Jean Patricia Raymond    After a wonderful life of  93 years, Jean Patricia Raymond passed away on March 25, 2020. With her husband of over 72 years, Robert G. Raymond, Jean lived in Chatham. Jean was born in Worcester, the daughter of Carl and Doris Semon, and spent her early years in Auburn. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and married Bob in 1948. They l...

George Walter Fontaine  On April 4, 2020, Dr. George Walter Fontaine passed after a long battle with congestive heart failure. He was 89.      He leaves behind his loving spouse, Carol (nee, Peterson) of Chatham, his daughter Lorraine Fontaine of Truth-Or-Consequences, N.M., his son Jeffrey Fontaine of Oxford, Miss., his son David Fontaine, M.D. of Bedford, N.H. (Laurie), his daughter Jane Price of Muscatine...

Patricia Ann Rafuse 12/09/1938 - 4/3/2020     HYANNIS - Patricia Ann Rafuse (née Wahl) passed away peacefully April 3, 2020. She is sorely missed by her loving children Jonathan, Heather, and Amanda; her grandchildren Abby and Sam Higgins, and Melia and Caleb Rafuse; her son in-law Peter Higgins and daughter-in-law Leticia Palos-Rafuse; her sister-in-law Franny Macdonald and Franny’s three children Jennifer, ...

Heather Mary Sammartano, 66     Loxahatchee, Fla. - Heather Sammartano died at home on April 1, 2020 after a brave battle with multiple myeloma cancer.  She joined her husband Fred who passed away in 2008.       Heather was pre-deceased by her parents Harold and Florence Sullivan of Chatham.  She was born in Toronto, Canada on August 31, 1953 and immigrated with her family to Chatham in 1959 and graduated fr...

Julie Elizabeth Bradley     HARWICH - Julie Elizabeth Bradley died on Saturday, March 28, 2020.  For 40 years, the wife of Joel Bradley, Julie leaves her daughter Amelia Tracy (husband, Christian) and granddaughter, Pearl as well as her brothers and their families.      Julie was born on June 25, 1960 in Hardwick, Vt.  Her parents, Joan and John Brochu, as well as her in-laws, Vernon and Eveline Bradley, pre...

Though the official toll increases daily, the number of people sickened by COVID-19 is expected to peak or plateau this week or next, public health officials say. In coronavirus hotspots like New York, California and Washington State, statistics hint that “we’re potentially seeing the caseload level off,” County Health Director Sean O’Brien said Tuesday. Here, the timing of the peak number of cases depends on ...

CHATHAM — Facing the possibility that all sorts of fee and tax revenue will be down because of the COVID-19 emergency, town officials are preparing an austere budget plan for fiscal 2021. Finance Director Alix Heilala told selectmen Monday that she and Town Manager Jill Goldsmith are making contingency plans in case available revenue declines to 75 percent or even half of the current year’s local receipts. ...

CHATHAM – Rather than retiring next January, as previously announced, Chief of Police Mark Pawlina will instead remain on the job through March 2022. Pawlina said the 2021 date had been somewhat arbitrary, and upon reflection, he decided to extend his tenure for “mostly personal reasons.” He had originally tied retirement to his daughter's graduation from college, but said his youngest son will still be in ...

CHATHAM – The recently passed federal CARES legislation provides $2 trillion in financial relief for businesses and individuals impacted by COVID-19. But its complex mix of loans, grants and other programs can be difficult to navigate. Add to that all the other state and federal programs available to those who need help during the emergency, and a person can easily drown in paperwork and a confusion of acronyms. ...

More than 40 Cape Codders are helping front-line emergency and healthcare workers by creating face shields with their 3D printers. Nearly 2,000 of the shields have been made and distributed to Cape Cod Healthcare, local first responders and other healthcare workers. The shields, consisting of a plastic visor and a sheet of clear plastic that covers the face, is one part of the personal protective equipment wor...

HARWICH — Julie Bradley, well-known in the town's business community, became the first local resident to succumb to the COVID-19 virus. She passed away at home on March 28 after a brief battle with the virus. She was 59. Board of Health Director Meggan Eldredge informed selectmen of the death in the board’s meeting Wednesday night. Despite the state Department of Public Health recommending that local officials...

HARWICH — While the police department is down a couple of members, the COVID-19 pandemic has not impacted the department's operation significantly, and Police Chief David Guillemette said he considers staffing stable. Guillemette was responding to concerns raised by Selectman Michael MacAskill about the impact a spending freeze instituted by the board might have on public safety. The spending freeze applies to...

HARWICH — The annual town meeting and local elections have been moved to late June in the hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will have dissipated, and health officials will be satisfied that social distancing is no longer necessary and residents will once again feel comfortable congregating. Selectmen last week set June 22 as the date for the annual meeting, and the town election will follow on June 30. The st...

HARWICH – When Holly Evans first moved to Cape Cod from Virginia with her family as a kid, she’d never heard of field hockey, let alone considered playing the sport. Fast forward a few years and Evans has parlayed a stellar career at Monomoy Regional High School into a spot with the Bryn Mawr College Owls. Evans began playing the sport in middle school for Chatham when the program only had nine players. Evans ...

From A Lifetime Fishing ORLEANS – In Al Youngren’s small kitchen there is a nautical chart, covering most of a wall, in perfect view of anyone seated at the kitchen table. Youngren, barrel-chested and slim at 82, says it’s from 1985 or so. Still usable. “It’s been up there for 30 years,” he says, in a voice that is all old Cape Cod seaman, rarely heard anymore. Youngren spent more than 50 years on the se...

Do you know someone who is going above and beyond in this extraordinary time? Let us know! For the next few weeks we'll be highlighting those who do good deeds in our local communities by selflessly helping their neighbors. Drop us an email at editor@capecodchronicle.com if you know of any good deeds you'd like to see exposed. Monomoy Class Of 2020 Donations The members of the Monomoy Regional High Scho...