4 the Chronicle, Willimantic, Conn., Saturday, August 27, 2016

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Obituaries

To place an obituary: Classified Dept. at 860.423.8466, ext. 3363, or 860.423.8466, ext. 3337 after 5 p.m. on Fridays

Melinda Gaye RossFLORIDA

Mindy Ross of Coconut Creek, FL, sister of Larry Ross of Willington, CT and Winston-Salem, NC and Steven Ross of Salt Lake City, UT died on Thursday, August 24, 2016.

Mindy was born on March 12, 1954 into a in Cambridge, UK to Jack and Marion Ross, both deceased, and grew up in Orange, CT attending Amity High School, class of 1972 and Sarah Lawrence College, class of 1976.

She lived most of her adult life in Manhattan, NY and worked as a commodities

trader in the World Trade Center and later as family therapist, MSW before mov-ing to Florida five years ago to help with her mother’s failing health.

Besides her brothers, she leaves her companion of many years, Sal Canale, many nieces, nephews and cousins, as well as a large collection of blended family members, all of whom mourn her pass-ing.

There will be a memo-rial service at the Beth Israel Cemetery in Orange, Connecticut at a time to be determined at a later date.

Donald Howard ChaseWILLIMANTIC

Donald Howard Chase, 86, of Willimantic, CT passed away, August 25, 2016. He was born July 23, 1930 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of LeRoy and Lura Chase. Donald graduated from Watertown High School in Watertown, Massachusetts. He then attended and received a degree in business administra-tion from Bryant and Straton Business College in Boston, Massachusetts. After work-ing for an accounting firm in Boston for two years, he enlisted in the navy, serving for four years aboard the destroyer USS Abbott. He was very proud of his time spent serving his country dur-ing the Korean War. Upon being discharged from the navy, he and his wife settled in Mansfield, Connecticut. He was employed for over 30 years in the Timekeeping and Accounting offices of Pratt

and Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford.

Donald and his wife, Winifred spent their 65 years together caring for their fam-ily, serving the Lord and others. Donald was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox, Uconn Huskies teams, and the basketball teams at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Donald is survived by his wife, Winifred; his sons, Timothy, Donald and his wife Robin; his daughter, Catherine Brunt and her husband Steve; four grandchildren: Timothy Jr. and his wife Sarah, Susan, Peter Chase, Benjamin Brunt and his wife Sarah; one great grandchild, Elena Brunt. He was predeceased by his adop-tive parents Lura and LeRoy Chase, his mother, Evelyn Chase, and his twin brother, Leland.

The family will receive friends and relatives, Sunday, August 28, 2016 from 2:00 — 4:00 p.m. at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St. (Rte. 195). A Funeral Service will be held, Monday, August 29, 2016 at 10:00 a.m., Christian Life Assembly of God, 143 Windham Rd., Willimantic, CT 06226 with interment to follow at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Hebron, CT. To sign the online memorial book, please visit, www.potterfuneralhome.com.

In Loving Memory ofAngelo J. Tambornini

June 8, 1934 to August 28, 2014

Husband, Father, Grandfather, a.k.a. “Grumpy”AFTERGLOW

I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one.I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when day is done.

Always in our hearts, your spirit lives on within us all.Love, Your Family

In Loving Memory Of Our MotherAnnabelle Durkin

August 28, 1925 — February 19, 2009Happy 91st Birthday

We are sending a dove to Heaven with a parcel on its wings, be careful when you open it, It’s full of beautiful

things wrapped up in a million hugs, To say how much we miss you and to send you all our love. We hold you close within our hearts and there you will remain, To walk with

us throughout our lives, Until we meet again.

Love your children,Jan, Patty, Cindy, Melissa & Ken; grandchildren; great-

grandchildren; sister; extended family and friends

town have been working togeth-er to help improve playscapes in town, including not only the playground at the school but the outdated wooden structure at Rec Park as well.

Fearon said he is excited for the kids to try out the new playscape, which will hopefully be complet-ed by the first week of school.

He said once the school play-ground is completed, the contrac-tors for the work will then start work at Rec Park.

