All Tributes

Stephen C. Hupfer, 66, a lifelong resident of Springfield, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by his family. Stephen was born on March 20, 1953, the son of the late Oscar and Mildred (Higginbothom) Hupfer. He was a graduate of Commerce High School. He proudly served our country in the United States Marines. Stephen worked for James River Graphic in South Hadley for twenty years. Then went on to work for the Hampden County Hall of Justice. Recently retiring as...

Beatrice H. (Hollister) Rancore, 99, a longtime resident of Springfield, passed away on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at the Life Care of Wilbraham, surrounded by her loving family. Beatrice was born in Granby, MA, on September 6, 1920, the daughter of the late Earl and Edith (Thompson) Hollister. Beatrice was a graduate of Technical High School. She was a member of the Eastern Star organization and she volunteered at Trinity Church in Springfield. In addition to her parents, she was also...

William “Bill” Barcomb, Jr., 46, of Hampden, formerly of Easthampton, died peacefully in the comfort of his home, surrounded by his loving family at his side, early Friday afternoon, January 17, 2020 in Hampden. He was born and educated in Northampton, a son of Darlene (Terrell) and the late William B. Barcomb, Sr. Bill truly loved the outdoors, he enjoyed the quiet tranquility of spending any day fishing, going on a hike, or spending an afternoon working in the backyard...

Michael D. Prout, 67, of Ludlow, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family after a long illness on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. He was born in Springfield on February 19, 1952, the son of Mata (Hamer) Prout and the late Richard G. Prout, Jr. Michael was a graduate of Agawam High School, Class of 1969. He worked for the United States Postal Service from 1978-2017. Michael enjoyed reading the newspaper, doing puzzles and was an avid Patriots and Red Sox fan. He also loved going to...

Richard F. Skowron "Moose", 83, a longtime resident of Hampden, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. Richard was born in Springfield on November 7, 1936, the son the late Peter and Julia (Kaczmarczyk) Skowron. Richard was educated at Trade High School in Springfield. He was a parishioner of St. Mary’s Church in Hampden. He proudly served our country in the United States Army. Richard worked for Smith and Wesson for forty years and retired in 1995. He enjoyed...

Nancy L. (Baillieul) Quill, 79, a 55 year resident of Hampden, MA, passed away on Monday, January 13, 2020, surrounded by her loving family. Nancy was born in Springfield on March 17, 1940, the daughter of the late Kenneth and Pauline Marie deDenonville and step daughter of the late Helen (Schindler) Baillieul. She was a graduate of Springfield Technical High School, Class of 1957. Nancy proudly served our country in the United States Army. She was an OR nurse at BayState Medical Center for...

Margaret Mary (Begley) Anderson, 77, of the Hungry Hill section of Springfield, passed away on Saturday, January 11, 2020 after a long, courageous battle with multiple myeloma. Margaret was born on March 29, 1942, the daughter of the late James and Anna (Griffin) Begley. She was a graduate of Cathedral High School as well as the Elms College with a degree in education. Marge was a longtime parishioner of Our Lady of Hope Church and later a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Springfield....

Robert B. “Bob” Fortier, 82, a longtime resident of Hampden, formerly of Bath, ME, died late Friday morning, January 10, 2020 in the comfort of his home, with his loving family at his side. He was born and educated in Bath, a son of the late Clayton T. and Ina J. (Hodge) Fortier. Robert was a graduate of the former Morse High School and earned his B.S. degree in Business from the University of Maine. He was employed for over 37 years with Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company, from...

John M. Joniec Jr., 83 of East Longmeadow, passed away peacefully Tuesday, January 7, 2020 surrounded by loving family and friends. He was educated in Holyoke, a son of the late John and Eleanor (Kane) Joniec. John previously was employed with the Holyoke Savings Bank, Holyoke Auto Parts, and formerly owned Francie’s Tavern in Holyoke and Sunwest Beach Motel in Clearwater, FL. He was a communicant of St. Patrick’s Church, avid golfer and enjoyed bowling over the years, and...

Leah Marie Perez, 21, of Springfield, passed away unexpectedly on January 6, 2020, due to complications caused by a congenital heart condition. Leah was born on June 5, 1998, the smart and beautiful daughter of Luis D. Perez and Melinda A. Carey, both of Springfield. Leah was raised and educated in the Forest Park area of Springfield, she attended high school at Putnam Vocational, and most recently, was enrolled to begin classes at Springfield Technical Community College. Leah was a kind,...