The year ended with real estate sales continuing to boom in Litchfield County.
Real estate agents had their hands full, beginning in spring, with city residents urgently seeking to buy or rent properties up here, hoping to protect themselves and their families from the spread of COVID-19.
Somehow it all worked out, with sellers saying they were nervous about strangers coming to tour their for-sale properties — and with a notably high number of buyers agreeing to purchase properties that they had never seen in person.
Market statistics shared by William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty showed that even in November, when it seemed like there was nothing left to sell in the Northwest Corner, sales were up 71% over the previous year (with 171 single-family home sales).
In 2020 overall, sales were up 47% over 2019 in all towns except North Canaan.
Obeying the laws of supply and demand, the prices of houses also increased, by an estimate 32% over 2019. In a 19 town section of Litchfield County, the sale of houses in the $2 to $4 million price range tripled, with 36 sales in 2020. Sales in the 19 towns in the “over $1 million range” increased by a 174%. In November alone there were 19 sales of “million dollar” homes, triple what was sold in the same month in 2019.
The sudden surge in newcomers of course had an impact on life in the Northwest Corner.
One change that was commented on by longtime residents: The combination of COVID-19 and the new residents led to a vast increase in the number of people taking daily walks along main roads and back roads. Much to the chagrin of drivers, many of the pedestrians wore dark clothing and often walked close to the center of the road; duos and trios would often spread out across the roadway, walking side by side, even around blind curves.
A positive of the influx of newcomers was increased income for several local businesses. Some restaurants did very well this year despite COVID-19, with outdoor dining and take-out orders. And area grocery stores reported that they saw a dramatic increase in sales. Although stores became more crowded, on average, it was nice to see the businesses doing well — two stores were even able to invest in new cold cases for meats, vegetables and frozen food.
For an article on how the real estate surge impacted the region’s schools, see the story on Page A1.
Lakeville Journal
WEST CORNWALL — Jeff Rosati, 72, of West Cornwall, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on August 11, 2026.
Born in New Milford on January 18, 1954, Jeff was the devoted son of the late Kathren Valtrum.
After graduating from New Milford High School, he began his career with Eversource as a meter reader, dedicatedly serving the company for 42 years before retiring in 2014 as Chief Garage Mechanic.
In 1979, during a chance meeting while getting a haircut, Jeff met the love of his life, Bernetta (Marshall). Their love story was one for the record books, sharing a deeply devoted marriage of 45 years.
In 1983, Jeff and Bernetta found their forever home in Cornwall, building a life centered on hard work and quiet kindness.
In his retirement, “Little Jeffy” was happiest being outdoors or in his barn. He loved tinkering on projects, tending to his garden, and caring for his hummingbirds. A treasured friend who was always willing to lend a helping hand, he could often be found happily mowing the lawn or pulled over roadside on his beloved John Deere tractor catching up with neighbors.
Jeff will be profoundly missed by his loving wife, Bernetta; the Marshall family of Crane, Texas; and countless friends across Cornwall who held him dear.
A Graveside Service will be held at North Cornwall Cemetery, Rattlesnake Rd., West Cornwall, CT on Thursday August 20 at 11:00 a.m.
Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Lakeville Journal
AMENIA — William (Bill) O’Connell died peacefully surrounded by family at Sharon Hospital on Aug. 12, 2026, due to complications of cancer. Bill was born into a large Irish Catholic family in Bay Shore, New York, on March 3, 1964. After Bill completed kindergarten, the family moved upstate, settling on Depot Hill in Amenia, New York, where he was a lifelong resident. He attended Catholic School at Immaculate Conception, transferring to Webutuck Middle School in the sixth grade. He graduated from Webutuck High School in 1982.
