Valentine Galasyn, a longtime Canterbury resident and beloved friend of the Canterbury Historical Society, passed away on Friday, December 2, 2022. Val was married to Aili (Hakkila) Galasyn, a lifetime member of the CHS, for 67 years and was a decorated war veteran with a 30-year career in the US Navy beginning at the end of WWII when he enlisted at age 17 and continuing through the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and submarine patrols throughout the Cold War. Serving as a physician for the Navy specializing in environmental and emergency medicine where he earned the rank of Captain, Val earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois, his Medical Degree from the University of Tennessee, and his Master of Public Health from Yale University.
Val was instrumental in the restoration of the Centre (Green) Schoolhouse in 2002 working tirelessly alongside a small group of other volunteers who spent thousands of hours restoring the former one-room schoolhouse to its early 20th-century appearance. For his work and friendship we are forever grateful. Doctor Galasyn will be laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery later this spring.
Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/hartfordcourant/name/valentine-galasyn-obituary?id=38321363
