Obituary of Stanley S. Sheldon

Stanley S. Sheldon, Jr., 84 of Pomfret passed away peacefully at his home as was his wish, Friday, June 6, 2014. He is predeceased by his beloved wife Mary, to whom he was married for 59 wonderful years. He is survived by his daughters Mary Ann Bates and her husband Ed, Kathleen Sheldon and her partner Arthur Andrade, Patricia Lutz and her husband Russ, Diane Carson and her husband Doug, his cherished granddaughters Kelli and Kady, and his doted-on feline companion, Rascal. Stanley was born in Pomfret on January 11, 1930, the first son of Stanley and Hazel Harman Sheldon. Stanley has one brother Edwin and two sisters, Janice (Copeland) and Virginia (Meehan). He was educated in the two-room Gilbert F. Pratt School and graduated from Putnam High School in 1948, where he played baseball, football and basketball. In 1952, he graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. Stanley's career in financial services took him across the country from Connecticut to Massachusetts and Maine, Ohio and California, and finally back to Connecticut where he settled down in the family's little red cottage homestead in Pomfret. Stanley's record of community service is long and distinguished. He served on the Pomfret Board of Education and also as the town's First Selectman. He also was a Director of Putnam Savings Bank and the Treasurer/member of the Vestry of Christ Episcopal Church in Pomfret. He also served on the boards of the Northeast Council of Governments, Northeast District Dept. of Heatlh, Connecticut Council of Municipalities, Council of Small Towns, Workforce One, and others. A longtime member of the Connecticut Freemasons, Stanley was affiliated with Putnam Lodge #46 in Woodstock, CT and served as Grand Master of Connecticut in 1998. A gracious gentleman to the end, Stanely will be greatly missed by his family and the many, many friends he made everywhere he went. Calling hours will be from 5:00 to 8:00 PM Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at the Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove Street, Putnam. Funeral service will be 11:00 AM, Wednesday, June 11, 2014 at the Christ Church in Pomfret, Connecticut. Burial with Military Honors in Christ Church Cemetery. To share a memory with his family, "Light a Candle" at www.smithandwalkerfh.com