SOUTHINGTON, Conn. — Across Connecticut, residents remain in a state of shock and mourning following the death of State Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier in a hit-and-run crash Thursday on I-84 in Southington.
Funeral services for TFC Pelletier will be held on Wednesday, June 5 at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford on Savitt Way at 11 a.m., according to an obituary published by Dignity Memorial. Doors open at 9 a.m.
The CTrail Hartford Line will be offering free rides for uniformed officers attending the Hartford funeral. More info on schedule information can be found here.
Private calling hours will occur on Tuesday, June 4 from noon to 3 p.m. for family and friends. From 5-8 p.m. that evening, members of the law enforcement community can remember TFC Pelletier at the Della Vecchia Funeral Home on North Main Street in Southington.
Traffic detours for the wake on Tuesday
Southington Police have announce detours that will be in place between 10:00 am – 9:00 pm for the wake of TFC Aaron Pelletier’s services on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
TFC Pelletier’s wake will take place at Della Vecchia Funeral Home, 211 North Main St, Southington, with calling hours for family and friends between 12:00 pm -3:00 pm (detours will remain in place for private services)
Detours: All traffic traveling southbound on Route 10 will be detoured at the following intersections:
- Eastbound traffic at Flanders Road
- Westbound traffic at Curtis Street All traffic traveling northbound on Route 10 will be detoured at the following intersections:
- Eastbound traffic at Berlin Street
- Westbound traffic at Columbus Avenue Road closures:
No traffic will be permitted on Route 10 beginning at the following intersections:
- Southbound at Chapman Street
- Northbound at Mill Street
- Parking/shuttle for the services will be at:
- Calendar House Senior Center, 388 Pleasant St, Southington
- Joseph A DePaolo Middle School, 385 Pleasant St, Southington
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation or to a GoFundMe page for his family that has been approved by state police. As of 10:30 p.m. Saturday evening, the GoFundMe page had already raised a remarkable $273,000.
The Connecticut State Police Union said that those who would rather donate by check can send donations by mail to the State Police Union at 111 Founder's Plaza, Suite 500, East Hartford, CT 06108, noting that all funds will be given to the family.
Southington Public Schools will not have any class on Tuesday and will have an early dismissal at 11:15 a.m.
TFC Pelletier, 34, of Southington, was born on Aug. 6, 1989, in New Britain, as the son of Michael and Dianne (Fournier) Pelletier.
He also leaves behind his wife Dominque, his two sons Troy Michael and Zachary Matthew, his brother Michael Pelletier and wife Courtney of Bristol, his sister Christine Outeiro and husband John of Plainville, his paternal grandmother Catherine Pelletier of Bristol, his mother-in-law Patricia LeBeau of Southington, his father-in-law Peter English of Burlington, his family dogs Zeus and Molly and Snoopy the cat.
TFC Pelletier was predeceased by his niece Morgan Elizabeth Pelletier, his maternal grandparents Claude and Edwina Fournier and his paternal grandfather Albert Pelletier, the obituary said.
Pelletier graduated from Southington High School in 2007 and from Central Connecticut State University in 2012. He worked for the state’s Department of Correction from June 2013 to June 2015, when he became a member of the 125th Training Troop as a State Police Trooper Trainee.
According to his obituary, TFC Pelletier graduated from the State Police Academy on Dec. 17, 2015, and was assigned to Troop H in Hartford. He would later be assigned to the Hartford FBI Task Force from 2008 to 2021 and graduated from the Connecticut State Police K9 Academy with the 223rd patrol K9 class in December 2021 with his K9 partner Roso.
Roso and TFC Pelletier became certified as a Firearms Detection Team in February of 2022. TFC Pelletier was also assigned to the Tactical Team as a canine handler, his obituary said.
TFC Pelletier’s obituary said he was a dedicated husband and father to his family who displayed strong morals with the love that he expressed in every moment shared with them. He even built his wife Dominque a coop when she asked for chickens.
“When not on duty, they were always together; whether during routine duties, traveling, spending precious vacations at their home in Eagle Lake, Maine, any outdoor activity, this is what made him feel happy, loved and complete,” TFC Pelletier’s obituary reads.
TFC Pelletier was a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, a member of the CT Lawmen traveling softball team and a T-ball coach for his son Troy’s team at Southington West Baseball. He is fondly remembered by those who knew and loved him.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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