Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Norman Reich

Norman Reich

SALISBURY — Norman Reich, 93, passed away on Feb. 10, 2025, at his beloved home on Twin Lakes in Salisbury. He was the loving husband of Beverly Reich for 62 years, and she remained by his side, fiercely guarding his comfort and dignity, until the end.

Born July 25, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York, Norman was the son of Elsie and Harry Reich. He was deeply proud of having been Sports Editor of the Tulane University Hullabaloo and having served as a dental officer in the U.S. Navy after attending New York University Dental School. He often expressed his gratitude for those who protected our country in battle, and he knew that he was lucky to have seen only angry seas instead of war.

Norman married Beverly after a courtship in New York, where he would practice dentistry for 40 years, and at his family’s Berkshire Hills Camp (BHC) in Salisbury. The young couple (with 3 children in tow) took over running the camp in 1971. BHC was a revered institution, and former campers continue to visit its lakeside property where the Reichs made their home in its restored gymnasium.

Prior to their move to Northwest Connecticut, the Reichs raised their children in Scarsdale, New York. There, Norman took up his most revered pastime: running. “Stormin Norman” completed 6 marathons in New York, Boston, and Washington D.C., rounding off his merits by walking the New York Marathon for his 80th birthday as a fundraiser for Team for Kids.

A board member of the Northwest Center for Family Services and the 21st Century Fund for Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Norman believed in serving his community and in giving back.

He was generous and kind, and his genuine smile, animated stories, and goofy sense of humor lit up a room. Norman was never happier than when surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by Beverly and their three children, Randall, Joseph, and Donald; three children-in-law, Peter, Erica, and Frankie; three grandchildren, Paulina, Fia, and Dylan; and his younger sister, Joan. He was predeceased by his older sister, Barbara. He is also remembered by countless family members and friends who he touched through his shining amiable spirit.

The family will hold an intimate celebration of Norman’s life in the spring when a tree will be planted in his honor and a bugle will blow taps, a nod to both the military and BHC. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in hopes that a cure will come soon for this heartbreaking illness which impacted Norman.

The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.

Latest News

State denies Shepherd's Run solar farm

New York State's Office of Renewable Energy Siting denied an application from Chicago-based Hecate Energy LLC that would have resulted in a 42-megawatt solar farm across 700 acres in Craryville, a hamlet in the Town of Copake.

Photo by Nathan Miller

COPAKE — New York State denied Hecate Energy LLC’s application for a more than 700-acre solar project, pointing to two factors: floodplain and community protection issues, and identification of and protection of wetland resources in this rural hamlet.

Jason Zehr, interim executive director of the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission, issued the decision on Wednesday, Oct. 14, five days before the clock was to run out for the state to approve or deny the Chicago-based company’s application.

Keep ReadingShow less

Lelah M. Somers

Lelah M. Somers

DOVER PLAINS — Lelah M. Somers, 97, a longtime Dover Plains, New York, resident, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Ferncliff Nursing Home in Rhinebeck, New York. Lelah was born on July 3, 1929, in Pawling, New York, to the late Byron and Lelah (Watts) Brill. Lelah grew up in Pawling and on Nov. 22, 1946, in Pleasant Valley, New York, she married James F. Somers, Sr. Mr. Somers passed away on Sept. 3, 1970. Lelah worked for New York State as a therapy aide for thirty-years and as a senior companion for New York State for thirty-two-years, with specific care provided to the mentally disabled.

She enjoyed taking care of the mentally disabled, was a wonderful mother to her four children, always putting her family first. She is survived by her son, James F. Somers, Jr. and his wife Donna of Dover Plains; two daughters, Doreen Monica of Wingdale, and Frances “Fran” Horton of Dover Plains, who was also her caregiver for many years; seven grandchildren, Debbie, Margie, Leah, Stephanie, Deirdra, Benji and Jimmy and several great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews, and her step-son, Kenny Elliott. In addition to her parents and husband, Lelah was predeceased by her daughter and son-in-law, Carol “DeeDee” Maile and Gil Maile, her son-in-law, Stephen Monica, and her son-in-law, Benny Horton as well as her companion of over forty-years, Andrew “Mac” McAlravey and her siblings, Ferris Brill, Eleanor Barryann, Richard Brill, William Brill and Barney Brill.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

The art of getting into art school

The art of getting into art school

Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day returns to Poughkeepsie.

Provided

For a young artist considering college, the question isn’t simply whether the work is good enough. It’s which work to show, which school might be the right fit and even whether a creative life can lead to a sustainable career.

On Friday, Oct. 16, hundreds of aspiring artists will have the opportunity to explore those questions at Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day, presented by The Art Effect at the MJN Convention Center in Poughkeepsie.

Keep ReadingShow less
A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.

L. Tomaino
I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
— Justine Valla

Husband and wife Victor and Justine Valla share a lavender and pink studio, Atelier Valla, across the driveway from their pink house, nestled into a hillside in Salisbury. The colors, said Justine, “were inspired by Monet’s house at Giverny.”

Creating art has been a lifelong pursuit for both.

Keep ReadingShow less
David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

Filmmaker David Ruchman

Bleacher and Everard Photography

In a region known for its vibrant but geographically scattered arts community, discovering something new can require a little effort. The same might be said for finding a new place for an extraordinary meal. While the Northwest Corner, Berkshires and Hudson Valley have no shortage of creative talent, opportunities to experience it — whether on a stage, in a gallery or on a plate — aren’t always just around the corner.

In David Ruchman’s short film “Acquired Taste,” that challenge becomes the premise for an unlikely friendship between Nick, an aspiring young food critic living in an area with limited dining options, and a gruff New York City master chef.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.