Albert Kenneth ‘Bud’ Kniffen
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Millerton landlord loses foreclosure case; 7–9 Main St. building to be auctioned
Millerton News
Apr 22, 2026
7-9 Main Street
Photo by John Coston
MILLERTON — The future of an apartment building in downtown Millerton is facing more uncertainty after mortgage holders won a foreclosure judgment in Dutchess County Supreme Court last month.
The 100-year-old apartment building at 7-9 Main St., situated between Mad Rose Gallery and the Harney Tea Shop, must now be sold at a foreclosure auction by the end of June after a court order handed down on March 27.
The court order finds that GVKGNE Inc., a business operated by Chris Rrapi of Monroe, New York, defaulted on a loan of more than $400,000 in 2023. Lending firm Toorak Capital Partners, which took control of the mortgage from the original lender FM Home Loans LLC in 2021, filed for foreclosure in December 2023.
March’s foreclosure order comes on the heels of a furnace malfunction in January that forced tenants out of their homes. The building has remained vacant ever since, with the exterior doors still bearing signs warning people to stay out of the building by order of the village’s building inspector.
Now the empty building will be sold as-is at auction, though the date has yet to be determined.
Rrapi purchased the building in 2021, after the prior owner, Charles Lilley, died. The building was configured with 12 units, but Rrapi later learned that was twice the number permitted under prior approvals.
Rrapi, who said earlier this year that his intention had always been to upgrade the property, encountered his first obstacle when attempting to get approval for renovations to the aging building in 2024. Village officials told him the property was permitted to contain only six residential units.
It’s unclear from public documents when the building was configured with 12 units.
The property owner then went back and forth with the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals until 2025. Zoning board members rejected a bid for a nine-unit configuration coupled with a request that parking requirements be waived.
Those proceedings coincided with the foreclosure suit.
Zoning board members asserted that parking constraints in downtown Millerton informed their decision to reject Rrapi’s requests. The property has no onsite parking and street parking is limited on Main Street. Village zoning rules require space for 1.5 parking spaces per residential unit.
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The Bitter and the Sweet
Kathy Herald-Marlowe
Apr 22, 2026
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard… John F. Kennedy 1962
Artemis II lifted off April 1, 2026, from a spectator-packed Kennedy Space Center with millions more Americans glued to any visual source with real-time coverage of the first moon travel since 1972 – a 50-year hiatus.Those watching felt the same excitement, comradery as was experienced with the rise of Neil Armstrong fulfilling Kennedy’s challenge – walking on the moon within the decade. Hordes of watching children planned their Astronaut costumes for this fall’s Halloween. American ingenuity, innovation, success made the nation beam with pride then and now.
The sweetness of being an American was intense – being connected with most all other Americans – moments of massive achievement and true accomplishment. National sweetness – collaborative pride.Here is a diverse set of highly skilled astronauts:two American men – one white, one black - an American white woman, and a Canadian white male.NASA sent a highly DEI crew on its supreme mission with historic success – to the moon and back. The crew was an exuberant team.Their public comments were heartfelt for their crew, for their nation, for their planet– summed up by astronaut Christina Koch “Earth you are a Crew!”
In Lake Placid, NY,1980, an Olympics Miracle on Ice was brought home by 20 young American college hockey players defeating the highly professional, non-professional Soviets who had hither to owned the ice. Another prime instance of Americans – in unity - bolted to any communications device available to follow exquisite, fully-absorbing action.Anyone alive at the time can tell you where they were, what they were doing during this hockey match – regardless if they had ever before or since watched hockey.I was on a plane traveling from Houston to NYC, the Olympic commentors broadcasting on the plane’s speaker, every passenger riveted as the US team, surprisingly leading 4-3, in the final seconds of the game shut the Soviets out of a tying goal. Then, the famed “Do you believe in miracles? YES”.
American Sweetness – common pleasure – joint delight – extreme pride. We have in decades past enjoyed national delight – been bound by our sense of unity, our sense of being together joined for security, for extraordinary innovation, for massive wins, for marvelous accomplishment, for sweet celebration.We’ve not enough American sweetness in the past few years – rather trumped out with sharp, vigorous conflict, one side versus another, one party, one color despising another. Our previous sweet days/years were WOT – With Out Trump.
