Francis L. Wickman, 70
Former schoolteacher; wire editor for The Gardner News
GARDNER - Francis L. "Tom" Wickman, 70, of 165 Ryan St., died Sunday, April 29, in Heywood Hospital, after an illness. He was born Jan. 21, 1931, in Gardner, the son of J. William and Rebecca J. (Aber) Wickman. He graduated from Gardner High School in 1949.
Mark A. Connors, 40
Self - employed carpenter; lifelong Fitchburg resident
FITCHBURG - Mark H. "Sport" Connors, 40, of 64 Bemis Road, died Saturday, April 28, in HealthAlliance Hospital/Leominster, after he was stricken ill at home. He was born April 3, 1961, in Fitchburg, the son of John L. and Patricia I. (St. John) Connors, and had lived here all his life.
Patricia I. Connors, 66
Retired manager of former clothing store in Fitchburg
FITCHBURG - Patricia I. (St. John) Connors, 66, of 29 Daniels Heights, died Friday, April 27, in Birchwood Care Center, after an illness. She was born March 8, 1935, in Fitchburg, the daughter of Henry and Blanche (Antil) St. John, and had lived here all her life.
Gladys I. Salame
Templeton Official
TEMPLETON - Gladys I. (Couillard) Salame, 61, of 255 Barre Rd., died Saturday, June 7, 2003, at home.
She leaves her husband, Stephen E. Salame; a son, Stephen E. Salame II of Templeton; her mother, Norma (Fucile) Couillard of Templeton; a brother, George J. Couillard of East Templeton; a sister, Nancy Henshaw of West Chesterfield; three grandchildren; many nieces and nephews.
She was born in Gardner, daughter of Roger P. and Norma (Fucile) Couillard, and lived in Templeton for most of her life.
She graduated in 1960 from Narragansett Regional High School, and received her bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Fitchburg State college. She had taken 90 college credits in education beyond the maser's degree.
She was a third grade teacher for 22 years, and a Title One teacher for 16 years. She was the director of the Title One/Chapter One for 16 years, and nominated Massachusetts Teacher of the year in 1992.
She was a member and chairman of the board of directors of Montachusett's Employment and Training Program for six years, a member of the Templeton Board of Health for three years and the first female member of the Templeton Police Department.
She was a member of the Templeton Advisory committee and the Narragansett Regional School Building Committee.
She was president of the Narragansett District Education Association for nine years. She was director of the Narragansett Regional School District Even Start Program and a grant writer for the Narragansett Regional School District. She was chairman of the Templeton Arts and Crafts Festival for 26 years, raising $250,000 in scholarship money for local students. She was a member of the Holy Cross Church in East Templeton.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, June 11 from John Mack Funeral Home, 91 Vernon St., Gardner, with a Mass at 10 a.m. in Holy Cross Church, 25 Lake Ave., East Templeton.
Burial will be in Pine Grove Cemetery.
Calling hours are 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 10 in the funeral home,.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gladys I. Salame Scholarship Fund, C/O GFA Federal Credit Union, 229 Parker St., Gardner, MA 01440.
Morton C. Woodbury
ORANGE - Graveside services were held on Saturday, June 7, 2003 at the South Cemetery, for Morton C. Woodbury, 78, of Chipley, Fla., formerly of Orange, who died Jan. 31, 2003 in Chipley. Family members officiated the service.
Witty's Funeral Home, Orange, directed local arrangements.
Mae A. Pratt
ATHOL - Mae A. (Edwards) (Davis) Pratt, 67, passed away June 5, 2003 in the Holyoke Hospital.
Born April 20, 1936 in Petersham, a daughter of Milton C. And Arvilla M. (Corbett) Edwards, she graduated from Petersham High School in 1954.
She previously worked at the Athol Table Shop and the N.D. Cass Toy Shop, and the Rogers Plastic in West Warren.
She enjoyed crossword puzzles and country music.
The past few years, she resided at the Holyoke Health Care Center.
She leaves a daughter, Tina M. Erickson of Warwick; granddaughter Jessica J. Payson of Warwick and her husband Seth who is serving in the military in the Middle East; four sisters, Marilyn Swenson of North Carolina, Mildred Willard of Palmer, Rose Delfeno of North Adams and Doris Fontaine of Orange; and eight nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her father in 1991, her mother in 2003, and a nephew.
Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, in the Silver Lake Cemetery. Family and friends may gather at 10:30 a.m.
Contributions in her memory may be sent to her daughter, Tina Erickson, 175 Quarry Rd., Warwick, MA 01378 to help defray cemetery expenses.
Witty's Funeral Home, Orange, is directing the arrangements.
D. Robert DePratti Jr.
ORANGE - Funeral services for D. Robert DePratti Jr., 73, of 625 East River St., who died on Feb. 3, 2003, were held Saturday, June 7, 2003 in the Center Cemetery, Warwick, with the Rev. Freda Maier officiating. A flyover was conducted by members of the Athol - Orange Aero Club.
The bearers were: David Burbank, Ira Cass, Donald Higgins, Norman Latourneau, William Noel, Paul Robichaud.
The Higgins - O'Connor Funeral Home of Athol directed the arrangements.
Floyd R. Fifield, Sr.
ORANGE - Services were held on Saturday, June 7, 2003 at Witty's Funeral Home, for Floyd R. Fifield, Sr., 74, of 419 East River St., who died on May 27, 2003 at the Leo P. LaChance Center in Gardner following an illness. Pastor Stephanie Sermuksnis of the Orange and South Athol United Methodist Churches officiated. Interment followed in Erving Center Cemetery.
Witty's Funeral Home, Orange, directed the arrangements.
Walter H. Goddard
Highway Super
PHILLIPSTON - Walter Hanson Goddard of Wallingford, Conn., and formerly of Phillipston, Hardwick, and Holliston, Massachusetts and Lake Park, Fla., died on June 1, 2003 at age 98.
Born in Hardwick, on April 30, 1905, to Walter E. and Myra Hanson Goddard, he started his career as a bookkeeper. Later, he owned and operated a small farm and apple orchard. He also worked as a heavy machinery operator and then as superintendent of the highway departments of Phillipston and Holliston.
After retiring, he moved to Florida and went to work part - time for a small golf course. He took up golf and played daily for 20 years before returning to Holliston. He made a retirement career of lawn maintenance, and he devoted many volunteer hours to clearing brush and building thick green, weed - free lawns wherever he went. He moved to the Masonicare Johnson (independent living) Apartments in Wallingford in 1999, where he continued his volunteer lawn and landscape care through the summer of 2002. He moved into Masonicare's nursing unit in March of this year.
Walter survived his wife, Jessie Heath, and three siblings, Williams Stacy, Elmer, and Thelma, and is survived by his two children, John P. Goddard, of Athol, and Joan Goddard Handschumacher, of Guilford, Conn., and three grand - children.
There will be a small private burial service, as yet unscheduled.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Masonic Health Center, 22 Masonic Ave., Wallingford, CT 06492.
