Latest News
Joyce Gertrude Cassetta
Millerton News
Aug 18, 2026
MILLBROOK — Joyce Gertrude (Kirstein) Cassetta of Millbrook, 96, passed away peacefully on Monday, Aug. 10 at Maplewood. Joyce was born Sept. 15, 1930, in Ossining New York to Ethel (Travis) and Franz Kirstein. She was the second eldest of 6 children, and the only member of her family to graduate high school. Joyce married Michael A. Cassetta (deceased) of Tarrytown in 1950. Joyce and Mike built their first home in East Irvington where they raised their family. Joyce was an outstanding cook, avid gardener, enjoyed curling and ice skating. Joyce also served over 50 years in the Eastern Star. She is survived by 3 of her 4 children, 3 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. She has one surviving sister, Shirley. Our deepest gratitude to those who cared for her, especially her son Mark. Joyce will be laid to rest at Hillside Cemetery.
Stephen M. Brandt
Millerton News
Aug 18, 2026
Charles Ray Rigdon
Millerton News
Aug 18, 2026
FALLS VILLAGE — Charles Ray Rigdon, 69, of Falls Village, Connecticut, died unexpectedly of heart failure on the evening of Aug. 13 at home. He was the loving partner and husband of Garth Parsons Kobal for 43 years.
Ray was born in Alma, Georgia, Bacon County in 1957 to Elzie Dillard Rigdon and Ruby Mae Lee. Elzie (b. 1894) was a Great War veteran serving in the famous “All-American” 82nd Division of the 328th Infantry, the same as war hero Alvin York. Elzie was present at the conflict-ending battle of the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918 and sustained a shrapnel injury on Oct. 7, a critical day in the campaign that led to York’s famous capture of 132 enemy troops on Oct. 8. The war ended on armistice day, Nov. 11, 1918. Elzie remained in a hospital in France and was released in May 1919 after healing from his wounds. Elzie was 64 when Ray was born.
Ray’s family moved to Jacksonville, Florida where some of his siblings still live today. He attended Robert E. Lee High School, now renamed Riverside High School. Jacksonville was a major stopping point for the major 70s rock groups and Ray, most often barefoot, saw them all, developing lifetime passions for David Bowie, Alice Cooper, and Joni Mitchell.
Ray moved north to Connecticut in 1976 during the Bicentennial to work for Edward R. Hamilton, Bookseller in Danbury. He was the company’s first employee and served for many years as a book buyer and copywriter.
Ray, 26, met his future husband, Garth Kobal, 18, in the spring of 1983 at a gay bar in North Salem, New York. Garth had just graduated from Bethel High School. They moved in together late that summer.
In 1984, Hamilton relocated from Danbury to Falls Village. Ray asked Garth to join him and the couple took up home at the village’s railway depot, historically the station master’s quarters.
Curious to learn more about the bookselling business, the couple moved to New York City in the fall of 1987 residing in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Jersey City until 2006. Initially working for a book wholesaler on Madison Avenue, Ray co-founded a gay and lesbian book wholesale company with Garth located in an artist’s live/workspace building in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Successful for a couple of years, the couple decided they didn’t really care for running a business and relocated back to Manhattan where Ray worked for book importer, Books Britain, while Garth was hired back by Hamilton to expand the company’s relations with publishers.
The couple celebrated their 20th anniversary with a wedding at Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City in 2003 with the Reverand Janet Broderick Kraft officiating. The couple returned to Falls Village in 2006 with Ray joining the copywriting team at Hamilton. Ray and Garth finally achieved their dream of legal marriage on the first day that Connecticut allowed same-sex unions, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008. Their marriage license was certified by Town Clerk Mary Palmer in Falls Village and they were married steps away from town hall by Justice of the Peace Denny Jacobs in front of Jacob’s Garage.
Ray retired a few years later. After surviving liver failure in 2016, Ray devoted himself to his husband’s health culminating in Garth’s successful kidney transplant in 2023.
Born in 1957, Ray was a Sputnik baby, a part of the first TV generation. He preferred having the TV on all the time, even if it was turned down while he listened to music. In his final years, Ray was limited in his mobility due to COPD. Even so, he continued to pursue the things that he loved most – cooking, music, reading, crossword puzzles and politics – adding a late-life passion for soccer. His favorite football clubs were Liverpool and Manchester United. In the last several years, if a match was on then Ray was watching it, sometimes several at once.
Ray was a stoic. He never let on about how he felt physically and never sat in judgement of anyone he knew personally. He had an immense capacity to show tenderness with family, friends, strangers, and significantly with animals. He loved and cared for several dogs over the years, especially Joe the Shar-pei and Emmy the Bulldog, a couple that mirrored Ray and Garth, one protective and introspective, the other outgoing and social. To the very end, if a dog visited the house, they would head directly to Ray and lay at his feet.