Fearon said the school’s play-ground had been damaged and needed to be replaced. Once the playground installation is com-plete, the parent-teacher organi-zation will contribute money for

rubberized ground cover.Headed to their classrooms, stu-

dents won’t see too many changes inside the building. However, there are some staffing changes and there will be a few new faces — including a new part-time computer education teacher.

Fearon said some staff members will be teaching different grade levels, since the district reduced the fifth- and sixth-grade team down to five teachers instead of six.

He said the district has also been consolidating all of its stu-dents into one of the wings of the school.

Fearon said teachers have been in the school the last couple of weeks setting up their class-

rooms. Then all teachers are back Monday and Tuesday for pro-fessional development days just before kids start school.

But the school year will not be all fun and games, especially for school administrators and offi-cials.

“The board of education will be looking at some options to meet the challenge of declining enroll-ment and budget constrictions,” Fearon said.

He said administrators will pres-ent some options to the board of education to review and consider.

Fearon said as the school board starts to look at options, the com-munity will be involved as the year unfolds.

“I think we’re looking for a real-

ly good, productive school year,”said board of education Chairman Christopher Lent. “A few chal-lenges I know that we’re looking at is the declining enrollment, which I think a lot of towns arefacing. How are we going to face that as a district and the reduced state funding seems to always be a concern for us.”

Lent said this is a problem manyschools are facing. However, hesaid the district would like to lookat this for both short- and long-term planning.

The school board typically meets the first Monday of every month. However, the Septembermeeting will be on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the school due tothe Labor Day holiday.

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New playscape installed for Columbia students

the heat and humidity that made it feel more like the middle of summer than the beginning of the fall semester.

Yet, everyone seemed to be in good spirits and, while it got a bit cloudy during the move-in, it did not rain.

At the Tower Residence Hall complex along Route 195, which has 16 buildings, freshmen and their families were moving belongings into the buildings Friday afternoon.

Garry and Ana Parzych were helping their daughter, Sarah Parzych, move filled plas-tic boxes into the complex that will soon be her home at UConn. The family is from Southington.

“I’m moving into Vinton, and it’s going pretty smoothly,” said Sarah Parzych. “It’s not as hectic as I thought it would be

Her mom, Ana Parzych, commented “it’s so humid. … We live 45 minutes away. I’m glad to see her here. It will be an adjustment for us at home.”

Sarah Parzych has not declared a major yet but said she is “thinking something in the medical field or taking the fine arts route … I’m excited.”

Parents and students were assisted by staff with the move-in process, whether it was physical help, providing directions or just a friendly smile.

Marco Aurelien, of Hartford, who serves as the assistant hall director at the new Next Generation Connecticut Hall, was outside the Towers Friday afternoon guiding parents and freshmen with the move in.

He is a graduate student who is working to get a mater’s degree in higher education and student affairs.

As for move-in day, he said “it is going pret-ty good. I like to see the first-year students. They are wide-eyed and energetic. I’m here to help calm their nerves and welcome them to the Husky Family,” Aurelien said.

Old Saybrook native Ellis Welsh, a sopho-more resident assistant, was standing outside the Lafayette Residence Hall Friday afternoon, near where freshmen were checking in to the Towers complex.

He said that as of 1:30 p.m. “over 50 percent of the residents (of Towers) had moved in. It’s going smoothly, we only have over 200 more to move in out of 1,000. Parking is the only issue today but that’s really out of our control.”

As for physical help, Welsh said more than 250 student volunteers participated in the Husky Haulers program, helping freshmen move in, with 60 working exclusively in the Towers complex area.

While freshmen will be living in buildings throughout the Storrs campus, the biggest concentration will be housed at Towers, said university spokesman Stephanie Reitz.

Aurelien said “(Husky Haulers) really makes the process a lot easier.”

Three Husky Haulers, from UConn’s soror-ity Kappa Alpha Theta, were standing inside the Keller House next to the stairwell.

They included junior Jess Crawford, from Sayville, N.Y., sophomore Bridget Corsi, of Colts Neck, N.J., and sophomore Eve Lenson, from Natick, Mass.