As a child he was an avid (obsessed) fisherman, asking for a new fishing pole every year for his birthday. He was given permission to skip school every opening day of fishing season. He cherished fond memories of growing up as a “Depot Hill Gang” member. He enjoyed playing soccer, basketball, and baseball throughout high school. While hitchhiking home from his job as a lifeguard at the Millerton Town Pool, good looks and charm got him discovered. First as a print model, then as an actor in eleven television commercials and as an extra in a couple of movies. Anyone who knew him at that time was fair game for a ride to the train station or directly into the city for the many auditions he went to. He was a painter by trade, working in partnership with his brother Michael, at O’Connell Painting for many years serving the tri-state area. Bill was adventurous, loved to travel, and spent several months on a walk-a-bout through Australia and New Zealand. Bill was always up for a concert, a Giants game, or picking the freshest berries on the way to a cool fishing spot. He was well known locally at many recreational leagues for indoor soccer, darts, pool, cards, and golf. He was quite a competitor at everything he enjoyed. Bill and Michael organized the annual O’Connell Paint Can Open for many years, with loyal enthusiasts flying in to attend year after year. In the latter years, complications from multiple ailments made his life increasingly difficult, dulling his natural shine. The bright spot of that time was how patient and attentive he was while caring for his mother, Frankie. Being present in her daily life so she could remain at home. This obituary was lovingly composed by his siblings, who loved him dearly.
Bill was predeceased by his parents, John & Evelyn O’Connell, and is survived by his three siblings; Karen Grimaldi (Mark) of Salisbury, Connecticut, Michael O’Connell of Florida, and Kathleen Lacko of Casper, Wyoming; two nieces and three nephews, Connor Washburn (Hannah), Mickaela Grimaldi, Liam Girmaldi, Kenny Lacko, and Marykate Lacko, dozens of cousins, and countless friends who will miss him tremendously.
A graveside service and burial will take place on Thursday, Aug., 20, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Amenia, New York. Rev. Andrew O’Connor will officiate. A reception in Bill’s honor will follow at the Amenia Steakhouse. Memorial contributions may be made to the Amenia Fire Company & Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 166, Amenia, NY 12501. To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Bill’s memory please visit www.conklinfuneral.com Arrangements have been entrusted to Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
Lakeville Journal
MILLBROOK — Joyce Gertrude (Kirstein) Cassetta of Millbrook, 96, passed away peacefully on Monday, Aug. 10 at Maplewood. Joyce was born Sept. 15, 1930, in Ossining New York to Ethel (Travis) and Franz Kirstein. She was the second eldest of 6 children, and the only member of her family to graduate high school. Joyce married Michael A. Cassetta (deceased) of Tarrytown in 1950. Joyce and Mike built their first home in East Irvington where they raised their family. Joyce was an outstanding cook, avid gardener, enjoyed curling and ice skating. Joyce also served over 50 years in the Eastern Star. She is survived by 3 of her 4 children, 3 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. She has one surviving sister, Shirley. Our deepest gratitude to those who cared for her, especially her son Mark. Joyce will be laid to rest at Hillside Cemetery.
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Lakeville Journal
Lakeville Journal
FALLS VILLAGE — Charles Ray Rigdon, 69, of Falls Village, Connecticut, died unexpectedly of heart failure on the evening of Aug. 13 at home. He was the loving partner and husband of Garth Parsons Kobal for 43 years.
Ray was born in Alma, Georgia, Bacon County in 1957 to Elzie Dillard Rigdon and Ruby Mae Lee. Elzie (b. 1894) was a Great War veteran serving in the famous “All-American” 82nd Division of the 328th Infantry, the same as war hero Alvin York. Elzie was present at the conflict-ending battle of the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918 and sustained a shrapnel injury on Oct. 7, a critical day in the campaign that led to York’s famous capture of 132 enemy troops on Oct. 8. The war ended on armistice day, Nov. 11, 1918. Elzie remained in a hospital in France and was released in May 1919 after healing from his wounds. Elzie was 64 when Ray was born.
