John Victor "Jack" Lautier, 1952 - 2006
John "Jack" Victor Lautier, 53, died Wednesday, (Sept. 20, 2006), at his home in Southington after a valiant battle with lung cancer. He was a non-smoker.Born December 12, 1952 in Torrington, Jack was the son of Rose and the late John Lautier. He married Janice Sierchio on April 20, 1985 at the Avon Old Farms Inn in Avon, and with her, proudly raised two sons, Jackson Patrick and Jarrett Nolan, both currently students at Southington High School. Growing up in Torrington, Jack developed an incredible, lifelong passion for sports that culminated in a career as an author and award-winning sports journalist.
His love for hockey eclipsed all other sports. He began playing it as a youth, when he and his friends skated on the pond in Torrington. He was a devoted fan of the Hartford Whalers and believed the team never should have left Connecticut. Jack covered hockey as a reporter and author, but continued to enjoy playing the sport himself, last taking to the ice in mid-December.
He wrote seven books, most of them about the Whalers, but his first book was a collection of Red Sox stories. His interest in history was reflected in his books. He began working as a sportswriter for the Hartford Times in 1975 after graduating from UConn and then took a sportswriting job at The Bristol Press when the Hartford paper closed the next year. He worked at the Press for the rest of his life.
Besides his wife and sons, Jack leaves his mother, Rose Lautier; and a brother, Dennis, both of Torrington; a brother and sister-in-law, James and Diane Lautier of Windsor; his mother-in-law, Violet Sierchio, of Southington; a sister and brother-in-law, Ellen and Robert Messina of Windsor; two nieces, Holly Messina of Boston and Heather and Marc Dlugolenski of Windsor Locks; and an aunt, Jean DaRoss of Litchfield.
Calling hours will be Thursday from 5-8 p.m. at the Della Vecchia Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St., Southington. The public is invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, 10a.m., at St. Thomas Church, 99 Bristol St., Southington. Visit www.dellavecchiafh.com for more information. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 583 Preston Ave., P.O. Box 1004, Meriden, CT 06450-1004.