The Keller House, part of the Towers com-plex, is named after Helen Keller, the first blind and deaf person to earn a bachelor of arts degree, and was depicted in the play and film called “The Miracle Worker.”

Crawford said she found it interesting to see students moving in with “packed clothes on hangers with a bag around it” and was surprised she did not see many televisions but admitted she saw a few students who brought their Xbox’s with them.

“People have been super grateful,” Corsi said, with Crawford adding, “everyone tries to tip us but we have to deny it.”

Lenson said one of the most unusual items she saw being moved in was a Dell desktop computer, citing the popularity of laptop com-puters, but agreed with the other two that “all the freshmen seem very nice.”

Outside the Keller House, Ted Shafer was seen making one last trip with his freshman son, Ethan Shafer, who was almost settled in. The family is from Burlington.

“It’s a little warm today but it’s going great.I want to thank the university and the volun-teer students that helped with the move in,they were amazing,” Ted Shafer said, adding he is also thankful to the facilities department and residential life staff with their hard workin making the move-in process easy.

Ethan Shafer, who is majoring in business, said “I’m definitely excited. It was a littlehectic at first, but it’s going to be fun, there is nothing to worry about.”

Parked in a loading zone with only 15minutes to spare, the Golembeski’s of New Milford were busy unloading their SUV as they assisted their daughter, Karli Golembeski,move in.

Karli Golembeski said she couldn’t believe she was finally attending college, saying “Idon’t feel like I’m actually staying here and going to college, there are a lot of nerves andexcitement.”

Her father, Kevin Golembeski, said it’s been“stressful but going well. We are excitedfor her. We were able to fit everything into one vehicle. That’s a good thing,” addinghe was initially afraid that hauling Karli’smany belongings to campus would require two vehicles.

He said that he and his wife Colleen only live about an hour and a half away from UConn.

“It’s far enough for her independence but close enough for us,” he said.

UConn freshmen move into residence halls(Continued from Page 1)

Roxanne PandolfiNicole DiLoreto, of Wethersfield, and Kayla King, of Nashua, N.H., are UConn sorority sisters helping students move in as part of the ‘Husky Haulers’ team of volunteers.

34 years and enjoy camping in their RV at Water’s Edge Family Campground in Lebanon.

They also enjoy riding their motorcycle and exploring differ-ent places.

This is the second marriage for both of them and they also have both been diagnosed with cancer twice.

They believe the cancer is a result of being smokers for much of their lives and possibly from working in a factory with chemi-cals for 33 years.

They both stopped smoking and no longer work at the factory.

They remain positive as they have proven they can beat the odds, thanks to their attitude and the medical expertise of Dr. James Flaherty, who works at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain and is part of the St. Francis Medical Group.

Ned Squire was diagnosed in 2009 with stage 4 esophageal cancer after going to the doctor because he was unable to keep food down.

While he underwent 21 days of radiation and six doses of che-motherapy, doctors said he would have to have surgery.

“The first time, they cut out three-quarters of my esophagus and a quarter of my stomach and repositioned it under my breast,” Ned Squire said, adding the doc-tor said he only had a 27 percent chance of living.

“We didn’t expect him to get off the surgery table,” Bonnie Squire said.

After his first win against can-cer, last December a test revealed he had lung cancer.

“The second time, they removed the middle of my lung, it was sup-posed to be a two-and-a-half-hour operation, it wound up being six and a half hours,” he said.

He said at one point he was on a feeding tube and oxygen.

Cancer has taken away his abil-ity to enjoy some of his old favor-ite foods and sleeping in a bed.

Now, Ned Squire said he buys chicken noodle soup in bulk and also eats Jell-O and pasta with gravy.

“It sure cut the grocery bill way down,” he said, adding he has lost 140 pounds since first being diag-nosed with cancer.

Ned Squire explained when he goes to a restaurant, he asks to be seated near the restroom in case he gets sick, though he admits he doesn’t go out to eat at restaurants that often.

“My hardest part is sleeping. I can’t lay down flat because of the acid, so I have been sleeping in a chair for the past six years,” he said. “If I lean too far back, I get sick.”

However, Flaherty said his desire to stay busy is what kept him alive.

