Raymond Alexander Ursin

Raymond Alexander Ursin, born Feb. 18, 1929, in Tolland, died peacefully at home in South Windsor surrounded by family, June 3, 2018. He was 89.

The youngest child of Janos and Vera Ursin (née Toth), Raymond attended a one-room schoolhouse as a child and Rockville High School. He served in the U.S. Army, was stationed in Germany during the Korean War, and was the first in his family to graduate from college, attending the University of Connecticut while working full-time as a meat cutter and playing on the university's soccer team. He spent his career of more than 30 years at the Hartford Insurance Co., seven of those at the company's Dallas, Texas, office. Raymond was a man of boundless energy and positive attitude. He enjoyed weekly bowling, golf, and lunches with his friends for many years. He served on the Board of Finance for the own of Bolton in the late '70s and early '80s, successfully working to provide Bolton High School with its first computer center. In their spare time, he and Diane renovated two houses, including a historic home in South Windsor, and designed and built another on Cape Cod. He could build anything and fix anything. He restored an old Chevy pick-up truck, nicknamed "The Beauty" by his family, kept bees, and enjoyed reading about astrophysics. He will be sorely missed.

He and his wife Diane (née Peterson) were married for 56 years and had three daughters, Linda Ursin, who died when she was 23, Bonnie Boland and her partner, Charles Rounds Jr., of South Windsor, and Cheryl Ursin, and her husband, Cole Thomson, of Houston, Texas. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Benjamin Tomczak and his partner, Kaitlin Danielecki, of Ellington, Abby Reichardt and her husband, Thomas, of South Windsor, Bridget Tomczak and her partner, Anthony Veturis, of Vernon, Diana Thomson and her partner, Brendon Kirk, and Cole Thomson Jr.; as well as his great-grandchildren, Scarlett and Jason Reichardt.

The family wishes to thank the kind people with Hartford Healthcare at Home Hospice Care.

Calling hours will be held Thursday, June 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Holmes-Watkins Funeral Home, 400 Main St., Manchester.

The funeral service and burial in the Bolton Center Cemetery are private.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the ASPCA.

To leave a message for his family, visit

www.holmeswatkins.com