Blow, Drake, Hayden, Turner: Recent Death Notices From Enfield

ENFIELD, CT — Here are some recent death notices from Enfield.

Leslie (Ruggiero) Blow, 67, passed away peacefully on May 21, 2025 on the anniversary of her son Justin’s passing. Leslie was a proud parishioner of St. Mary Church in Windsor Locks. A dedicated single mom, she poured her heart into her family, raising her children with fierce devotion and unwavering support. Through her life she found joy in simple pleasures of knitting, tending to her garden (especially her beloved sunflowers), and enjoying the loving purr of her cats and growing her frog collection.

Frederick Drake Jr., 73, of Chesterfield, Mass., passed away unexpectedly on May 14, 2025 in County Clare, Ireland after a wonderful trip with family. Freddy graduated from Enfield High School in 1969, where he met and went on to marry his high school sweetheart, Marianne Smith, celebrating 52 years of marriage as a devoted husband. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and retired from the Connecticut Air National Guard as a senior master sergeant after 20 years of service in administration. He went on to have a very successful career in sales and consulting for the Plimpton and Hills HVAC company.

Earl Hayden, 94, beloved husband of the late Joanne (Gatto) Hayden, entered into eternal peace on May 21, 2025. He was born in the Thompsonville section of Enfield on Sept. 7, 1930 and resided in Thompsonville all his life. He was formerly employed by the former Bigelow Sanford Carpet Co., and later by General Electric for many years. Earl was a U.S. Army veteran, serving in Germany during the Korean War.

Rita (Kelly) Turner, 95, beloved wife of 62 years of the late Gerald Turner, passed away peacefully in the presence of family the morning of May 19, 2025. After Gerald's service in the U.S. Air Force, the family moved to Springfield and Rita worked at Forbes and Wallace on Main Street until it closed. When the family moved to Agawam in 1967, Rita worked for Zayres and was the office manager for F.W. Woolworth for 30 years until retirement. Rita was a good bowler, competing in the women's candlepin league in Agawam, and was always up for a few strings with family and friends. Her later years were spent with family in Enfield.