John Paul Collette

1945 - 2017

John Paul Collette, 72, of Ellington, and formerly of East Windsor, passed away Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, at St. Francis Hospital.

Born in New Brunswick, Canada, on June 25, 1945, son of the late Eric and Yvonne (Richard) Collette, he was raised in Canada before moving to Connecticut with his family and settling in Hartford as a young boy. John attended Hartford public schools and graduated from Weaver High School. After high school, John enlisted in the U.S. Army and served during the Vietnam era until his honorable discharge in 1967 as a sergeant. He spent most of his career in industrial sales working for the Grainger Corporation for over 30 years and then for Paramount Packaging in East Windsor for 10 years until his retirement in 2013. In his spare time, John enjoyed golfing and was a member of Southwick Country Club. He had just played a round of golf with his son days before his passing and jokingly boasted about his score at the end of the day. Overall, John was a huge sports fan and loved to watch his favorite teams, the New England Patriots, the Boston Red Sox, the UConn Huskies, and the Montreal Canadiens. He was a parishioner of St. Philip Church in East Windsor for many years and recently he had attended the Church of St. Luke while living in Ellington. Most of all, John will be remembered as a family man who was extremely proud of his children and his grandchildren. He loved to travel, especially after his retirement, and never lost touch with his relatives in Canada, whom he visited regularly.

He leaves a son, John-Paul Collette II and his wife, Meghan, of Ashland, Massachusetts; a daughter, Kimberly C. Draghi and Jerry Byers of Enfield; two brothers, Leo Collette and his wife, Rose-May, of New Brunswick, Canada, and Joseph Collet of Mount Holly, Vermont; two sisters, Jeannette Collette and Jacqueline Collette, both of Vernon; his fiancé, Barbara McDermott, of Vernon, and her daughter, Sarah McDermott-Latour of Manchester; five grandchildren, Samuel and Lorelai Collette, both of Ashland, Aubrey Knighton of Manchester, and Trent and Taylin Byers of Enfield; as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife in 2006, Ruthanne (McAuley) Collette, whom he had known since childhood. He was also preceded by his sister, Christine (Collette) Moreau of Vernon in 2014.

His family will receive friends Thursday, Sept. 7, 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Samsel & Carmon Funeral Home, 419 Buckland Road, South Windsor.

Family and friends may gather Friday, Sept. 8, 9 a.m., at funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m., at St. Philip Church in East Windsor. Burial will follow in St. Catherine Cemetery in the Broad Brook section of East Windsor.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association.

For online condolences, visit

www.carmonfuneralhome.com