Ray is survived by his husband Garth Kobal and his siblings Talmadge Rigdon, Sonja Rigdon, Phyllis Moyes, Patty Tate, David Rigdon and countless in-laws, nephews, nieces and cousins in the Rigdon and Kobal families. He is pre-deceased by his beloved sisters Helen Spivey and de-facto family matriarch, Mary Dimples Freeman.
In lieu of flowers and cards, memorial donations may be made in his name to David M. Hunt Library, 63 Main Street, Falls Village 06031 or at huntlibrary.org.
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Patrick Mahoney
Millerton News
Aug 18, 2026
SHARON — Patrick Mahoney, a beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully on Aug. 1, 2026, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Born on July 31, 1957, in Sharon, Connecticut, Pat was the cherished son of the late William and Mary Mahoney.
Pat’s journey through life was marked by his passion for craftsmanship and the joy he found in working with his hands. A proud graduate of Oliver Wolcott Technical High School, he honed his skills in carpentry, a trade that became not just his career but his calling. Pat’s work ranged from constructing custom cabinets and doors to building complete houses, each project infused with his dedication and precision. Later in life, he brought his meticulous nature and talent to an auto body shop, where he continued to create and restore with the same fervor he had for woodworking.
Pat was a man of many interests, but his heart truly belonged to classic cars. An enthusiast through and through, he poured countless hours into restoring a 1935 Dodge hot rod and later, his pride and joy, a 1957 Ford Custom 300, which he lovingly brought to perfection shortly before his passing. His passion for cars was matched only by his love for animals, and he was known to rescue and care for any creature in need.
Those who had the privilege of knowing Pat will remember him for his kindness, his infectious sense of humor, and his unwavering love for his family. He shared a beautiful life with his wife, Kim Mahoney, who remained his steadfast partner through every high and low. Pat was a devoted father to his daughter, Erin Mahoney, whose happiness was always his highest priority. He also leaves behind his brother, Michael Mahoney, with whom he shared many memories and adventures.
In the hearts of his family and friends, Pat will forever be remembered for his gentle spirit and the warmth he brought to every room he entered. His legacy is one of love, laughter, and an enduring commitment to those he held dear.
A private funeral ceremony was held to honor Pat’s life, in accordance with the family’s wishes. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Pat’s memory are invited to make a donation to a charity of their choice, reflecting his generous spirit and his wish to make the world a better place.
Though Pat has left this world, his spirit endures in the lives he touched and the memories he created. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him.
A celebration of Pat’s life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home 118 Main St. Canaan, CT 06018.
Keep ReadingShow less
Celebration of Life - Pieter A. Van Why
Millerton News
Aug 18, 2026
Family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life honoring Pieter A. Van Why, who passed away on April 11, 2026.
The celebration will be held Saturday, August 22, from 1 to evening at Norbrook Farms Brewery, 204 Stillman Hill Road, Colebrook, CT.
This will be an informal gathering to remember Pieter the way he would have wanted – with good friends, laughter and plenty of memories.
Please stop by and help us celebrate a life that meant so much to so many.
Keep ReadingShow less
Let's hear it — August 20, 2026
Millerton News
Aug 18, 2026
This Week
As grocery prices continue to affect household budgets, shoppers are finding different ways to make their money go further. Some may be turning to farmers markets, local farms and Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), while others are sticking with familiar grocery stores, buying in bulk or choosing more affordable options.
Have rising prices changed the way you shop for food?
Send your responses to social@lakevillejournal.com by Monday, Aug. 24 10 a.m. or comment on Facebook or Instagram.
We’ll publish a selection in next week’s paper.
Last Week
Do you support the expansion of cannabis businesses in the area? Should licenses be easier to obtain, or should there be stricter limits on where and how these businesses can operate?
“Any and all businesses should be easily approved and not hassled by the town as long as they are on the up and up. I’ve seen certain businesses targeted in certain towns for no legitimate reason and that is wrong.”
—Smallz Smallz
“I would never try to stop others from enjoying cannabis. And if someone wants to grow it and sell it, more power to them, isn’t this supposed to be a free, capitalist country? Throw some socialism in there by taxing sales and using the revenue for social services or education and what is there to complain about? All above board, legal, monitored, studied, enjoyed. A few anxiety attacks for sure but that is the worst of it honestly and those who don’t like it don’t need to use it just like anything.”
—Andres Vialpando, Millerton
“Ban beer, wine and booze or shut up.”
—Darrin Culver, Pine Plains
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
loading
