Irondale Schoolhouse to ring bell on opening day May 24
Ralph Fedele with Mary Leitch, 103, who attended the one-room Irondale Schoolhouse until it closed and she moved on to Millerton High School.
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MILLBROOK — Millbrook Beef and Dairy, located at 1348 Shunpike — at the intersection of the Shunpike and U.S. Route 44 — is the latest venture for Keegan and Brian Donovan, farmers blending traditional agricultural values with a modern emphasis on the importance of local food and community connection.
Between production at their two farms in Verbank and Millbrook and their Millbrook retail location, the Donovans aim to offer a more transparent, higher quality alternative to the existing system of food distribution, Keegan said.
It has been common agricultural practice for products to travel large distances between the farms where they originate and the stores where they are sold. While this may make sense for specialized foods which only grow in certain climates, meat and dairy products — many of which are produced close to where they are sold — often get caught along for the ride unnecessarily, Keegan said.
“The supply chain disruptions during COVID were really the first time most people realized how complicated it was to get different types of food items from A to B,” Keegan said. Inspired to offer an alternative to the existing system, the Donovans expanded beyond their Verbank farm to additional agricultural and retail space at their location off the Shunpike.
The Donovans sell dairy products through Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy, a cooperation between 11 dairy farms in the region that share the Donovans’ goal of farming produce to be sold locally.
“The average gallon of milk travels 1,500 miles from the farm before somebody buys it,” Keegan said. “Our Hudson Valley Fresh milk comes from cows on the farm here, goes to Kingston to be bottled, and then comes back to be sold right here” — a journey of only about 60 miles.
Selling the products they produce has allowed the Donovans to learn more about the community they help to feed. “If we were just putting milk on a truck, I wouldn’t know where it was going — it could be shipped to the middle of the country to be turned into baby formula powder … who knows,” Keegan said. “This way, I feel a lot more connected to the work.”
The Donovans hope to restore the popularity of farm goods from the immediate area as an alternative to the familiar products of national brands — produce Brian referred to as “hyperlocal,” narrowing the disconnect between producer and consumer.
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SHARON — Marion J. (Cookingham) Pedersen of Sharon, Connecticut, passed peacefully on May 20, 2025, at the age of 91, and her loving husband of almost 75 years, Niels (Pete) Pedersen Sr. of Sharon, Connecticutpassed away peacefully on June 27, 2025, at the age of 94.
Calling hours for both will be held on Saturday, Aug. 23 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at The Kenny Funeral Home, 41 Main St., Sharon, CT.Burials will be private.
Memorial contributions may be made to the donors choice.
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Edith L. Gaskin
Aug 20, 2025
LAKEVILLE — Edith L. Gaskin passed away peacefully on Aug. 18, 2025, at her home in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, at the age of 101. She was a longtime Lakeville/Salisbury resident until recently when she moved to Cape Cod to be closer to her daughter, 3 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Edith and her late husband Don moved to Lakeville in 1969 and she contributed to the community in innumerable ways, including as co-proprietor of the Unicorn Bookshop, positions with the Sharon Creative Arts Foundation (SCAF), in the business office and the library at Salisbury School, and as a classroom volunteer at Salisbury Central School.
Edith was born in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Aug. 5, 1924. She graduated from the New Jersey College for Women and did graduate work in Spanish literature at the University of Mexico in Mexico City. She later served on the Board of Education in Little Falls, New Jersey for five years, the first and only woman on the nine-person panel. She was also instrumental in getting a new library built in Little Falls, New Jersey. Edith was an avid reader and was a frequent visitor to the Scoville Library, but her happiest moments were spent with her family.
Edith is survived by her two daughters, Carol Gaskin and her husband Nick of Sarasota, Florida, and Debra Fails and her husband Robert of Mashpee, Massachusetts, three grandchildren, Sarah Jardine and her husband Andrew, Seth Fails and his wife Emily, and Mattie Menassa and her husband Joe and five great-grandchildren, Amelia and Eloise Jardine and Bodhi, Milo and Wyatt Fails.
Memorial contributions in Edith’s name, may be sent to the Save the Children organization or to The Native American Women’s College Fund.
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Maureen Louise Grannan
Aug 20, 2025
CANAAN — Maureen Louise Grannan, of Newton, Massachusetts, passed away Aug. 2 after a short battle with leukemia. She was 75.
Maureen was a strong, independent, wonderful and compassionate person, who brightened many lives. Maureen was raised in Canaan, Connecticut, often returning with family to explore the beautiful countryside. She instilled strong values, skills and a work ethic in her children but never forgot to have fun. She loved family vacations to Maine to visit her dear friends, reading, cookouts and cooking.
Maureen’s love extended to her beloved dogs Sophie, Mollie, Murphy and her cat Coco. She loved taking the dogs to Duxbury Beach, watching them run free and stopping for pupcups on the way home. One of her favorite pleasures was exploring beaches for the perfect shell and sea glass. In her final years her proudest moment was becoming a grandmother to her “Lovey.”
Maureen always put others’ needs ahead of her own, whether it be family, work or her animals. She enjoyed her studies at the Boston University nursing school, graduating in 1973. She loved being an oncology nurse manager. During her career, Maureen collaborated with colleagues to support and treat her patients she cared deeply about. She worked diligently to improve the care of cancer patients. She began her career at MDI Hospital in Bar Harbor, Maine. She later worked at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont, Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts and Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston among other hospitals. During her time at NWH, she completed her Masters Degree at the UMass Chan Medical School. She ended her career as the Executive Director of Newton at Home, a non-profit that helps keep seniors in their homes.
Maureen was born May 25, 1950, at Sibley Hospital in Washington D.C. Maureen is survived by her husband, Charles Doll Jr. of Newton, son, Ryan Grannan-Doll of Newton, daughter, Kelsey Grannan-Doll, her daughter-in-law, Sara Weinstock and her granddaughter, Tegan “Lovey” Grannan-Doll of Maynard; her brother, Bruce Grannan and sister-in-law, Melinda Matzell of Ithaca, New York, mother, Elizabeth Grannan of Salisbury, Connecticut, and sister-in-law, Linda Black of DeWitt, New York. She is also survived by her lifetime friend, Mary Stinchfield of Bridgton, Maine.
Maureen is predeceased by her father, Walter Ross Grannan Jr., her mother-in-law, Ruth Doll, her father-in-law, Charles Doll Sr., and her brother-in-law, Steve Black.
In her honor, you may donate to the American Cancer Society, or Newton at Home.
To Donate: Newton at Home, 206 Waltham Street, West Newton, Mass, 02465
Website: www.newtonathome.org
A celebration of her life will be held in the fall.
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