December 2025

Kathleen “Kathy” Rossitto, age 93, passed away peacefully on December 29, 2025. She was born on December 22, 1932, in Waterville, Maine, and spent much of her life in Portland, Connecticut. 

Kathy was predeceased by her beloved daughter, Christine Rossitto; her grandson, Jeffrey McLellan; her parents, Romeo and Mattie (Cyr) Thibodeau; and her sisters, Oleen Wilson and Joyce Paparazzo. 

She is survived by her loving daughter, Tina (Phil) Fichera; her cherished grandchildren, Aliana Rose and Grazia Maria Fichera, and Jeremy (Allison) McLellan; and her adored great granddaughters, Emily and Lilly McLellan. She is also survived by her siblings, Bernett Law, Dan (Cindy) Thibodeau, and Tom (Karen) Thibodeau. 

Kathy was employed at Brownstone Pharmacy in Portland, Connecticut, for over 40 years, where she was known for her dedication and kindness. She was an active and faithful member of Saint Mary’s Church in Portland. 

She had a deep love for knitting and created hundreds of personalized Christmas stockings for her family, each one unique and made with care. Kathy also enjoyed reading, and when she wasn’t reading, she could often be found watching her beloved UConn Huskies basketball teams. She attended many games with her dear friends, Lou and Sue Scianna. 

Kathy was incredibly proud of her grandchildren and loved sharing stories about them with the staff at Portland Convalescent Home. The family would like to extend a special thankyou to the nurses there, whom Kathy truly adored. 

She will be remembered for her warmth, her devotion to family, and the love she shared so generously. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, January 17th in St. Mary’s Church, Portland at 10 a.m. Burial will be private. The Portland Memorial Funeral Home, 231 Main St., Portland, is in charge of arrangements. 

In lieu of flowers, monetary donations may be made in her memory to Mercy High School in Middletown, Connecticut. 

It is with great sadness that we share our beloved Husband, Father,

Grandfather and Uncle. Douglass V. Hemming, Jr, age 83, passed away peacefully at home on December 27th 2025. Doug was a man of great faith and talents who never failed to lend a hand when needed. He servedin the Navy, where he learned to be an electronics technician. Using his gift for computers, he worked for over 30 years at IBM and later at the APT Foundation and Synergic Systems. For many years he was a parishioner at Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Meriden where he volunteered as a religion teacher, taught RCIA to adults and was a lecturer at weekly mass.  He was a man of few words but clear action with a gift for teaching others from how to fish to learning how to drive a car confidently. He leaves behind his wife Dolores (Badger) with whom he was married for over 60

years and their four children: Ginger and Andrew, Millie and Daniel, Carrie and James, and Doug III. His pride and joy were his 9 grandchildren whom he loved so very much, they will miss him dearly: Golda, Talia and Valentino Salvadori; Karl Douglass, Maximillian and Annamarie Mueller; Alexander, Keiralynne and Gillian Benes. He also leaves behind his nephews Patrick and wife, Selena; Michael and Kip and niece Janese.

The funeral will be held on Saturday, January 3rd at 9 a.m. from the Portland Memorial Funeral Home, 231 Main St., Portland, followed by a Mass of Christian burial in St. Mary’s Church at 10 a.m. Burial with full military honors will be in the State Veteran’s Cemetery, Middletown. Friends may call at the funeral home on Friday, January 2nd from 4 to 6 p.m.

James Dee Barry, 95, of Portland, CT, beloved husband of the late Dorothy (Tremblay) Barry, passed peacefully on Tuesday, 12/23/25. Known as either “Jim” or “Dee” by friends and family, Dee was born in Middletown to the late James E. and Gertrude Dee Barry. He attended St. John’s Elementary School and graduation from Vinal Technical High School in Middletown, CT. After high school, Dee enlisted as a Navy Reservist. 

Prior to his retirement, Dee spent his entire career as a Chevrolet mechanic, working at many dealerships and ending his career as a mechanic for the Town of Portland. 

