1926 – 2016
Pomfret Ctr. – Gloria (Baranski) Paine, 90, of Angel Rd., died Tuesday December 27, 2016 at home surrounded by her family. She was the loving wife of Al A. Paine, Sr. Born in Dayville, CT, she was the daughter of the late Alexander and Tessie (Stompski) Baranski.
Mrs. Paine worked part time at the Pomfret Town Hall. She enjoyed baking, cooking, traveling, camping and spending time with her family. She will be remembered as a warm, caring and wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend.
In addition to her husband, Gloria is survived by her son, Al A. Paine, Jr. and his wife Kathleen of Pomfret Ctr., Ann Gratton and her husband Roger of Pomfret; her brother, John Baranski and his wife Delores of Arcadia, FL; her sisters, Loretta Wood of Danielson, and Elaine Gingras and her husband Raymond of Dayville; four grandchildren Roger Gratton and Diane Wetherbee, David and Gabrielle Gratton, Seth and Jacqui Paine, and Travis and Kristen Paine; and two great grandchildren Owen Gratton and Atticus Paine. She was predeceased by her brothers and sisters; Cecilia Ray, Florence Tourtellotte, Edward Baranski and Robert Baranski.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Gloria’s family from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday December 30, 2016 in the Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday December 31, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. in Most Holy Trinity Church, 568 Pomfret Rd., Pomfret, CT. Burial in Abington Cemetery in the spring. For memorial guestbook visit www.GilmanAndValade.com.
Seth Paine
Gloria Paine was my grandmother.
We all know how blessed we are to have been a part of Grandma’s life. But it bears repeating.
She was a Polish American before it was cool. Actually, I’m still not sure if its cool. But it should be.
I used to play cards with her some days before the school bus picked me up. She usually beat me at Rummy. She was too honest let me win. Not to say she couldn’t lie. She once told me that if I kept clicking a ball point pen open and closed that it would run out of clicks. But this was probably a gut reflex to keep me from driving her crazy.
She never sliced her butter. She always skimmed along the length of the stick. I think that’s peculiar. If you don’t, you probably learned it from her.
Grandma mailed loaves of sweetbread to me in the Peace Corps, covered by a layer of cellophane so think, you could have used it to patch the hull of a submarine. Sometimes I had to trim the blue fuzzy parts off, but it was worth it. She and grandpa also mailed me voice recordings, over the course of months, of them talking about cooking the beans and counting turkeys in the field, and anything else that came up. That was a really, really nice thing to do.
Grandma, like St. Patrick and Indiana Jones, hated snakes.
When I was 5 and my mother was pregnant with my brother Travis, Grandma asked me if I though the new baby would be black or white. I replied, “What you are is what you get!” and she laughed heartily. Silly Grandma, how could you not know that?
The only time I remember Grandma being really mad at me as a young kid was when I sang back to her what I heard Grandpa saying in out in the yard. He was cussing out his tractor.
I’m happy my wife Jacquie got to know and love Grandma and vice versa, and just wish we had the chance to try to beat her and grandpa a few more hands of pitch.
I’m so happy to have all these memories and sad that I can’t share any more with her.
I’m sad because the person who loved me so much in only the way she could is gone. I’m sad for my family who lost their wife, their mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, or in-law. I’m sad for the friends enriched by the glow of her life. Hell, I’m even sad for complete strangers who will never get to experience the simple grace with which she lived. But most of all I’m thankful to have loved and been loved by her, because as anyone who has shared that blessing knows, it was given freely, in overwhelming abundance, with thoughtful intention, from a wellspring within her that overflowed and nurtured all within its reach. Right now, she’s probably trying to bust down the pearly gates just to deliver us all fresh loaves of sweetbread.
Having drank from these waters, how can any of us help but be better people? Having eaten at her table, we could never fail to share our own blessings with others. To acknowledge my grandmother for who she was is to acknowledge that potential in all of us.
Finally, I want to thank the caregivers, both family and professional, who made it your duty to help her and comfort her and each other these past years. Your love, patience, and hard work shows how much you care. Grandma would be proud of you.
Joanne Bernier Slezycki
Seth,
I am sorry to hear of your loss. Thank you for sharing that very loving collection of memories of your grandmother.
My grandmother was Catherine Stompski Bernier (Tessie’s sister). She would also skim the butter off the top.
Roberta Sharpe
Gloria was one of my mom’s best friends, so I knew her my entire life. She was truly one of a kind. Seth: you made me smile with your memories….you really captured her spirit. My memory of the house where I went to visit Gloria and Al is how there was always a scent of balsam in the living room….and the knotty pine paneling on the walls.
She will be missed by so many. My sincerest condolences to all of you.
With love,
Robbie