold Spring Road, Suite 411, Rocky Hill, CT 06067, or the Epilepsy Foundation of CT, 386 Main Street, Middletown, CT, 06457.