LAWRENCE JAMES BELLEROSE

LAWRENCE JAMES BELLEROSE of Putnam, CT died January 14, 2021 at the age of 82. He was the former owner of the Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes of Putnam and North Grosvenor Dale, CT. Bellerose began working for the Gilman family at the age of 16. He served his apprenticeship with James T. Pratt Funeral Service in Hartford. In 1973, after 15 years working with the Gilman family, he purchased the firm. He and his wife, Arlene, owned and operated it alongside the Valade Funeral Home in North Grosvenor Dale, which they purchased in 1980. They retired in 2003. A graduate of the New England Institute of Mortuary Science, he was a member and past president of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association and a member of the National Funeral Directors Association.