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Barbara Ann Murphy
Millerton News
Apr 29, 2026
AMENIA — Barbara Ann Murphy, 93, passed away peacefully, leaving behind a legacy of faith, devotion, and unwavering love for her family. Born on Jan. 5, 1933, in Poughkeepsie, New York, Barbara was the daughter of Wallace and Catherine Schaffer. She dedicated her early life to caring for others, graduating from St. Francis School of Nursing in Poughkeepsie and later earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Her calling to serve led her to the Army Nurse Corps, where she proudly served as a First Lieutenant during the Korean Conflict, stationed at Walter Reed Hospital. It was through her work as a nurse that Barbara’s life took a beautiful turn; she met her future husband, William E.P. Murphy, while caring for him as a patient at St. Francis Hospital. Their love story blossomed into a marriage that began on Sept. 20, 1958, and endured until his passing in 2000.
Barbara was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who built a life centered on faith, family, and service. After raising her children, she returned to nursing at the Wassaic Developmental Center, where she worked until her retirement in 1990. She also served her community as a member of the Amenia Fire Company, volunteering as an EMT and offering care and comfort to those in need. Service was not just her profession, it was a defining part of who she was. She spent over 50 years in Amenia, New York, a place she proudly called home before moving to Geer Village in Canaan, Connecticut in 2013.
A deeply devout Catholic, Barbara lived her faith daily. She was a dedicated member of Immaculate Conception Church in Amenia, faithfully attending daily Mass and serving as a lector. Her commitment to her faith extended beyond routine; it was a guiding force in her life, one she instilled in her children and grandchildren. Whether it meant finding a church in an airport during travels or sharing quiet moments of reflection, she ensured that faith remained at the center of family life.
Barbara found joy in life’s simple and meaningful pleasures. She was an avid traveler, exploring Europe and enjoying riverboat cruises with her beloved husband Bill. After his passing, she continued her adventures with her sisters-in-law, embracing the world with curiosity and gratitude. At home, she was rarely without a book in hand, a voracious reader who found comfort and joy in stories.
She will be remembered for her wisdom, her steady presence, and her ability to find joy in laughter, especially a good joke, often shared and passed along from others. Above all, she will be remembered for her deep love of family, her strength, and the values she lived by every day.
Barbara is survived by her children; Christopher Murphy (Tamara) of Clermont, Florida, Maureen Morley (Thomas) of Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania, Eileen Ehlers (Richard) of Olathe, Kansas, Leah Rost (Ernest) of Brick, New Jersey, and William Murphy, Jr. (Mary) of Amenia, New York. She also leaves behind her cherished grandchildren;Richard Ehlers, Jr., Elyse Colon, Hillary, Lauren and Kurt Bennett, William Rost, Abbey, Krista and Liam Murphy, and Owen and Connor Lynch, along with ten great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister in-law; Veronica Rosen and her husband Ron of Poughkeepsie, New York, and Sandra Murphy of Simpsonville, South Carolina, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband, William E.P. Murphy, her grandson, Gregory Rost in 2018, and her sister, Joan Post in 2017.
Barbara’s life was a testament to faith, service, and love, a life well-lived and deeply cherished by all who knew her.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 11a.m. on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at Immaculate Conception Church, 4 Lavelle Road, Amenia, NY. Burial followed at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Amenia, NY, with Standard Military Army Honors. Memorial contributions may be made to Immaculate Conception Church, 4 Lavelle Road, Amenia, NY 12501. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Barbara’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.comArrangements have been entrusted to Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
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Ronald W. Murphy Jr.
Millerton News
Apr 29, 2026
MILLERTON — Ronald W. Murphy Jr., passed away peacefully on April 25, 2026, at his home in North Carolina, with his family at his side, leaving behind a legacy of love, dedication, and strength. He was born April 3, 1960, to Ronald W. Sr. and Janet Murphy. Ron lived in Millerton, New York before recently moving to North Carolina to enjoy the warmer southern weather. He lived a life full of passion for his family and the simple joys that brought him happiness.
Ron is survived by his loving wife, Beth Polanis-Murphy, who remains at home; his children, Kelly Kilmer (Walter), John Murphy, Bobby Murphy (Danielle), and Betsy Toth (Steve); stepdaughter, Sara Murali; and his sister, Inez Tierney. He was a proud and cherished grandfather to Victoria, Dylan, Jemini, Eric, Ronan, Morgan, Alex, Gage, Mira, Amelia, Carter and great grandfather to Colton and Gunner.
Ron was predeceased by his first wife, Jane Murphy in 2012; his parents, Ronald Sr. and Janet Murphy and his granddaughter, Karlene Ann Golden.
Ron had a deep love for classic cars and motorcycles. Whether he was restoring, admiring, buying/selling or simply talking about them, they brought him great joy.He was also a lifetime member of the Millerton Volunteer Fire Department.
