SUBMARINE VETS: The Western Mass Submarine Veterans meet at the World War II Club on Conz Street, Northampton at 2 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month.
All submariners are encouraged to come down and meet former shipmates. For more information call Gene Kozash at 527-9578.
Following is a list of local veterans whose obituaries appeared in the Gazette between May 27 and June 9. The information given here about their service is what was provided in each obituary.
Raymond A. Ducharme Jr., 85, Leeds, d. May 24; he served for two years in the U.S. Army.
Raymond L. Tessier, 89, Florence, d. May 29; he served in the U.S. Army in Germany at the end of World War II. He was very proud of his service in the Army and often spoke of his interest in all branches of the military.
Roland “Ronnie” Joseph Desmarais, 95, Chesterfield, d. May 28; He was a World War II Army veteran and proudly served his country with the Headquarters Company 2nd Battalion 502nd Parachute Infantry from April 1942 to Dec. 31, 1945.
Roland served in the Ardennes, Central Europe, Rhineland, receiving the American Service Medal, Distinguished Unit Badge, European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Bronze Star Medal.
Michael Charles Mansfield Jr., 34, Greenfield, d. May 28; he joined the Army National Guard in November 2005 and was deployed to Kosovo in October 2006. He returned home in October 2007 and was honorably discharged in 2009.
He distinguished himself in his military career with the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Service Medal w/ M Device, Nato Medal and German Army Marksmanship Badge Gold.
Joseph P. Pepka, 86, Easthampton, d. June 3; he was a Korean War veteran, serving with the U.S. Navy.
Norman F. Kirk, 89, Chesterfield, d. May 23; he served in World War II in the U.S. Navy as a quartermaster aboard the USS Guilford, plotting charts and traveling the Pacific and Guam, the Philippines and Okinawa.
Norm was asked to take the helm and steer the ship through the Panama Canal once when the captain was very ill. He did this successfully and proudly.
David J. Fagnand, 82, Easthampton, d. June 4; he was a Korean War veteran serving with the U.S. Coast Guard. While serving in the Coast Guard he was part of the rescue crew for the Andrea Doria sinking.
Lawrence T. Delay, 82, Greenfield, d. June 5; he served in the U.S. Navy.
Raymond “Pops” E. Kimball, 75, East Hartford, Connecticut, d. June 5; he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was attached to the MP division. During the Army, he was a Golden Glove Boxer in the welterweight division.
Dr. Sanford Bloomberg, 91, Northampton, d. June 7; he was drafted into the army in 1943 upon his high school graduation.
He served with distinction in the U.S. Army infantry, and was awarded the bronze star for valor in combat for his service in Belgium in late 1944.
Veterans Voice appears twice each month. Readers are encouraged to submit announcements, questions, story ideas, military photos with captions and other materials of interest. Send submissions to Veterans Voice, c/o Brenda Nelson, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Box 299, Northampton, MA. 01061; or email bnelson@gazettenet.com.