Annette Cloney


SHARON — Annette Cloney, age 85, of Herrick Road, passed away Feb. 3, 2024, peacefully in her home with her beloved dog Nike by her side. She was a devoted mother, something she cherished and excelled at, and the patient wife of the late Gerard Cloney.
Annette was born Nov. 29, 1938, in Hamilton, Bermuda, the daughter of the late Helene and William Frith. It was on this beautiful island where she developed her deep love of good friends, laughter, and horses.
Annette was a proud alumna of Hannah More Academy (now St. Tomothy’s School), Centenary College for Women, and the Sorbonne in Paris. She worked for the Coral Beach Club and Bermuda Tourism Office in New York. In 1970, she persuaded Gerry to trade the city life, which was no place to raise a growing family, for the country. There they spent the next 20 years living and loving at Highfield Farm in Sharon. Here she pursued her true passions with vigor: gardening, riding horses, and entertaining family and friends. Annette was a people magnet and had an open invite at the table during the holidays for anyone who didn’t have a place to go. She loved to celebrate and always seemed to find an excuse to gather people together.
Annette was a study in contrasts. She despised being the center of attention, but she loved having people around her. She rarely talked about herself but loved hearing stories. And she loved to laugh. But she was most comfortable when she was helping others. She loved her NW Corner Community dearly and gave back to her community by volunteering for the Sharon Hospital, Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association (SVNA), and Hospice, and in countless unseen ways.
She is survived by her sons, Chris and Jean-Marc, daughter, Janine and seven grandchildren: Andrew, Nicholas, Griffin, Annabel, Alexander, Nico, and Jamie.
A memorial service will be held at Kenny Funeral Home on Friday, Feb. 9 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. All other services are private.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association (SVNA).
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.