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Dorothy Irene Verano
Dorothy Irene Verano
SALISBURY — Dorothy Irene (Kreivenas) Verano, 87, of Salisbury, died Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2025, at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, after a brief illness. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Frank Verano, whom she missed dearly every day. Dorothy was born Aug. 8, 1937, in New Britain, daughter of the late Joseph and Margaret Kreivenas.
She graduated at the top of her class from New Britain High School in 1955 before attending Boston University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree. She began teaching elementary music in the New Britain Public School system and later received a Master’s degree from the University of Hartford. Prior to marrying Frank, she enjoyed road trips along the East Coast with her friends and her sister, Marian. In 1966, she married her soulmate, Frank, and moved to their peaceful, idyllic property in Salisbury. She retired from New Britain schools in 1994 after 35 years of service. She served on the Salisbury Board of Education and was a dedicated parishioner of St. Martin of Tours Parish, St. Joseph’s Church where she looked forward to attending weekly mass.
She loved attending live musical performances at Tanglewood with her sister, and listening to their radio broadcasts when she could not attend. She was a skilled pianist and played for various events throughout New Britain including as a backup pianist for the New Britain Symphony Orchestra, but her most appreciative audience was her family at holidays, weddings and family visits.
Dorothy shared a special relationship with her sister, Marian (Kreivenas) Glynn and brother-in-law, James Glynn, who were her weekly Friday lunch dates. She is also survived by her niece, Susan (Glynn) Grandpre and husband, Michael, her nephew, Steven Glynn, and his wife, Cathleen, five great nieces and nephews, Abby, Matt, Kate, Evan and Alex, and by Frank’s children and grandchildren. She was especially close to his daughters, Evelyn Caron (Ken) and Katherine Verano, their children, Brandon, Daniel and Kaitlyn (Ashley), and Dorothy’s great-grandson Braythan, who all provided love and support over the years. Dorothy was also fortunate to have wonderful friends she could count on, including her longtime friend Jean and helpers Hope and Pat.
Calling hours were held Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home 118 Main St. Canaan, CT 06018. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at 11 a.m. in St. Martin of Tours Parish St. Joseph’s Church 4 Main St. North Canaan, CT 06018. Burial followed at St. Joseph’s Cemetery North Canaan, CT 06018. Memorial donations may be made to the Chore Service, PO Box 522, Lakeville, CT, or St Joseph’s Cemetery foundation. Arrangements are under the care of the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home 118 Main St. Canaan, CT 06018.
Letters to the editor: Thursday, Feb. 6
Tallow as eatery name?
I’m happy that the old McDonalds building may host a new restaurant in Millerton. However, if they are promoting healthier eating they may want to rethink their name. Beef fat may strike the wrong note.
Just saying!
Dan Lewis
Lakeville, Conn.
SWSA Snow Ball thank you to supporters
As organizer of the Salisbury Winter Sports Association annual Snow Ball Dance, I want to send a big thank you out to the many people who made it happen again this year at the Lakeville Town Grove. Thanks to Stacey Dodge and her amazing team, the place was decorated perfectly for the event! Also, a big thank you to the many volunteers who always come through to assist me at the event and dozens of local businesses who donated wonderful prizes to the annual Snow Ball raffle. We had a fabulous turnout and some great music and the crowd danced the night away. We would also like to thank our friends at the Norbert Farm Brewery for their support. Without these people and businesses our event would not be possible. See you at our next SWSA event!
John Sullivan
On behalf of the Salisbury Winter Sports Association
Salisbury, Conn.
Printer guilty of forgery; a mid-day train added; summer jobs at Denny Pool; Webutuck reunion
The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.