Currently a “non-war”, a major violent military clash with Iran has brought the nation stark, biting bitterness – the bitterness of soldiers killed, of costs in our nation skyrocketing, the President’s blatant screaming of war crime rhetoric, the use of religion in reporting national endeavors, the blasphemy of Trump depicted as Christ posted online in our secular state, the US at war with its faithful allies of 70 years, the negative battle with the Pope over theological matters, Orban throw out with other Hungarian trash.
Bitterness, corruption of Trump & sons raking in billions from cryptocurrency, Middle Eastern real estate deals all driving the net worth of their family from $2.5 Billion in 2024 to $10 Billion in 2026. Crime, corruption, lucrative deals with countries, billionaires, corporations are the trademark of Trump – a powerful force set to destroy a nation once lauded not for perfection of behavior but for leadership for liberty, for freedom. The United States, America, our nation unassailed as a pinnacle of performance, of altruism accompanied, of course, with righteous anger for loose bands of ugly Americans stuffed with greed and self-indulgence- taking and taking. The era since 2016 is WT – With Trump – he, Trump, an albatross of atrocities, promoter of hatred and division, role model of what-not-to-be, example supreme of who-to-scrub-his-mouth-out-with-soap.
Lincoln lead our nation, perhaps the most revered of our Presidents, warning the nation: “If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide”.We ought listen to Lincoln.We the People, owners of the Constitution, owners of our government must be authors of democracy and decency – all is in our hands.
Kathy Herald-Marlowe lives in Sharon.
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William Taylor Mitchell
Millerton News
Apr 22, 2026
William Taylor Mitchell
William Taylor Mitchell
SALISBURY — William “Billy” Taylor Mitchell died on Feb. 21, 2026, following a four-month fight against complications caused by an automobile accident. Billy will always be a beloved and darling father and husband, and an honest and true friend to hundreds within a wide community he created and held onto in his lifetime. Billy is cherished for his values, devotion, curiosity in others, independent thinking, taste in music, and booming laugh.
Preceded in death by his parents, Sheila Wells, 1992 and Donald Mitchell, 1996, Billy is survived by his wife of 37 years, Cornelia Jane (née Reeder) and his three children, Haley, Cornelia (Nellie), and William Gilbert (Gib) Mitchell. The middle child between siblings Fritz and Elizabeth Mitchell, Billy has always been a devoted brother through weekly phone calls and visits to their homes in Vermont and Colorado. The entire family will profoundly miss Billy’s indelible presence in every part of every day - his joie de vivre, his sense of humor, the twinkling of his eyes, and his genuine, joyous smile.
Billy was born on Dec. 22, 1960 in New York, New York. Every day thereafter was a symphony of phones ringing, skates scraping, ice cubes clinking, music playing, fires blazing, racquets swinging, and oars plunking.
Growing up in Bedford New York,Billy was curious and active. He attended The Harvey School in Katonah, New York from grades seven to nine. He played soccer, hockey, and lacrosse and was granted the Ballard Drama Award in 1976for his role as Nick Bottom in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”--a designation he boasted about for decades. He joined the 1979 class of The Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut, where he continued to excel in athletics. Billy earned a BS in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan in 1983. At each of these schools Billy was most known for the friends he made and held close for the rest of his life. He amassed a network that stretched far and yet never thinned; a quantity that never compromised quality. His impromptu catch-up phone calls will be missed by many.
In 1984, Billy started as a cold-caller at Smith Barney, which was later acquired by Morgan Stanley. Over his career, he advanced to be a Financial Advisor and Vice President. Throughout his tenure, Billy imbued his personality into his work. His dedication to his clients was steadfast and he counted many of them as close friends.
Billy returned to Bedford in 1992, to the house where he was raised, just beyond the treasured 500-year-old Bedford Oak, with his wife and growing family to call it home forever. He once again played hockey in the rink at The Harvey School, this time as a Bedford Bear. There, and on Aspetong Pond, he taught his children a love of skating.
Billy could not be contained by four walls and a roof; he preferred the open air. He loved to row his Adirondack guide boat up and down the lower lake of Mt. Riga in Salisbury. If there was a breeze, he’d happily rig up the sunfish. He used to tinker with his bright red 1958 MGA convertible for hours just to take it for a spin. He dedicated every vacation and spare weekend to bringing his family skiing, camping, hiking, swimming, biking, and sharing his favorite places and pastimes with his family.
