CHICOPEE - Phyllis R. (Vaillant) Danczak Dennis, 96, a longtime resident of Britton Street and Montcalm Street in the Fairview section of Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on Saturday, April 29, 2017. She passed into Eternal Life at Willimansett Center East in Chicopee surrounded by all the memories she loved and cherished. She was born in Willimantic, Connecticut on February 12, 1921, a beloved daughter of the late Napoleon Vaillant and Dorilla (Bourdeau) Vaillant Lockwood. At a young age, her mother remarried and she was raised by her loving mother and loving step-father, the late Raymond Lockwood. In 1938, she graduated from Holyoke High School and later attended the Andover Institute of Business and Holyoke Community College. She worked at the former Springfield Armory and later worked at WHYN Television Chanel 40. She was employed for many years as an Administrative Assistant to the Base Commander at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee and retired in 1986. Active in her Catholic faith, Phyllis was a longtime communicant of Saint Anne Church in Fairview where she was a member and Past President of the Saint Anne Sodality Guild. She was the former Chairman of the Executive Board for the Chicopee Council on Aging and was President of their Travel Club. She was also a former Executive Board Member of Western Mass Elder Care and a member of the Galaxy Community Council at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. Besides her parents and step-father, she was also predeceased by her three dear sisters, Dorothy Klee, Ruth Dalton and Lucille Buske; her two former husbands, Fredrick Danczak and Samuel Jackson Dennis; her loving son, Michael A. Dennis, Sr. who was Called Home on June 20, 1995; and her cherished granddaughter, Melanie Dennis. She leaves her loving son, Robert F. Danczak and his life partner, Donna Elliott, of Southwick; her loving daughter-in-law, Carla Dennis of Chicopee; her three cherished grandchildren, Christopher R. Danczak, Jennifer Husta and her husband, Scott, and Michael A. Dennis, Jr. and his fiancee, Kristen Artiles; her two cherished great-grandchildren, Ryan Husta and Dakota Dennis; and her many dear nephews, nieces, cousins and numerous friends. Her funeral will be held on Thursday morning, May 4, 2017 beginning at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Fairview Chapels, (413-533-3307), 506 Britton Street, Chicopee, MA 01020, (funeral home will open at 9:00 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in Saint Anne Church, 30 College Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her burial will follow the Mass at Sainte Rose Cemetery, 49 Olsen Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday morning, May 4, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. before the Mass. The parking lot is located at the rear of the funeral home. For those who prefer, memorial donations may be made in her memory to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children, (Specify Springfield), 516 Carew Street, Springfield, MA 01104. For more details, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com