Ron was never shy about sharing his advice, had a one-of-a-kind sense of humor, a joke to tell, and a truly big-hearted nature. His presence will be deeply missed but forever cherished by all who knew him.
Honoring his wishes, services will be private, with a quiet graveside service for family at Irondale Cemetery in Millerton, New York. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation at 10286 Staples Mill Rd., Box 814 Glen Allen Virginia, 23060. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ron’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
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Letters to the Editor — Thursday, April 30
Millerton News
Apr 29, 2026
Omissions in ‘surging gas prices’ article
Last week’s front-page article, “Surging gas prices stretch local budgets,” was timely and certainly of interest to everyone. However, I noted two obvious omissions. One, there was no mention of local governments adjusting their budgets by reducing spending as most families must do when confronted by rising prices in the face of fixed incomes. When costs rise for essential commodities such as gasoline, the logical response is to temporarily cut back on spending for non-essential things like entertainment and eating out, or postponing major purchases. The economy is cyclical and the cost of gasoline fluctuates. It will not remain high forever. Budgets can always be readjusted when things return to what passes for normal — for families and local governments, alike.
Speaking of which, the present cost of gasoline has risen from approximately $3.00 a gallon a year ago to about $4.00 presently. This is due to our current conflict with Iran, something which began 47 years ago. The Iranian mullahs declared war on us but we never responded. Every president just kicked the can down the road, expecting a successor to deal with it. “It,” of course, was the threat of a nuclear attack as soon as they completed a weapon to use. They got closer and closer until President Trump moved preemptively to eliminate the threat. Geopolitics are complicated and things do not get resolved overnight. The rest of us need to practice patience.
I noted one more thing in the article. While the cost of a gallon of gasoline rose from $3.00 to its current $4.00 in the past year, nowhere in was it mentioned that the average weekly retail gasoline price hit an all-time high of $5.07 a gallon in 2022 when Joseph Biden was President. Most people seem to have selective amnesia.
Richard Kopec
Sharon
Medicaid critical for dementia testing
I think that almost everyone knows someone or some family that has been affected by — or is currently affected by — Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. There is some good news: medical science now knows of diet and other lifestyle changes that can help prevent or delay the onset of dementia.
There is FDA-approved biomarker testing that can inform people of dementia risks with a simple blood test. Biomarker testing is available for cancer risks as well. Early warnings of cancer can, of course, also help patients to fight this disease more effectively. As the old saying goes, “knowledge is power.”
Disappointingly, Governor Hochul has scaled back Medicaid coverage for these blood tests from her 2027 budget. I think that it is cruel and ultimately bad for our society as a whole not to provide Medicaid coverage for biomarker testing for those who are among the most vulnerable in our State.
I am hopeful that our representatives in the State Senate and State Assembly — Senator Hinchey and Assemblywoman Barrett — will use their influence to get Medicaid coverage for biomarker testing back in the 2027 budget.
Amy Rothstein
Pine Plains
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A ballroom, really?
Millerton News
Apr 29, 2026
Saturday’s shooting targeted an event designed to defend the First Amendment freedoms Donald Trump has spent years undermining — labeling the press as “the enemy of the people”. His takeaway? Washington needs a new ballroom. Sen. Lindsey Graham agreed, “It’s very difficult to have a bunch of important people in the same place unless it’s really, really secure.”
This from a president who, within hours of his inauguration, shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and has since ordered the rollback of background checks, defunded community safety programs, and made it easier to put weapons in dangerous hands.
So far this year, 69 children under 12 and 262 teenagers have been killed by gun violence — a number that grew since this was written. Firearms have been the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 19 every year since 2020.
One man with a gun disrupted a dinner. Hundreds of children are dead.
The president’s solution? Build himself a ballroom. Call it a bunker if it helps.
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Millerton’s Fire Company exemplifies long history of community volunteerism
Nathan Miller
Apr 29, 2026
An historic photograph from the Millerton News shows a blaze consuming the former Brown Cup Diner on Route 22 south of Millerton in the early 1970s. The Brown Cup Diner fire was one of a series of fires in the 1970s that received major coverage in local news outlets. The building was fully engulfed in flames, forcing fire crews to simply watch and wait until an appropriate time came to begin smothering the blaze.
Photo Courtesy North East Historical Society
MILLERTON — Millerton’s volunteer fire department has been battling blazes in the area for more than 130 years, charting a history of heroism in the village that began with a failed attempt to save a prominent hotel in 1891.
North East Fire District Commissioner Dave Vandebogart, who serves as the fire company’s historian, is himself a third-generation member of the Millerton Fire Company. He said Millerton’s rapid growth after the arrival of the railroad spurred the need for an organized fire department.