Together he and Cornelia threw countless parties–and pre-parties, and after parties, and impassioned New York Rangers watch parties. The doors of their home were always open to visitors. Any vehicle that ascended the gravel driveway–USPS drivers, old friends from out of town, or neighbors saying hi–could count on Billy bursting out the door to greet them.
Billy masterfully threw himself into the adventures and duties of Bedford Village Chowder & Marching Club, where he was a 21-year volunteer raising and allocating funds for local youth organizations. No project was beyond his ambition or beneath his humility. In remembrance of his decades of service, Chowder & Marching has established a scholarship in Billy’s name which will be granted to a student at Fox Lane High School.
With a signature fondness and reliability, Billy served on the Board of the Pound Ridge Tennis Club, preparing and maintaining the integrity of the 7 har-tru tennis courts. Much of the club’s bucolic grounds are thanks to Billy’s care and love of the club. Billy and CJ enjoyed countless hours of tennis and platform tennis as partners, opponents, and with many dear friends.
In the months that followed the devastating car accident, Billy fought ferociously against his injuries. During that period he was surrounded by his beloved wife, children, siblings, and many devoted friends. We are all so grateful to the nurses, doctors, healthcare professionals, and hospital staff who aided him in his battle and held us in the hardest moments. Their consistent care and Billy’s stubborn tenacity afforded us more precious time with him. All the love and joy that he put into the world came back around and he spent his final months immersed in it.
A celebration of life will be held at The Harvey School on the lower field beside Evarts Rink on Saturday, May 9th, 2026 at 2:00pm. All friends of Billy’s are welcome; and anyone who had the pleasure of meeting him knew quickly that they were a friend.
Any donations can be made to the Bedford Village Chowder & Marching Club to support the Billy Mitchell Scholarship Fund.
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George H. Wheeler
Millerton News
Apr 22, 2026
George H. Wheeler
George H. Wheeler
NORTH CANAAN — George H. Wheeler, a longtime educator and beloved member of the North Canaan community, passed away on April 18, 2026, age 80, from Parkinson’s Disease.
George was born the son of Ralph and Alberta Wheeler, and grew up on the family dairy farm in Temple, New Hampshire, where the Wheeler family had worked the land for generations. That early life — rooted in the rhythms of agriculture, animals, and hard work — would quietly shape everything that followed. He graduated from Wilton High School in 1964, where he played on the state champion soccer team. After high school, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from the University of New Hampshire in 1968, where he also participated in ROTC. He later earned two Master’s degrees, in Education and in Animal Science, and in 1985 received a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Virginia Tech.
George began his teaching career in Weare, New Hampshire, before joining the Vocational Agriculture Department at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) in Falls Village. From 1970 until his retirement, George left an indelible mark on the school, its students, and the wider community he served with such steadfast dedication. He modernized and expanded the agricultural curriculum, championed the development of the Life Skills program, and introduced the Young Farmers program. He would serve as Chair of both the Vocational Agriculture Department and later as Practical Arts Chairman. He was President of the Faculty Association, and, later, a member of the Connecticut State Advisory Board of Agriculture Education.
Among his most cherished roles at Housatonic was his decades-long service as faculty advisor to the local FFA chapter — a commitment he approached not merely as a duty but as a calling. He gave freely of his time outside the classroom, making farm visits and supporting FFA activities. For many years he oversaw the chapter’s beloved annual Christmas Tree stand, a tradition that brought students and community together each holiday season. He was also the proud advisor to the state champion Parliamentary Procedure team, and played a pivotal role in the launch of the school’s new vocational center.
Beyond the classroom, George was a pillar of North Canaan civic life. He served as President of the Exchange Club and as a member of the North Canaan Wetlands Commission. His personal passions were many: he was a skilled skier and longtime instructor at Butternut Basin in nearby Great Barrington, Massachusetts, an avid golfer, and a deeply loyal fan of the UConn Women’s Basketball team.
But by any measure, the great love of George’s life was Catherine Quinn Wheeler — his wife of 58 years and his high school sweetheart. Their life together, built on a foundation of shared history, mutual devotion, and a home filled with family, was his greatest source of pride and joy.