Dee was always there for everyone, no matter the time of day. He loved to chat and joke around with people; and as an Irishman, he also loved a good party. Every day Dee walked down to the Portland boat yards to collect cans and bottles, and would donate the bottle return money to cancer charities. While collecting cans and bottles, Dee loved to talk with all the patrons and workers at the boat yard. That made his day, and his family would hear all about his morning adventures later that day. 

Dee is survived by his children Nancy Asci of FL, Robert Barry and his girlfriend Mary Collins of New Hampshire, Michael Barry of CT/NH, and Susan O’Leary and her husband Kevin of Middletown; four grandchildren Matthew Picard and his wife Liz, Patrick O’Leary, Megan O’Leary, and Jason O’Leary and his wife Abby; three great-grandchildren Connor, Hunter, and Skylar Picard, along with another great grandson, Oliver O’Leary, due in a few months to Jason and Abby. He is also survived by many nephews, nieces, great nephews and nieces, and their families. Dee was especially close with his niece Ann and her husband Jeff Wallace of Portland. He was predeceased by his son-in-law William Asci and his sisters and brothers-in-law; Ruth and Don DeLude and Jane and Bill Ladner. 

Dee was devastated after the loss of his wife Dottie. Many years after her death, he met Claire Narus at church and fell in love. They enjoyed many happy years together until her passing in 2020. 

Dee was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Irish American Home, and was a very faithful member of the Church of St. Mary in Portland. He absolutely loved the Saturday night dinners with a group of parishioners. Dee lived his life to the fullest and had always enjoyed swimming, motorcycling, snowmobiling, waterskiing, and spending time with his family and friends. 

The funeral will be held on Tuesday, December 30that 9 a.m. from the Portland Memorial Funeral Home, 231 Main St., Portland, followed by a Mass of Christian burial in St. Mary’s Church, Portland at 10 a.m. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Portland. Friends may call at the funeral home on Monday, December 29th from 4 to 6 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Dee’s honor to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or the Ladies Guild of the Church of St. Mary.

Phyllis Jean Cyr, 87, passed away peacefully on December 14th at Portland Care. She was born on June 13th, 1938, in Fort Fairfield, Maine, to Katherine (Vaillancourt) Cyr and Simon Cyr. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, Hector R. Cyr; her son, Roland H. Cyr, her sisters Anna Cyr, Yvette Palmieri, and Jeanette Fullerton.

She is survived by her daughter Deborah Cyr; grandchildren Robert Cyr, Brandi Beach, Jessica Jackson, Christopher Cyr, and great-grandchildren Bexley Beach, Lachlan Beach, Kahleel Jackson, Kahleah Jackson, Jahleel Jackson, and Mahleah Jackson.  She is also survived by her siblings Simon Cyr, Simonne Cyr-Gould, Rita Keegan; And her Niece Kathy Cyr. her godson Gary Donahue; and many other nieces and nephews.

Phyllis cherished all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A woman of faith, she loved God and lived her life guided by that devotion. She will be remembered for her, strong faith, devotion to family, her smile, love of jewelry, and reflecting the warmth she brought to those around her.

The family extends a special thank you to the compassionate staff at Portland Care for the loving care and support they provided her until the end.

A memorial mass will be held on Monday, December 29th at 10 a.m. in St. Mary’s Church, Portland. Burial will be at a later date. There are no calling hours. The Portland Memorial Funeral Home, 231 Main St., Portland is in charge of arrangements.

Joseph James Lastrina, 97, died December 1, 2025 at Middlesex Hospital after a short illness. He was born in 1928 and lived most of his life in Portland. He served in the US Army, and worked as a quality control officer at North and Judd. He was predeceased by his wife Marion (Smith) Lastrina in 2010. Joe loved to travel, play cards and enjoyed good food and good company. He was an active member of Portland Senior Center and a parishioner at St. Mary’s Church Portland. A generous and caring man, he will be dearly missed by friends and family. 

A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, December 19th  at 10:30 a.m. in St. Mary’s Church, Portland. Burial with full military honors will be in the State Veteran’s Cemetery, Middletown. The Portland Memorial Funeral Home, 231 Main St., Portland, is in charge of arrangements.