February 1, 1934
‘Tramp Printer Pleads Guilty To Forgery’; Wallace Gibbord, 60, the last of the tramp printers who thirty years ago won a national prize for speed in setting type by hand. pleaded guilty to a second degree forgery charge before Judge Flannery in county court Friday morning. Gibbord, who has traveled all over the United States and in Cuba and other countries while working at his trade, was arrested Nov. 27, 1933. He was indicted Oct. 22, 1931, more than two years before, by the grand jury after John Hoysradt, former publisher of the Pawling Chronicle, had alleged that a check bearing his name and made to “Walter Gifford,” drawn on the National Bank of Pawling, was a forgery. It was further alleged that Gibbord had cashed the check at the John E. Rogers drug store in Pawling.
February 6, 1975
‘Threat Of Rail Abandonment Prompts Millerton Meeting’: Anticipating that the United States Railway Association plans to be published,[sic] Feb. 26, will call for abandonment of at least a segment of the Harlem Division of Penn Central Railroad, and[sic] informational meeting on effective procedures for protesting loss of rail services will be held, starting at 10 a.m., Monday, Feb. 10, at the Community Room above the Millerton Free Library, Dutchess Avenue, Millerton.
‘New Mid-Day Train Added To Schedules’; Of particular interest to many travelers between New York City and Dover Plains is the new midday train on the Harlem Division, leaving Grand Central Terminal at 11:13 a.m. and reaching Dover Plains at 1:35 p.m., with a change of cars at Brewster. The return trip starts at Dover Plains at 2:15 and arrives, Grand Central, at 4:33 p.m.
‘Brooks Delays Store Opening’; The grand opening date for the Millerton’s new Brooks Discount Drug store has been rescheduled for mid-March, according to a Brooks’ spokesman. The opening had been tentatively scheduled for mid-February, but has been postponed because of construction delays.
The Brooks spokesman said no prescription counter is planned for the Millerton store, but added, one may be added sometime in the future, depending on the success of the store.
‘Summer Jobs Available’; The Millerton Youth Committee is now accepting applications for positions in the summer program at the Denny Memorial Pool. Openings include pool and day camp director, assistant pool and day camp director, day camp counsellors [sic] and substitute life guard.[sic]
‘Junk-A-Tique Opens Shop’; A new shop called Junk-A-Tique opens this week in Millerton. It is located on Route 22, one mile north of the traffic light at the intersection of Routes 22 and 44.
‘Students Qualify For Dean’s List’; Marie Carmella Ciancio of Millerton and Susan Birnbaum of Millbrook qualified with nearly 1200 students for the dean’s list for the 1974 fall semester at the New York State University College of Arts and Science at Geneseo.
February 3, 2000
‘Hundreds Expected For ‘Millenium’ Reunion’; WEBUTUCK — Get ready for the invasion of the alumni.
If organizers have their way, 300 to 350 Webutuck graduates will descend on the Harlem Valley this summer for a multi-class reunion for those who graduated from the high school any time between 1957 and 1964. It’ll be called the “Webutuck Millennium Reunion.”
‘Candidates Forum Airs Tonight on WQQQ’; Radio station WQQQ (103.3 FM) will sponsor a broadcast forum tonight for the two candidates for county clerk who are running in a special Feb. 8 election in the town of North East, according to Station Manager Ron Lyon.
Incumbent Republican William Paroli Jr. and Democratic challenger Richard Anderson have agreed to participate in the forum which begins at 7 p.m.
‘Historical Society Plans Activities for Millerton’s 125th Anniversary in 2000’; MILLERTON - The town of North East was incorporated in 1788 and the Village of Millerton in 1875. Millerton will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year.
The North East Historical Society is putting together a living history of the area. If you would like to write down your memories or be interviewed, call Diane Thompson, president, North East Historical Society.
“This will be a legacy for future generations of our town and village,” said Ms. Thompson.
Here comes climate change
Lately, people who in the past seldom gave it a second thought are beginning to talk about the weather.
The main reason, of course, has been the catastrophic wildfires forming the worst natural disaster in California’s history, still continuing with no clear end in sight. California has become known all over the world for the frequency and ferocity of its wildfires but this one is the worst so far. Climate change is clearly the underlying reason.
