‘Living Millbrook’ co-founder Rona Boyer remembered

‘Living Millbrook’ co-founder Rona Boyer remembered
Rona Boyer, relaxing on her back deck at home, when she was interviewed for The Lakeville Journal Company’s 2017 special supplement Towns and Villages. 
Photo by Judith O’Hara Balfe

MILLBROOK — Rona Boyer, 74, passed away on Friday, Nov. 27, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie from lung and kidney issues.  She had lived in the village of Millbrook for the past 10 years.

Boyer moved to the village in 2010, a stranger. But in the years that she made Millbrook home, she had become a vital part of the community. She helped out with the annual Millbrook Literary Festival, as a member of its standing committee. Boyer was also involved with the Millbrook Rotary Club, joining in 2011 and becoming its president at one point, as well as becoming the president of the Millbrook Business Association (MBA). Both institutions help support the community and its businesses. Boyer’s business know-how was invaluable to the two groups. 

Boyer was born Rona Pashkin in The Bronx on May 31, 1946; she later moved  to Mount Vernon, where she graduated high school. She earned a college degree from SUNY Albany and received certificates from the International Marketing Institute at Harvard University and studied top management in business at Chicago University.

After graduation she worked for McCann-Erikson for 20 years. Requesting a transfer to Europe, she spent two years in Helsinki, Finland. Later, she worked in Portugal, then Italy, as creative director for McCann-Erickson. Boyer then moved to Paris, France, working for L’Oreal, where she learned to speak French; the job took her all over the world. While in Paris, she met and married Gerard Boyer; they had two daughters.

In 1993, she contracted malaria while on a trip to Africa; she became seriously ill and upon recovering decided that she wanted to return to America. Her husband agreed, and the family moved to Los Angeles, Calif. Her husband worked for a French wine company; she worked in advertising. When the wine company was sold, her husband was offered a job managing Beaverbrook Farm, an estate in Millbrook belonging to Frederick Fekkal. 

Upon arriving in Millbrook, Boyer made it her business to get involved in local activities. She began writing for The Millbrook Independent, a small local newspaper; she became its food editor and advertising director. The Boyers also opened their own consulting firm. When her husband died in 2015, at about the same time that The Millbrook Independent stopped publishing, Boyer had to reinvent herself — again.

Boyer became the market manager and publisher, as well as the recruiter, for Best Version Media Magazine. She created, along with Carola Lott, “Living Millbrook” and “Living Rhinebeck,” two  high-end super-local magazines that feature stories about businesses and people in those communities. They were a testimony to her expertise in both the business and publishing worlds. 

In her private time, Boyer stayed busy playing cards, mah jong and backgammon with her many friends. She was also an accomplished cook; the magazines featured many of her favorite recipes.

Boyer was a die-hard Democrat and a passionate debater who loved to discuss history and religion.

This Millbrook transplant leaves behind daughters Jennifer Boyer Volturno and Samantha Boyer, along with three grandchildren whom she dearly loved.

A small group of close friends will gather at a service on Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Allen Funeral Home in Millbrook at 2 p.m. 

The family has asked anyone who wants to make a donation in Boyer’s name to send it in support of the Democratic Party by going to www.ActBlu.com.

Latest News

Amenia board honors employees for service

Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.

Leila Hawken

AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.

“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.

Keep ReadingShow less
Historic marker dedicated at Amenia Union Cemetery

In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.

Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.

A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton Street Fair celebration June 28

Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.

Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millbrook Historical Society announces summer Quaker lecture series

The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.

Photo by Leila Hawken

MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.

For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.

Keep ReadingShow less