Paul E. Courchaine

Paul E. Courchaine, age 68, of Wethersfield, passed away Saturday (August 10, 2013) at Hartford Hospital, of pulmonary fibrosis. Paul is survived by his best friend and wife of 40 years, Donna (Rustici) Courchaine; sisters, Andree Courchaine and Cheryl Courchaine; sisters-in-law, Peggy Zalkind and Ginny Ranson; brother-in-law, Patrick Rustici and numerous nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. Paul was predeceased by his sister, Linda Courchaine and his brother, Robert Courchaine. Paul was born in Worcester, MA on August 3, 1945, son of the late Mary Rita (Germain) and Edward J. Courchaine. Paul was a proud graduate of The College of the Holy Cross, class of 1967, where he majored in History. He was then drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in Heidelberg, Germany. After his honorable discharge, Paul toured most of Europe before returning home and starting a long career in the insurance industry that began at the Aetna Insurance Companies, and continued with Puritan Insurance, Price Waterhouse, PWC, Anderson Consulting, Darwin Associates and finally concluding with The Hartford. Paul and Donna moved to Wethersfield in 1980, where they found and restored one of the earliest Connecticut houses, built in 1637, and also documented the history of the house's ownership for 375 years. His interests in the early history of New England and the people who came here at that time led to his developing expertise in English and American furniture of the period, in the history of the Native American populations, and his deep love of hearth cooking. Paul attended many seminars and courses about early cooking techniques, and taught a series of classes at the Francis House, sampling the foodways of the seventeenth through the early nineteenth centuries. For the past two years, he helped plan historic menus for the Thanksgiving dinners at the Webb Barn. Paul enjoyed visiting and participating in events at Plimoth Plantation, Historic Deerfield, Connecticut Landmarks, Historic Williamsburg and other sites, such as Agecroft Hall in Richmond, VA. His other primary interests included gardening and reading several books each week. Paul loved Wethersfield, and served on the Town Council; several special projects including the Silas Deane design committee and the high school renovation committee in the 1980s; and was serving at the time of his death on both the Historic District Commission and the Insurance Commission. He had also been a member of the Village Improvement Association and the Men's Garden Club, and enjoyed being one of the garden angels at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. Paul has also served for several years as a board member for the State of Connecticut Board of Landscape Architects.

A celebration of Paul’s life will take place at The Webb Barn, 211 Main St., Wethersfield on Friday, August 30, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to Historic Deerfield, P.O. Box 321, Deerfield, MA 01342 or to an organization of your choice. The D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, Wethersfield is handling arrangements. For online expressions of sympathy to the family, please visit www.desopo.com.