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Gerald Wheeler

Gerald Wheeler

ANCRAMDALE — Gerald Wheeler, 88, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon. Mr. Wheeler worked for The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville. He retired as the Supervisor of Housekeeping following a 46-year career at Hotchkiss, where he was loved and respected by the faculty and the students.

Born July 21, 1936 in Sharon, he was the son of the late John Henry and Margaret (Hanley) Wheeler. He was a graduate of Webutuck High School in Amenia. On March 11, 1956, in Millerton, he married the love of his life, Augusta Lee Hoyt. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler shared over 59-years of marriage. Mrs. Wheeler passed away on Jan. 25, 2015.

Mr. Wheeler was an avid hunter and fisherman throughout his life. He enjoyed driving in the stock car races at Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, New York, and driving in the drag races at the Dover Drag Strip in Wingdale, New York for many years.

In his spare time, he liked gardening and tending to lawn work at home with his beloved wife. For several years he was a parishioner at St. Patrick’s Church in Millerton and was also affiliated with the Dutch Reform Church in Gallatin, New York.

Mr. Wheeler is survived by two sons, Richard Wheeler and his partner JeneferShute of Germantown, New York, and John Wheeler and his wife Dana of Millerton; five grandchildren, Kae, Sean, Timothy, Nicole and Adam; four great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews, and many friends. In addition to his parents and wife, Mr. Wheeler was predeceased by his son, Gerald Wheeler, and his grandson, Andrew Wheeler and three siblings.

Calling hours were held on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, New York, 12546. A funeral service took place on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial followed at Irondale Cemetery in Millerton. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Multiple Sclerosis Society or to ALS United of Greater New York. To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Mr. Wheeler’s memory please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com

Lakeville Journal

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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.

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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.

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I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
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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.”

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Filmmaker David Ruchman

Bleacher and Everard Photography

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Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.

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As the leaves across Litchfield and Dutchess counties rush to make it to the ground, your last chance to peep autumn is fast approaching. On Oct.17 and 18, the 10th annual Clay Way offers peepers a route to follow lined with unique art that rivals the area’s natural beauty.

The two-day event is a ceramics-focused open studio tour through northwestern Connecticut, with a few studios peppered in just over the border in Dutchess County. Featuring nine open studios and 25 participating artists, the tour promises a wide variety of work, from decorative objects to grand vessels and a whole world in between.

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CAMERON (1922-1995) is on view at Kent Fine Art in Pine Plains through Nov. 14.

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Where can one find the work of an artist associated with occult rituals, surrealist visions and the underground California art scene? In a beautifully renovated former carriage house in Pine Plains, of course.

Unexpected discoveries are, after all, part of what Doug Walla has spent his career making possible. The longtime New York City art dealer and founder of Kent Fine Art, has brought the work of Marjorie Cameron Parsons Kimmel, known simply as Cameron, to his new gallery space. The exhibition, on view through Nov. 14, introduces visitors to an artist whose life and work moved between mysticism, poetry, film and the avant-garde.

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