George is survived by his beloved wife, Catherine, of North Canaan; his son Michael Wheeler and his wife Sheila, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and their daughters Julia and Elizabeth; his son Kevin Wheeler and his wife Amy, of Barnard, Vermont, and their son Liam and daughter Hannah; and his sister, Alice Wheeler, and her husband Bob Thompson, of Milford, New Hampshire.
He was predeceased by his parents, Ralph and Alberta Wheeler; his brother David Wheeler, in 1963; and his sister Sarah Wheeler, in 1978.
Calling hours will be held at Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home on Saturday, May 2, at 4–6 p.m. A celebration of George’s life will be held at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Sunday, May 3, at 2 p.m. and is open to the community.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in George’s name to the Housatonic Valley Regional High School FFA Chapter, in care of Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home, on 118 Main St. Canaan, CT.
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Celebration of Life: Jill Scott
Millerton News
Apr 22, 2026
Pieter A. Van Why
Millerton News
Apr 22, 2026
Pieter A. Van Why
Pieter A. Van Why
NORFOLK —Pieter A. Van Why of Norfolk, passed away in Greenfield, Massachusetts , on 11 April 2026, at 20:31:471 after a long illness.
Pete was born in April of 1943 to John B. Van Why and Priscilla M. Van Why, in Winthrop, Massachusetts, while his father was stationed on Long Island, in Boston Harbor, during WWII. The family later moved to Winsted, then finally to Norfolk,
Pete grew up during a time of strife in the country, sandwiched between WWII and the Vietnam war. In 1964, as the war raged and young men were being drafted to fight in jungles far from home, Pete had the wisdom to enlist in the Air Force instead of becoming cannon fodder in the army. He would end up working his way up to being Chief Master Sargeant, or an E9, the highest level an enlisted man could attain. Along the way, he garnered such commendations as the Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and many more. As was typical with Pete, he never once talked about these accomplishments. When I asked him about these, he told me, “I just did what I had to do.”
And he would continue to do just that.
After 21-1/2 years in the Air Force, Pete retired in Feb. of 1985 and moved back to Norfolk, where the family had settled in 1959. Pete choose to give himself a demarcation line between the military and civilian life by embarking on a 5-month long through hike of the Appalachian Trail. This initial through hike would be the start of a lifelong love affair with long distance hiking and the AT in particular. It was during this hike when he got his trail name of ‘The Cheshire Cat.’
When Pete was forced by illness to give up hiking in 2020, he had logged over 18,0002 miles. While many would consider that an incredible number of miles, he still mourned the fact he wasn’t able to complete the Pacific Crest trail nor accrue the staggering amounts of miles many of the people he looked up to had done, some topping 45,000 miles.
We used to say we told him to go take a hike one day and he left for five months.
Throughout his life, Pete would remain goal oriented. Upon his retirement from the Air Force and subsequent hike, he enrolled in college for a few years He would accrue several degrees over those years of schooling, degrees that eventually landed him in his second career, this one with Sieman’s Measurement Systems Business (later becoming Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems) as a Senior Product Specialist. In this role, one he would hold for 25 years, he would travel the world calibrating high tech laser guided machines. Given his penchant for accuracy (we used to tell him, ‘Have a precise day!’) this role was right in his wheelhouse.
There’s so much more we could tell you about his accomplishments, such as pilot, flight instructor, world-wide travels, awards from the military and more, but that isn’t talking about the man. And he was a man that a lot of people didn’t understand at first.
His energy level was high, and his mind was keen and active, usually running several lengths ahead of whomever he may have been talking to. This at times led to him ending his side of the conversation first because his mind was already on to the next thing.
He never slowed down.
But, in 2018 he would receive a diagnosis of Atypical Parkinson’s, a condition caused by exposure to hazardous materials, something he was around for over 20 years while in the Air Force.
In 2020, as Covid 19 stilled the world, Pete retired from Pratt & Whitney and embarked on his next chapter. I would end up spending more time with him from 2020 to 2026 than I ever did in the previous decades. And as we worked together, I discovered the man that often moved so quickly most people never truly met him.
As I packed boxes, I found writings of his that were introspective and thoughtful. He had a skill with the written word that extended past his usual footnote laden Christmas letters.3 And as I began to travel to Norfolk every weekend, I found he had slowed down to where he could and would enjoy sitting and having coffee and conversations. And during these conversations I found a man who had a quiet modesty about him, who was loyal to his friends and family, and who seemed genuinely surprised when I expressed thanks to him for all he had done for both the family and in service.