“The doctor said keep doing what you’re doing,” Ned Squire said, adding he works part-time at Hydrofera LLC of Willimantic, a

medical wound-care company. At a routine follow-up appoint-

ment last week, he said he got a CT scan and is awaiting a call from the doctor to determine whether his cancer has come back again.

As for Bonnie Squire, she was first diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2014 and the cancer came back again in April 2016.

“I went in for a knee replace-ment and I came out with a blood clot and cancer. They found can-cer in a CT scan but they found it at an early stage and it was treated with radiation,” Bonnie Squire said of the first diagnosis.

While she was given oxygen after being diagnosed the first time, she said one of her lungs collapsed and she did not use oxy-gen during her second diagnosis with cancer.

“I was having a lot of diffi-culty breathing because of getting emphysema,” Bonnie Squire said. Emphysema gradually decreases the air in the lungs due to lung tis-sue damage, making the patient short of breath. “It slows life down and I can’t do a lot. I used to have my oxygen delivered to my campground.”

She said she completed radia-tion treatment last month and she and her husband get checkups

every six months. “The radiation was only able to

shrink my cancer,” Bonnie Squiresaid. “My lung was too bad to getsurgery done.”

In the end, she said “you always have to be positive,” with NedSquire adding he joked with hisdoctor about making a movie withthe various photos from his biop-sies, which he has collected in afolder.

The Squires give back to the American Cancer Society throughtwo fundraisers they participatein.

The first is a tag sale which they host at Richard Garrison General Contractors on Route 6 in NorthWindham.

“A lot of people contribute stuff,we got two trailers filled,” BonnieSquire said, adding last year’s success allowed them to donate $1,200. It will be held today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Squires also run a unique event on Halloween at Water’s Edge where they pass out adultbeverages. All donations are sentto the American Cancer Society.

“We raised $600 last year andwe’ve been doing it for about three to four years. Now the neighbors help us make the bev-erages,” Bonnie Squire said.

For more information about the Windham Relay for Life, contact event coordinator Julie Kessler atjulie.kessler@cancer.org or (203)379-4881.

The Relay for Life for the Greater Windham Region takes place Oct. 15 starting at noon. Folks whowant to participate, donate or getmore information can visit theAmerican Cancer Society website at www.cancer.org.

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Couple doesn’t let diagnoses steal their lives‘I went in for a knee replacement and I came out with a blood clot and cancer.

They found cancer in a CT scan but they found it at an early stage and it was

treated with radiation.’

Bonnie Squire

Five individuals involved in Friday morning accident

WILLIMANTIC — Five in- dividuals were transported to Windham Community Memorial Hospital with non life-threatening injuries Friday morning after an accident at Ash Street and Foster Drive.

Willimantic Police Cpl. Stanley Parizo Jr. said Friday that the call came in at about 10 a.m.

He said five individuals were transported to Windham Hospital with injuries that were not life threatening.

According to a scanner report, at least one individual was entrapped in a motor vehicle during the acci-dent.

No further information was avail- able Friday evening.

nant woman can pass the virus to her unborn child, putting the baby at risk for microcephaly and other brain-related birth defects.

Donor blood can be another im- portant source of Zika transmis-sion. During a Zika outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013 and 2014, nearly 3 percent of blood samples from people with no sign of infection were found to contain the virus, which could have been spread to others through routine infusions.

And in Puerto Rico, where screening has been recommended since February, nearly 1 percent of blood samples from donors with no symptoms of Zika turned up positive for the virus, accord-ing to the FDA.

The FDA’s new guidance calls

for testing all donated blood using a so-called nucleic acid test. These tests search for specific genetic sequences in certain viruses, such as HIV or hepatitis. Versions that look for Zika are still undergoing final FDA review.

If any blood is found to be in- fected, any other blood given by the same donor in the past 120 days should be quarantined, according to the new guidelines If some of that blood has already been used to treat another patient, the recipient’s doctor should be notified.

If no screening test is available, blood collection agencies can purify blood platelets or plasma using one of the FDA’s approved methods.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.

FDA: All donated blood should be tested for Zika

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