HOULTON – Letty Jean Putnam, 82, beloved wife of Aaron Hacker Putnam, died Dec. 12, 2007, from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. She was born Jan. 5, 1925, in Anaheim, Calif., the daughter of William and Augusta (DeBrower) Miller. When Letty was six months old, the family moved back to their prior hometown of Moline, Ill. She was raised in Moline, Ill., and graduated from Moline High School. She worked at Moline Tool Co., as a secretary. In January 1945, Letty and her twin sister, Betty, joined the WAC, U.S. Army. She was stationed at Army hospitals on Long Island, N.Y., and Staten Island, N.Y. In 1947, Letty married Master Sgt. Guy A. Ciaraldi and became an Army wife. She had three children, the first born in Trieste, the second in New Jersey, and the third in Hawaii. Sgt. Major Ciaraldi died in 1968, and Letty moved back to Moline, Ill., made a home, raised her children and worked as a secretary at Rock Island Arsenal. In 1980, she married Aaron H. Putnam. Upon his retirement, they moved to Houlton. Letty enjoyed crafts, needlework, reading, cross-country skiing and trailer trips to the Maritimes and the Maine coast, always with their dalmatian, Jenny. Letty is survived by her husband; two sons, Mark Ciaraldi and his wife, Sarah, of Manchester, Conn., and Stephen Ciaraldi and his wife, May-Britt and their son, Thomas, all of Jakaarta, Indonesia; her daughter, Susan Speese and her children, Benjamin and Savannah, all of Richmond, Va.; and twin sister, Betty Belfy of Rock Island, Ill. Friends may call 6-8 p.m. Friday at Dunn Funeral Home. A Mass will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church, Moline, Ill., at a later date. Interment will be at National Cemetery, Rock Island, Ill. Gifts may be made in Letty’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association or the charity of one’s choice, care of Dunn Funeral Home, 11 Park St., Houlton, ME 04730.
LETTY J. PUTNAM