To Pete, his greatest achievement in life wasn’t the accolades or the degrees – it was the hiking he had done and the friends he made along the way. Pete valued those friendships, those connections deeply. The first 1985 through hike (he would go on to complete the Appalachian Trail three more times, in section hikes) would leave a lasting impact on him.
He wrote about what was a pensive time for him as he hiked through ‘the longest spring of my life.’ As the miles passed beneath his feet he thought about what he had done and what he had to do next. This may have been the first time in his life where he had the ability to slow the world down and focus internally. This time spent on the AT would help shape the rest of his life.
In 2020, he left Norfolk, and eventually ended up in Greenfield, Massachusetts near the home of his sister and brother-in-law. The Parkinson’s progressed in an inexorable march, eventually claiming him in the end. Much like his trail-namesake, the Cheshire Cat, he slowly faded away until only the grin was left. He retained his humor to the last, still managing to smile even as he drifted away.
I leave you with some quotes from Pete’s work – he wrote a 17-page paper about the Appalachian Trail upon his retirement from hiking the AT in 2016, when the Parkinson’s made it impossible to continue.
A few summers ago, I’d just completed a 400-mile multiple-trail hike at the Canadian border, northern terminus of Vermont’s Long Trail. The next day – dreary and rainy – as I was road-walking through North Troy towards Newport for the bus ride home, I saw an old woman in an adjacent house watching me pass. For the remainder of the day, I couldn’t shake that image. I wondered if she had ever thought about going end-to-end on the Long Trail or thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail earlier in life and, if so, did she?4
Why do this?
How to adequately convey a feeling with mere words? I’ll make a feeble attempt. Perhaps there’s too much materialism in our society and we occasionally need some decompression. What motivates apparently sane people to undertake such a journey? Certainly, couch potatoes need not apply. Make no mistake, it’s work, hard work, but to many it’s one of the most rewarding, even intoxicating, things we’ve ever done. But why? During the waning weeks of his life Paul Fink, the last living founder of the ATC , wrote from his convalescent hospital “I sit in this room with never a hope of getting out, with thoughts running through my mind of how delightful it would be to be lying by a trailside under a big balsam tree with no sounds unless it be the twittering of the birds and the rustle of the breeze in the tree branches above.”
Much like his closing quote, there’s too much to convey about Pete with mere words. He was a kind man who loved animals, a highly intelligent and funny man, a loyal son, brother and friend to many. His passing will leave a hole in many lives.
It’s a life well lived when people mourn your absence.
Pete was predeceased by his parents John and Priscilla Van Why and his brother-in-law Jack Petersen. He is survived and dearly missed by sister Karen Petersen (Jack) of West Hartford, Connecticut, brother John Van Why (Denise) of Ravena, New York, sister Sue Anne Van Why of Winsted, and Sue’s son Jesse Van Why of Connecticut. He is also survived by and deeply missed by sister Stephanie Funk and her husband Edward Funk, of Greenfield, who were honored to be able to be with him throughout the final years of his life. Those last few years spent in his company will be cherished memories forever.
We would like to thank the staff at Charlene Manor Extended Care for their kindness and love toward Pete as his last chapter played out. We appreciate it, and I know he did as well. We would also like to thank both Compassus Hospice and Pioneer Valley Hospice for the care they showed to him and us throughout these last four years.
There will be no calling hours or a formal funeral. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Pieter’s honor be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Info can be found at Appalachiantrail.org. There will be a celebration of life to be held on August 22, 2026, at Norbrook Farm Brewery, 204 Stillman Hill Rd, Colebrook, CT from 1:00 p.m. until evening.5
Godspeed, Pete. May the trails always be smooth and the sun shine upon you forever. We love you.
1 If you ever met Pete, you would completely understand why this was written this way.
2 The number of miles hiked is 18,715, not including ancillary mileage ~ Pieter A. Van Why /‘Thru-hiking The Appalachian Trail’/ v2016, /P1
3 We are going to miss those footnote laden Christmas letters.
4 Pieter A. Van Why /‘Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail/ v2016/ P1
5 Because this wouldn’t be a proper missive about Pete without footnotes. There will be light refreshments served, and of course plenty of beers to toast his memory with. They are a Harvest Host member for those who may want to camp.
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