Obituary of Roland Deslippe

Roland Deslippe, 77, formerly of Manchester, passed away peacefully at Mountain View Hospital in his adopted home of Las Vegas, Nevada on the evening of Tuesday, February 28, 2023, with his son beside him.

He was raised in New Britain by his father Emery Deslippe and his mother Doris Belhumeur. After he graduated from New Britain High School, Roland attended the Hartford Institute of Accounting and then enlisted in the United States Army where he served for three years, primarily in Vincenza, Italy. In March 1969, Roland began a position at Northeast Utilities where he worked for over three decades and reached the level of senior staff accountant and supervisor in plant accounting. After eight years of taking courses on nights and weekends, Roland graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University in 1977. Roland volunteered for Dutch Point Credit Union starting in the late-1970s and he served the credit union for a total of forty-four years, primarily on its board of directors, and for several years as its chairman. He also volunteered for the Visiting Nurse Association.

Roland married the love of his life, Rosemary Ann Teti, in 1974 and they had one child together. He cared for and supported his wife through an array of illnesses including a thirteen-year battle with cancer. Roland also took care of his mother for several years after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Upon his retirement in 2000 and the passing of his wife the following year, Roland moved to Las Vegas and was a semi-professional poker player who was highlighted on ESPN, trash-talked numerous celebrities at the poker table, and finished within the top three percent of all entrants at the World Series of Poker in 2014.

Roland will be remembered for his friendship, kindness, savvy, and humor by those who knew him. He is survived by his son Philip, his favorite granddaughter Lucia, and his cousin Robert Kowalski.

Family and friends may call on the John F. Tierney Funeral Home, 219 W. Center St., in Manchester on Friday, March 10, 2023, from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at the Church of the Assumption, 27 Adams St. South, in Manchester on Saturday, March 11 at 9:30am. Burial will be held immediately after at Saint Mary Cemetery, 1141 Stanley Street, in New Britain.