Wayne's senior candid.
Our dear classmate Wayne Soffan passed away on Jun. 8, 2024. He joined our class in ninth grade.
Here are some excerpts from his obituary, which appeared in The Republican newspaper, Springfield, MA:
It is with great sadness that we announce that Wayne Michael Soffan, 71, passed away peacefully with his family beside him on Thursday, Jun. 8, 2024.
Wayne was born in Springfield on Jul. 11, 1952, the only son of the late Joseph and Gloria (Gould) Soffan. He grew up with three sisters, Liz Wellspeak (Ray) of Westfield; Mindi Doller (Rick Petryk) of Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and Gale Smith of Boca Raton, FL, and graduated high school in East Longmeadow.
Wayne then became certified from the Hampden District Regional Skills Center as an electronic test technician and worked for Hamilton Standard.
The highlight of his life was the birth of his daughter, Trisha Soffan (Jessica Stanley) of Brooklyn, MD.
Although he enjoyed music - both playing his guitar and listening to classic rock - his greatest love was his family. Through his life struggles, "Trisha Lynn" was always at the forefront of his thoughts.
Wayne lived for many years in Westfield before moving to West Springfield. His home for the last several years was Bear Mountain, where he was well cared for by the many loving and capable staff members of Unit 4.
Wayne and his often hilarious sense of humor will be greatly missed by those who knew him, particularly his loving niece, Nicole St. Hillaire (Raymond), nephew Fred Gamache, and great-uncle Philip Gould, all of Westfield, as well as his five great-nieces and nephews. Wayne was predeceased by his nephew Joseph Edwards.
Homeroom photo in Wayne's freshman year. Front row: Donna Tranghese, Dorothy Stellato, Doreen Tremblay, Paula Seligman, Debra Simons, Ann Tesoro, Maria Siano, Nancy Steitz, Jeanne Symmes, Mr. Alexander Nickett. Row 2: Stanley Sroka, Mark Simone, Barry Tuck, Kenneth Sheret, Clark Swanson, Regina Truitt, Pamela Stenard, Susan Sullivan, Gail Taylor. Row 3: Paul Stilphen, Charles Taylor, Wayne Scully, Willard Troy, William Stark, John Stolecki, Thomas Sullivan, Wayne Soffan, Felix Tranghese. Not pictured: William Schmitter, Sharon Soares, William Soares, Nancy Sroka.
Homeroom photo in Wayne's sophomore year. Front row: Maria Siano, Christine Stewart, Ann Tesoro, Nancy Steitz, Nancy Sroka, Mr. James Dowd. Row 2: Jeanne Symmes, Paula Seligman, Gail Taylor, Susan Sullivan, Pamela Stenard, Donna Tranghese, Dorothy Stellato. Row 3: Mark Simone, Wayne Soffan, John Stolecki, William Scheumann, William Stark. Row 4: Clark Swanson, Stanley Sroka, Paul Stilphen, Wayne Scully, Felix Tranghese, Charles Taylor. Not pictured: Thomas Sullivan.
Homeroom photo in Wayne's junior year: Front row: Mr. Richard McCormick, Dorothy Stellato, Ann Tesoro, Maria Siano, Cynthia Richards, Jeanne Symmes, Paul Seligman. Row 2: Pamela Stenard, Susan Sullivan, Joanne Rinaldi, Susan Regnier, Nancy Sroka, Nancy Steitz, Patricia Ryan. Row 3: David Sand, Stephen St. Marie, Robert Reis, Charles Taylor, Stanley Sroka, William Scheumann, Mark Simone. Row 4: John Stolecki, Wayne Soffan, Thomas Sullivan, Paul Stilphen, Wayne Scully, Joseph Roy. Not pictured: Pamela Sakakeeny, Charles Powell, Christine Stewart.
Wayne later in life.
To see other tributes, click on the "Life Tributes" link to the left, then on the page of interest.
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