Charlotte Hoose Murphy

AMENIA — Charlotte Hoose Murphy, 98, of Amenia, passed away peacefully with her family by her side at home on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Charlotte was a life-long resident of Amenia, born on June 26, 1926, to Fred and Fanny Carpenter Hoose. She graduated from the Amenia High School in 1944 and from Middlebury College, Class of 1948. She worked part-time as a teller for the First National Bank of Amenia and its many successors, retiring in July, 2000. On Oct. 2, 1948, she married James Maroney Murphy in Amenia. He passed away in 2004 after 56 years of marriage.

Charlotte is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law; Cathleen (Michael) Homrighaus of Cortland, New York, Adrienne (Mark) O’Brien of Weaverville, North Carolina, and Elizabeth (William) Kanauer of Helena, Montana. Sons and daughters-in-law; Dr. Robert (Marie) Murphy of Cornwall, Brian Murphy of Millerton, Lawrence (Nancy) Murphy of Wassaic, and Andrew Murphy of Amenia.
She is also survived by 12 grandchildren; Jerry Murphy, Jay Murphy, Alicia Peterson, Nicholas Kanauer, Justin Murphy, Greta Murphy, Jason Homrighaus, Zachary Homrighaus, Noah Homrighaus, Brian J. Murphy, Kimberly Dolan and Marjorie O’Brien. She is also survived by 9 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by a granddaughter, Laurel Hayes Murphy, a great-granddaughter, Stephanie Amber Murphy, and sisters, Jane Bentsen and Margaret Pulver.

Charlotte was very active in many organizations area wide. She was a 72-year active member of the Amenia Fire Co. Ladies’ Auxiliary, served many years as a trustee and treasurer for the Amenia Free Library, the Junior Women’s Club of Amenia, a trustee and treasurer for the Violet H. Simmons Scholarship Fund, and was a Board member of the Rex Brasher Association. She also served as Court Clerk for her husband, James, during his 46 years as Amenia Town Justice.

Calling hours will take place on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Ave., Millerton, New York. The Amenia Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary will conduct a service at 6:30 p.m. A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Amenia.

Memorial donations may be made to The Amenia Free Library Association, PO Box 27, Amenia, NY 12501, or The Amenia Fire Co. Auxiliary, PO Box 166, Amenia, NY 12501, or the Violet H. Simmons Summer Enrichment Scholarship, c/o Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, PO Box 400, Sheffield, MA 01257 or Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation, 80 Washington St., Suite 204, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. To send an online condolence to the family, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com 

Latest News

Fallen trees injure man, destroy fences at dog shelter

Two uprooted locust trees still lie in the yard in front of Animal Farm Foundation’s original kennels where they fell on a fence during a storm on Thursday, June 19.

Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Fallen trees, uprooted and splintered during a thunderstorm, injured a man, destroyed fences and damaged a dog kennel at the Animal Farm Foundation facilities in Bangall.

Isaias Nunez was cleaning along a road on the property with Marco Ortiz, another employee of the dog shelter, when the storm rolled in on the afternoon of Thursday, June 19.

Keep ReadingShow less
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit millertonnews.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less