President’s Message
To former Members, Current Members, and friends of the HWBC.
I hope this note finds you well. Hockey season is here!
I write this President’s Message today with the heaviest of hearts, for the club has lost one of their own.
Diane Victor has been a member of this club for a long, long time. She had done everything for the club, from making snacks for players during their bus trips to wherever the NHL schedule was taking the team, to assisting former President, and love of her life, her husband Al, in club business. It was she and Al that kept the spirit of the Whalers alive when the team moved to North Carolina in the spring of 1997, by keeping this Booster Club alive.
It is with great sorrow that I announce that Diane Victor passed away on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at the age of 78. Please read her obituary below.
On behalf of the entire Board of Directors of the Hartford Whalers Booster Club, and on behalf of Whalers players, coaches, executives, and Whalers fans around the world, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Al, to her daughter Andrea, to their son Aaron, and to their grandchildren and great-grandson. May God give you comfort during this most difficult time. May Diane rest in peace.
In deepest sympathy,
Mark Anderson, President/Membership Chairperson, Hartford Whalers Booster Club.
Shirley Diane Stephens-Victor
It is with deep love and sorrow that we announce the passing of Shirley Diane Stephens-Victor, age 78, on November 1, 2025. Shirley was living in retirement in Clermont, Florida, but spent most of her adult married life in New Britain, Connecticut. She was devoted to her husband, children and her community and her joyous and infectious smile brightened every event.
Shirley’s greatest passion was her family, especially her beloved husband, Alan Victor. She gave so much to her family that she often neglected herself. Her life was a testament to love and resilience. She volunteered much of her time to care for the sick and the dying before and after retiring. She also had a love for NHL hockey, cheering for the Hartford Whalers during their active years and, in her retirement, rooting with all her heart for the Vegas Golden Knights.
She leaves behind her two remaining children, Andrea Jean Hardy and Aaron Mark Victor; her grandchildren, Christopher Chagnon, Tabitha Hardy, and Amelie and Ian Victor; and great grandson, Adain Chagnon. Shirley has been reunited in heaven with daughter Amanda Victor and son Seth Victor—a reunion we know filled her heart with joy.
A wake will be held at Erickson-Hansen Funeral Home, 411 S. Main St., New Britain on November 7, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Newington on November 8, at 10:00 AM, followed by burial at St. Mary Cemetery in New Britain. After the burial, family and friends are invited to a repass reception from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Portofino’s Italian Restaurant in Berlin.
In lieu of gifts or flowers, donations may be directed to your preferred charity in Shirley’s name.
Forever in our hearts, gone but never forgotten.