At the time, building codes didn’t exist and materials were much more flammable. Densely populated communities like the newly-formed Millerton could face devastation if a fire broke out and spread through the community.
That fear materialized in January 1891, Vandebogart said, when the Millerton Hotel near the intersection of John Street and Center Street caught fire. Village residents banded together with buckets to try to douse the flames, but the effort wasn’t enough to save the building. The incident highlighted a need for an organized fire company with proper firefighting equipment.
Calls for a fire department grew over the course of 1891, strengthening support for a common water works system for the village that would be necessary for a proper municipal firefighting force.
The fire company officially formed in January 1892, after village trustees met at the Millerton National Bank and voted to create a local fire company. Trustees later elected to name the company the E.H. Thompson Hose Company in honor of the bank’s president, who provided the venue for the trustees’ early meetings.
The newly-formed hose company soon purchased a horse-drawn hose cart, complete with a 500-foot hose, wrenches and 28 pails for carrying water. An additional horse driven cart carried nine ladders.
In the 1890s, only Fire Chief Mintline Morgan and his Assistant Chief wore helmets or uniforms. Regular company members wouldn’t get their own hats and uniforms until 1901.
The fire company’s first official home was a building that still stands at the corner of Dutchess Avenue and Century Boulevard in Millerton, neighboring the building that houses EcoBuilders and Moore & Moore Printing. That building was built in 1902 and named the E.H. Thompson Fire House to further honor the Millerton National Bank’s president.
Firefighters would continue to battle blazes with the horse-drawn hose cart for another 20 years until the company purchased the Brockway fire engine in 1922. The truck, described as a “chemical apparatus” in a 2017 recounting of the fire company’s history written by Vandebogart, was used for 25 years and then sold in 1948 for $100.
The 1920s were a time of change for the fire company. Company leaders and village officials voted to drop E.H. Thompson’s name in favor of the modern “Millerton Fire Company” moniker in 1924, to reflect the company’s presence in Millerton and recent access to modern firefighting technology like motorized trucks and pumps.
Millerton’s fire department slowly grew, expanding its equipment collection until a new firehouse was necessary and constructed in 1962. That building on Century Boulevard still serves as the company’s main firehouse today and is currently undergoing renovations to its exterior.
Firefighters have had to man the firehouse 24/7 on multiple occasions during the village’s history — including in 1969 when a massive snowstorm shut down Route 22 for two days and two nights.
People crowded local churches and the firehouse for a warm place to stay as the snowstorm stranded travelers and forced some locals out of their homes. Everyone was stuck until large snow blowers arrived from Poughkeepsie to clear Route 22.
That snowstorm is just one of the many catastrophes that Millerton firefighters have responded to. Vandebogart described a fire at Suburban Propane in 1965 that set a record for the largest response to a fire in Dutchess County History.
“That was three days and three nights,” Vandebogart said. He said the fire started when a propane tanker truck’s brakes failed, causing it to roll into a storage tank at the Millerton propane facility and explode.
Firefighters responded to the explosion quickly, dousing nearby propane tanks with water to keep temperatures down and prevent further explosions while simultaneously dousing active flames.
“I was five years old at the time,” Vandebogart said. “I remember looking out the back door at one of the explosions that had just taken place.”
That record stood until Jan. 1, 1996, when a fire at Polytech Corporation in Dover, New York, triggered a larger response.
Over the past 34 years, the fire company has expanded to a brand new garage across Century Boulevard from the current firehouse.
But Vandebogart said the fire company faces more profound challenges than just fighting fires. Changing demographics in the area and increased training standards have created challenges for the volunteer organization.
“Everything is modeled for career,” Vandebogart said, highlighting a shift over recent decades toward professional emergency medical services and firefighters nationwide. As that shift has occurred, safety standards and training requirements have risen across the board, placing a larger burden on volunteers.
“When I started in 1986 we had the ‘Essentials of Firemanship,’” Vandebogart said. “It was 39 hours and you learned a lot.” Today, firefighters are required to complete more than 100 hours of training and education to qualify for service.
Another challenge is attracting new members. In 2017, the Millerton Fire Company ran a program known as “Explorers,” which allowed teenagers from 14 and up to participate in volunteer work at the firehouse.
But that program folded due to staffing issues, and the North East Fire District Board of Commissioners has proposed a policy limiting volunteer participation to those no younger than 16 at its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 21.
Vandebogart said rising cost of living in the region further exacerbates recruitment challenges. As costs increase, younger generations of Millertonians have become less likely to stay in the community to build a life.
“Membership kind of ebbs and flows,” Vandebogart said. “It is hard to keep young people around here.”
Looking toward the future, Vandebogart said the fire company hopes to avoid having to transition to professional firefighting for as long as possible.
“We’re just trying to keep it volunteer,” Vandebogart said.
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