The Cotnoir Connection

Welcome Sophie!

noreply@blogger.com (Mumma) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:35:00 +0000

Sophie Wren was born on November 2, 2010. She is the beautiful daughter of Kristal and Dave Mitchell and granddaughter to Cheryl and Micheal Belleville. Sophie was born in her home at 5:34pm after 48 hours and 15 minutes of labor. Kristal had a natural home birth with help from two midwives, Daddy, Aunt and Grandma. Kristal and Dave are grateful for their help.

Kristal is very eco-conscious which led her to choose cloth diapers and eco-friendly gdiapers for her little princess. (No she's not crazy, cloth diapers are easy!) She also enjoys watching Sophie smile while she sleeps, carrying her in a Moby wrap and learning how to take 2 minute showers. Well, maybe she's not enjoying that part!

Congratulation Kristal and Dave! We all welcome Sophie, another miracle in our wonderful, loving family!

Cotnoir Family Reunion Survey!

noreply@blogger.com (Mumma) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 01:15:00 +0000

Calling ALL Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Brothers, Sisters and Adopted Family Members, please fill out this survey and have your input counted!

Cotnoir Connection Family Reunion Summer 2012

(Just click the above link and you will be brought to the survey. When you finish filling out the survey, please click submit and the information will be automatically added to my Google Docs. Thank You for helping!)

In the Beginning.....

noreply@blogger.com (Mumma) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 18:59:00 +0000

I am writing to inform everyone in this wonderful family,
we are in the beginning stages of planning the next

Cotnoir Family Reunion that will take place in summer of 2012!

We want to make sure each family has a chance to vote on what they would like to experience at the next family reunion. We are ironing out a few small details and will be contacting you soon. We need your input, it is important to us! I am currently creating a survey to figure out what dates, times and price ranges are comfortable for everyone. I'll post a link on the Cotnoir Connection Facebook page when the survey is ready. After I meet with Aunt Anna Mae for some much needed advice, I'll be in touch with Tammy, Tanya and Amy to compile the survey questions. We want this to be a well thought out party.

For updates and info, be sure to follow the Facebook page. It will keep you up to date with all the happenings for the next fun filled family reunion!

Also, if you would like to help out, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Love You All,
The 2012 Reunion Committee
Patricia Carignan
Amy Pierce
Tammy Lupoli
Tanya Brouillard

A Beautiful Tribute.....

noreply@blogger.com (Mumma) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:49:00 +0000

ith his family by his side, Russell Charles Cotnoir, Sr., 77 of East Winthrop, passed away October 24, 2010 at Maine General Medical Center in Augusta after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Woonsocket, RI, son of Emile and Anna (Marks) Cotnoir.

Russell married Sylvia Edna Ricard of Woonsocket, RI on September 3, 1955 and recently celebrated their 55th anniversary. They moved to Kents Hill, ME in 1968 and settled in East Winthrop in 2003.

After graduating high school in 1950, Russell enlisted in the US Navy and served on the Light Cruiser, USS Roanoke. In 1959, while an insurance salesman, he was in a serious and life-changing automobile accident. Brightened by the confidence and complete faith of his wife, Sylvia, Russell graduated second in his class with a bachelor’s degree from Bryant College in 1966. In 1968, following his graduation with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Rhode Island, he accepted a job as an Assistant Professor at the University of Maine in Augusta, eventually becoming Chair of the Business and Governmental Sciences Division until his retirement.

Russell simply adored his wife Sylvia, or “Pea-Soup” as he would call her. They raised ten children together, growing to an extended family of more than 66 today. Russell was a loving husband, father, pepere, big-pepere, brother and uncle. He loved to spend time with his family and friends and celebrated many special times with them over the years. He was so very proud of his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, who all loved him very much. A wonderful family tradition, he and Sylvia prepared Sunday lunch every week so the family could visit and share stories.

Russell was a devout Catholic and attended church with Sylvia every Sunday. During his retirement years, he and Sylvia attended church daily. He was a communicant of St. Francis Xavier Church in Winthrop, part of St. Michael’s Parish, for more than 40 years. His advice was, “God first, family second and the rest will fall into place.”

Russell and Sylvia were inseparable, whether touring the United States or simply going shopping, always holding hands.

Russell also came from a family of ten children. He had innumerable stories of his childhood, his military service and raising ten kids. He had a great sense of humor and was the kind of man that enjoyed having a conversation over coffee with anyone he met. Those lucky enough to have had the opportunity to meet him will remember his generous and fun-loving spirit.

His family united for a head-shaving experience to show support and solidarity in his fight against cancer. He was excited and proud to share pictures from that day with his church family and the incredible staff at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care.

He was predeceased by his parents and his brothers Earl, Raymond, Donald and Emile.

He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, his brothers Robert (wife Theresa), Vincent, Leonard and Paul (wife Pauline), his sister Anna Mae (Cotnoir) Viens (husband Raymond), and lifelong friend and “adopted” brother William Kerrigan (wife Claudette). He is also survived by ten children: his son Russell, Jr. and wife Denise of Fayette; his son Christopher and wife Julie of Gardiner; his son Jeffrey and wife Linda of Augusta; his son Thaddeus of East Winthrop, with whom he and Sylvia lived; his son Douglas and wife Sarah of Chelsea; his daughter Ann and husband Donald Ellis, Sr., of Winthrop; his son Scott and wife Leigh of West Gardiner; his son Timothy and wife Jennifer of Alexandria, VA; his son Thomas and wife Valerie of Waterville; and his son John of Augusta. He is also survived by 28 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and countless nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care and Maine General Medical Center for the kind care and assistance over the past few months.

