Loretta Budlong

1917 - 2014

Loretta Deschaine Budlong died on January 24th in the peace and comfort of her faith. For the past twenty years she had made her home at St. Joseph's Residence in Enfield. Prior to joining the St. Joseph community, she resided in West Hartford, Ware, Massachusetts, and in Wethersfield, where she and her late husband raised their family. Loretta was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Arthur and Albina Riopel Deschaine on February 3rd, 1917. Within three years she and her 5 siblings, aged 12 months to 14 years were orphaned and subsequently either struck out on their own or were sent to live with various relatives. Two sisters, Lillian Beatty and Elizabeth Harper, and three brothers, Edward, Charles and Homer Deschaine, predeceased her. Loretta is survived by a daughter, Susan Budlong Cole and her husband, Gordon Krusen; of Lyme, two sons, Peter Budlong and his wife Suzanne Sattergren of El Cerrito, California; and Atty. C. Michael Budlong and his fiancée Karen Shannon of North Granby; as well as eight grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. Growing up during the height of the Great Depression in a family already struggling to survive, Loretta had no opportunity for an education beyond 8th grade. She always said she would have liked to have trained to become a nurse. At fourteen she went to work in one of the textile mills in Ware, Massachusetts where she met her husband- to- be. She married Culver "Bud" Budlong on August 13, 1938. Bud predeceased her on August 24, 1980 at the age of 63. For most of her adult life she enjoyed music, reading and the challenges of knitting at which she excelled. However, as her hearing and vision slowly failed in her later years, music no longer provided the same pleasure, and the elaborate sweaters and suits of her younger days gave way to mittens, hats and afghans, which she presented to her many family members and friends. After holding a number of part-time jobs at area restaurants, Loretta went to work for the Howard Johnson Company in 1953 as a part-time cashier. From that position she rose to Connecticut Dining Room Supervisor, opening new restaurants across Connecticut, managing, and supervising the hiring and training of staff. In that position she developed several successful new programs for which she was recognized with numerous company awards.

The family will receive friends and associates on Tuesday, January 28th, from 4PM to 7PM at Rose Hill Funeral Home on Elm Street in Rocky Hill and also for an hour prior to a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph's Residence Chapel, 1365 Enfield Street in Enfield, on Wednesday morning January 29th at 10:45 AM. A return to Rose Hill for internment will follow the services. The family wishes to thank Loretta's many friends and the staff at St. Joseph's Residence as well as the remarkable people at all levels of care at Hartford Hospital. In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions to St. Joseph's Residence, 1365 Enfield Street, Enfield, CT 06082 will be gratefully accepted.