Obituary of Madeline T. Lussier

Putnam-Madeline (Graziano) Lussier aged 89, left her beloved family Sunday, after a brief illness. She was born July 25, 1926 in Brooklyn, NY, daughter of Donato and Florence (Muskat) Graziano. This city girl spent summers in Putnam in her youth and is where she met her husband Theodore W. Lussier. She was widowed in 1969. Madeline courageously and with never-ending energy raised her three boys with fearlessness and boundless love despite many obstacles. Madeline had a varied working career at Montgomery Ward, the Town Hall, the Department of Motor Vehicles and lastly, the John N. Dempsey Center. Her position at the DMV was auspicious because if it wasn’t for her job she could not possibly have passed her driver’s test. (No NY city girl ever needed a license!) But her job at Dempsey was her favorite because it gave her the opportunity to donate time with special needs people and she spent many happy hours teaching them to dance. Madeline is survived by her three sons, Michael T. Lussier and his wife Deborah of Florida and Pomfret; Daniel J. Lussier and his wife Celeste of Putnam; and Paul R. Lussier and his wife Sherri of Pomfret; seven grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a brother Joseph Graziano of Brooklyn, and a sister Evelyn Mier of Florida and an infant granddaughter Michelle S. Lussier. Funeral will be Thursday 9 AM from Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove Street, Putnam, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 AM at St. Mary Church of the Visitation, 218 Providence Street, Putnam. Burial will follow in St. Mary Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate her life with her family on Wednesday from 6-8 PM at Smith and Walker Funeral Home In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Arc Quinebaug Valley, 687 Cook Hill Rd, Danielson, CT 06239. Share a memory at www.smithandwalkerfh.com