Visiting hours will be held Thursday, Oct. 28 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Roberts Funeral Home, 62 Bowdoin Street, Winthrop. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 29 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Route 133, Winthrop. As it was his wish to be cremated, a private committal service will be held at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Lewiston at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, PO Box 828, Waterville, Maine 04903.

Arrangements are under the care of Roberts Funeral Home in Winthrop. Condolences may be expressed to the family via www.khrfuneralhomes.com.

Memories....

noreply@blogger.com (Mumma) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 16:11:00 +0000

This morning our large family lost a great man, husband, father, grand father, great grandfather, uncle and friend. Uncle Chic was loved by all. I am sure many of us have fond memories of him.

I will always remember how kind Uncle Chic was to everyone. He always made it a point to hug and kiss me. And, he always said he loved me when he left. I wish I had more memories of the times my family spent in Maine. Sadly, I don't remember much. Some of the old pictures jog a few memories. Like, eating cereal in the kitchen, sitting on Doug's lap. My photo shoot with Russell, the money and the "rocking chair". I felt like a princess that day, like the most beautiful and special little girl in the world. I remember always feeling welcome and loved when we visited. I always felt special because I knew I belonged to something special, the Cotnoir family!

Please feel free to share your memories, thoughts or feelings....

Hair and There!

noreply@blogger.com (Mumma) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:25:00 +0000

Check out this story!

Cotnoirs really do stick together. What a wonderful gesture! You guys are great!

Family Fights Cancer, and Hair

From Jeff via our Facebook page: Uncle Chic went into the hospital the other night with an infection. Please keep him in your prayers.

Announcing the Newest and Smallest Member!

noreply@blogger.com (Mumma) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:45:00 +0000

On September 1, 2010 at 5:34 pm, Christian James made his way into our family and our hearts! Christian is the son of Amy (Foisy) and Jesse Pierce. Amy is the daughter of Cindy and Mark Foisy and Cindy is the daughter of Paul and Pauline.

Born at 27 weeks, 13 weeks early, Christian could not wait to become a part of this big, wonderful and loving family. He is affectionately referred to as their little miracle.

Weighing in at 2 pounds 7 ounces and 15 inches long, this tiny prince has won the hearts of everyone. His hands and toes may be small, but Christian James has enough love to fill us all!

Mommy and Daddy say he's doing great. He's trying to roll over and sucking on a pacifier. Keep up the good work Christian. We pray for you to get stronger. God bless you, little one!

Congratulations Amy and Jesse!
We wish you both the best of luck with your new little man!

Some Cool Family Stats!

noreply@blogger.com (Mumma) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:56:00 +0000

I've finally finished adding family members to the myheritage(dot)com program and I am almost at the max people. Literally, I can add 5 more people. LOL! It's really amazing to see the entire family listed in tree form! Amazing! So, I bet your wondering about the post title? Well, through the site I was able to get some pretty interesting stats about our "current" family members. Would you like to see them?? I bet you do!

We have a whopping 245 family members on the current chart!
Males still out number the females 135 to 110.
There are 234 living family member and 11 angels.
There are 62 different last names. The most common being Cotnoir and Costello.
The most common boy name is tied at 3 each - Brian, Gary, Jeffrey, Kenneth, Kyle, Raymond and Thomas out of 105 different boy names.
The most common girl name is Sarah. We have 4 out of a possible 96 female names, follow close behind by Linda with 3.
The oldest living male, Robert (86) and female,Theresa (84).
The youngest male, Christian (2 days) and female, Rylee Marie (28 days)
Emile and Victoria lived the longest at 83 and 81 years each. What a great long life!
Of the 238 know birth dates, August comes in on top with 28 birthdays in that month. August is followed closely by January, April and September having 24 in each.
The decade with the largest baby boom was 1990-1999 with 43 births.
Only 2 births occurred during the 1940-1949 decade.
There is an average of 2.5 children per family. The 2 families with the most children will probably never change, Memere & Pepere and Russell & Sylvia with 10 each!
The average age when having children for males (28) and females (25).
Pepere was 46 years older than Uncle Paul! Making him the oldest family member to have a child.
The average age difference between siblings is 5.8 years. Tammy wins with 21 years different between her brother Jack and sister Abigail. Guess who the oldest female to have a child was? :o)

I hope you enjoyed these stats about our family!

My Family!

noreply@blogger.com (Mumma) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 04:15:00 +0000

I am going to start the first post on this blog to introduce you all to my family.

I am Patricia, the youngest of Lenny and Flo's five children and the youngest in our generation. I have been married to Keith for twelve years. Together, we have two small children, a son Xavier and daughter Addison. Xavier is almost five years old and Addison just turned two. Both are the apples of our eye.

I am hoping to learn more about each of you and your families. As you can probably imagine, being the youngest has some downfalls. I was never really "friends" with most of my first cousins. Age was the problem. I viewed most of you as a "parent" figure which you can imagine proved for communication difficulties. We still have a large generation gap. I am just starting my family while most of you are starting to enjoy your fairly new grandchildren!

What am I hoping to learn? Well, more about you, your family, my family and some loved ones who have passed. With that said, I am making a small request to anyone who can product pictures of my mother as well as some stories about her. I'd like to be able to share about her when my children get a bit older but sadly, I know and remember very little about her.

Thank you all for reading. I look forward to re-connecting with each and every one of you!

Love,