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

Earl Russell Ottey Jr.

SALISBURY— Earl Russell Ottey Jr. of North Falmouth, Mass., died July 19, 2010, ending a battle with cancer.

Known as Russ, he was born in Quincy, Ill., in 1932 to Mary (Miller) and Earl Russell Ottey  Sr., who were longtime residents of Noble Horizons.

After attending schools in the Lakeville area, Russ enlisted in the Air Force, where he served as a career flight engineer.

He was married to Joyce (Aakjar) of Sharon, who died in 1967 along with their son, Timothy.

Russ is survived by his son, Earl Russell Ottey III and his wife, Joyce, and their two children, Jeffrey and Tracy Ottey, all of Santa Clara, Calif.; his sister, Marcia Raushenbush of Cincinnati, Ohio; and his brother, Mark Ottey of Kalispell, Mont.; and many nieces and nephews.

His many friends will remember him not only as one who loved conversation with everyone he met, but for his dedication to preserving and enjoying the outdoors.

He was a Boy Scout leader and a founder of Troop 38 in North Falmouth; a former president of the Southeast Massachusetts Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club; a supporter of the Plymouth County Woodlands Trust, the Bourne Conservation Trust and the 300 Committee of Falmouth, as well as the Green Mountain Club and the Appalachian Conservancy.

He hiked the 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail, sailed his boat, Winter Dream, solo from Buzzards Bay to Florida, canoed rivers in New England and Canada, rafted in Nepal and hiked in Asia and the British Isles.

A celebration of his life was held Aug. 29 in Pocasset, Mass. Memorial donations in his honor may be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, PO Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-9988.

Lakeville Journal

Latest News

Oldtone brings roots music, dancing and community to Cool Whisper Farm

Oldtone brings roots music, dancing and community to Cool Whisper Farm

The Allum Ridge Boys & Ashlee at Oldtone Music Festival in 2025

Jim Wright

The Oldtone Music Festival returns Sept. 10 through 13, bringing musicians and audiences together for a four-day celebration of roots music at Cool Whisper Farm in Hillsdale.

Founded in 2015 as a one-day show in Wassaic, Oldtone moved the following year to the Schober family’s Cool Whisper Farm, where it grew into a three-stage camping festival. The festival ran annually until the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020. After limited attempts to bring it back in 2021 and 2022, organizers announced in early 2023 that the festival would end.

Keep ReadingShow less
concerts

“Come From Away,” a story of kindness at Sharon Playhouse

“Come From Away,” a story of kindness at Sharon Playhouse
“Come From Away” cast in rehearsal. (Back Row L to R): Jeffrey Konowitch, Meagan Lewis-Michelson, Max Bennett-Parker, Michael F. McGuirk, Tracy Liz Miller, Ricky Oliver, Cherish Love, Willie Marte (Front Row L to R) Cameron Sirian, Chelsie Nectow, Erin Lindsay Krom, Sophie Nassiri
Lynette Shy

Twenty-five years after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the Sharon Playhouse is staging a musical about what happened in the aftermath — and about an extraordinary act of kindness in a small Newfoundland town.

“Come From Away,” the Tony Award-winning musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, runs Sept. 11 through 27 and concludes the Playhouse’s 2026 MainStage season. Directed by Hunter Foster, with choreography by Krystyna Resavy and music direction by Eric Thomas Johnson, the production tells the true story of the thousands of airline passengers who suddenly found themselves stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, after U.S. airspace was closed following the terrorist attacks.

Keep ReadingShow less
performances

A local escape at Cornwall Bridge Coffee

A local escape at Cornwall Bridge Coffee

John Zeiser and Jane Carlen at their Diedrich IR-3 coffee roasting machine.

D.H. Callahn

In the shadows of the historic Cornwall Bridge, something tasty is brewing. It’s the morning pot that roaster John Zeiser is preparing for his wife, Jane Carlen. They’re the owners of Cornwall Bridge Coffee.

Upon first hearing the name, the covered bridge in West Cornwall might spring to mind, but that’s not actually the Cornwall Bridge. Hundreds of people drive over the Cornwall Bridge on Route 7 every day, but few know what lies beneath it. The top of the bridge is so featureless that casual drivers could miss the fact that they’re even driving on a bridge at all. But from the river, there’s a whole other scene. The underside of the bridge is quite remarkable, leading to its addition to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004

Keep ReadingShow less
business
google preferred source

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

A marriage of memoirs

A marriage of memoirs

Jack Sheedy’s two memoirs share characters, themes and places.

Provided

Can two books get married? Author Jack Sheedy wants to find out and on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. at Torrington Library, his memoirs “Sting of the Heat Bug” and “In My Father’s Tire Tracks” will be joined in a tongue-in-cheek wedding ceremony.

The evening will feature a humorous PowerPoint presentation, prerecorded vows, commentary and a Q&A, followed by a signing of both books, which will be available individually or as a discounted set.

Keep ReadingShow less
book talk

Curated finds at Half Shell Vintage

Curated finds at Half Shell Vintage

Pearl Elsbach, owner and proprietor of Half Shell Vintage in North Canaan.

Provided

Pearl Elsbach, owner and proprietor of Half Shell Vintage in North Canaan, has amassed a curated group of designer clothing, fine jewelry, housewares and timeless objects such as art and rare books. This store is hardly your usual antiques and vintage clothing store; it has a website featuring every item currently on offer, with price and description included. Customers can shop both online and in person at the storefront in North Canaan, Connecticut.

When asked where the store’s name came from, Elsbach explained, “I’ve always loved the famous birth of Venus painting by Botticelli, ‘Venus in the Half Shell,’ where Venus is pictured as the pearl, and I love the sea, so all together it’s a fun play on my name and the visuals that really speak to me.”

Keep ReadingShow less
business

A whole new R.S.V.P. in West Cornwall

A whole new R.S.V.P. in West Cornwall

Chef Bolivar Hilario outside R.S.V.P. in West Cornwall, Connecticut.

D.H. Callahan

Bolivar Hilario is a total food nerd. He’s obsessed with the possibilities of fresh ingredients and studies the ways different processes used by different cultures can result in totally different flavors. Now, as the new executive chef and owner of R.S.V.P. in West Cornwall, Connecticut, he’s planning to explore it all.

Since its beginnings, R.S.V.P. has been a popular spot for serious foodies. Modeled after a French dinner party experience, chef Guy Birster and co-owner Charles Cilona were a two-man operation of no-fuss dining. The menu was unpredictable and uncompromising, favoring flavor over the comforts of other fine-dining establishments of comparable caliber. A famous New York Times review headline read: “Regulars Say R.S.V.P. Does Everything Wrong Except for the Food.” The tables and chairs were mismatched; the room itself seemed almost cobbled together from disparate endeavors. The only thing that mattered was the food.

Keep ReadingShow less
restaurants
google preferred source

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