The year 2023 was the Earth’s warmest on record —until 2024. Climatologists tell us that the next few years are going to be hotter still. And the incoming Trump administration’s plan to burn more fossil fuel than ever before will guarantee more new record high temperatures.
For those who are unaware, the Earth’s atmosphere has a growing proportion of heat-blanketing “greenhouse gases,” especially carbon dioxide and methane, largely the result of the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. These gases lock in the heat of the sun’s rays in the atmosphere thereby heating up the air, the water and the land.
Oil companies have been avidly promoting what they call “carbon capture and sequestration,” the removal of carbon dioxide from the air and its capture and storage deep underground. The fossil fuel businesses believe that CCS provides a justification for using oil and gas indefinitely. But this technology is extremely expensive, potentially very dangerous and unworkable at anywhere near the scale needed to make a meaningful difference.
Global warming or climate change does not cause bad weather conditions; rather it seriously exacerbates them making them more severe. Warmer air allows clouds to hold more moisture and thus drop more rain in a storm. This summer’s catastrophic floods in Spain were made much worse because the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded and cut off from the Atlantic, warmed up significantly and together with the mountainous land along the coast turned typical floods into enormous ones.
Usually, hurricanes follow fairly predictable paths, staying generally along the coastline. But last summer’s Hurricane Helene veered into far west North Carolina causing massive storm and flood damage. Primarily this happened because of the mountainous terrain of the Blue Ridge chain of western North Carolina, which formed a natural barrier, forcing the storm’s moisture to condense, causing extreme rainfall in the valley near Asheville especially when combined with the already saturated ground from earlier storms.
In the middle of the country tornados are occurring with increasing frequency, arriving with little warning and causing considerable damage.
Across the world crippling heat waves hospitalized and even killed people unprepared for the incredible temperatures. All around the U.S. summer heat waves have been growing. Phoenix had temperatures over 100 degrees for more than a month. In India, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia temperatures reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Florida used to be the place much of America chose to get away to, either for a warm, sunny holiday or for retirement, escaping the harsh northern winters. But in addition to trying to cope with an enormous population explosion over the past 60 years, Florida has environmental problems that can’t be overlooked. As a peninsula flanked by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, Florida is battered by hurricanes more than any other state. A hurricane crashing onto the East Coast is likely to continue through the state’s narrow midsection and maintain its destructive path through to its west coast and beyond into other nearby states. As with other states that become resort areas, development has been overwhelmingly on or near the coasts where weather damage is greatest. Home insurance has become difficult to obtain. Rising seas, a worldwide phenomenon, is unusually acute and is coupled with sea water rising from below due to the porosity of the land underneath. As a result, Florida’s streets are often flooded when there has been no rain.
I used to think that forest fires were a problem mostly just for California and a few adjacent states. And to listen to Donald Trump and others one might think the problem would go away if only Democratic politicians would “maintain their forests.”But in the summer of 2023, the largest, most noticeable wildfires were happening in Quebec followed by others all across the U.S. and Canada. In the summer of 2024 there were even a batch of devastating wildfires in the Northeast that extended into New York City including Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, a harbinger of what’s to come.
The Northwest Corner offers one of the most benign climates in the United States and this becomes especially true as the country’s climate becomes increasingly troubled. Connecticut was once called “the land of steady habits,” a reference perhaps to what many considered dull, excessive moderation. But with the increase in severe and often violent weather a more boring climate seems a decided plus. Over the past 40 years, the Northwest Corner has experienced no weather calamities worthy of national attention, the last one of note being the 1955 flood centered in Winsted. There’ve been only two tornados over the past 40 years (midwestern states usually have at least two per year), only modest hurricane damage and minor droughts. In recent years, unpleasant and often dangerous heat waves across the country have kept residents huddled indoors around their air conditioners but Northwest Corner folks can still enjoy summer out of doors.
The climate here remains more agreeable than it is in much of the rest of the country; but it is changing and at an increasing rate.
Architect and landscape designer Mac Gordon lives in Lakeville.