Ray’s family moved to Jacksonville, Florida where some of his siblings still live today. He attended Robert E. Lee High School, now renamed Riverside High School. Jacksonville was a major stopping point for the major 70s rock groups and Ray, most often barefoot, saw them all, developing lifetime passions for David Bowie, Alice Cooper, and Joni Mitchell.
Ray moved north to Connecticut in 1976 during the Bicentennial to work for Edward R. Hamilton, Bookseller in Danbury. He was the company’s first employee and served for many years as a book buyer and copywriter.
Ray, 26, met his future husband, Garth Kobal, 18, in the spring of 1983 at a gay bar in North Salem, New York. Garth had just graduated from Bethel High School. They moved in together late that summer.
In 1984, Hamilton relocated from Danbury to Falls Village. Ray asked Garth to join him and the couple took up home at the village’s railway depot, historically the station master’s quarters.
Curious to learn more about the bookselling business, the couple moved to New York City in the fall of 1987 residing in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Jersey City until 2006. Initially working for a book wholesaler on Madison Avenue, Ray co-founded a gay and lesbian book wholesale company with Garth located in an artist’s live/workspace building in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Successful for a couple of years, the couple decided they didn’t really care for running a business and relocated back to Manhattan where Ray worked for book importer, Books Britain, while Garth was hired back by Hamilton to expand the company’s relations with publishers.
The couple celebrated their 20th anniversary with a wedding at Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City in 2003 with the Reverand Janet Broderick Kraft officiating. The couple returned to Falls Village in 2006 with Ray joining the copywriting team at Hamilton. Ray and Garth finally achieved their dream of legal marriage on the first day that Connecticut allowed same-sex unions, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008. Their marriage license was certified by Town Clerk Mary Palmer in Falls Village and they were married steps away from town hall by Justice of the Peace Denny Jacobs in front of Jacob’s Garage.
Ray retired a few years later. After surviving liver failure in 2016, Ray devoted himself to his husband’s health culminating in Garth’s successful kidney transplant in 2023.
Born in 1957, Ray was a Sputnik baby, a part of the first TV generation. He preferred having the TV on all the time, even if it was turned down while he listened to music. In his final years, Ray was limited in his mobility due to COPD. Even so, he continued to pursue the things that he loved most – cooking, music, reading, crossword puzzles and politics – adding a late-life passion for soccer. His favorite football clubs were Liverpool and Manchester United. In the last several years, if a match was on then Ray was watching it, sometimes several at once.
Ray was a stoic. He never let on about how he felt physically and never sat in judgement of anyone he knew personally. He had an immense capacity to show tenderness with family, friends, strangers, and significantly with animals. He loved and cared for several dogs over the years, especially Joe the Shar-pei and Emmy the Bulldog, a couple that mirrored Ray and Garth, one protective and introspective, the other outgoing and social. To the very end, if a dog visited the house, they would head directly to Ray and lay at his feet.
Ray is survived by his husband Garth Kobal and his siblings Talmadge Rigdon, Sonja Rigdon, Phyllis Moyes, Patty Tate, David Rigdon and countless in-laws, nephews, nieces and cousins in the Rigdon and Kobal families. He is pre-deceased by his beloved sisters Helen Spivey and de-facto family matriarch, Mary Dimples Freeman.
In lieu of flowers and cards, memorial donations may be made in his name to David M. Hunt Library, 63 Main Street, Falls Village 06031 or at huntlibrary.org.
Lakeville Journal
SHARON — Patrick Mahoney, a beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully on Aug. 1, 2026, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Born on July 31, 1957, in Sharon, Connecticut, Pat was the cherished son of the late William and Mary Mahoney.
Pat’s journey through life was marked by his passion for craftsmanship and the joy he found in working with his hands. A proud graduate of Oliver Wolcott Technical High School, he honed his skills in carpentry, a trade that became not just his career but his calling. Pat’s work ranged from constructing custom cabinets and doors to building complete houses, each project infused with his dedication and precision. Later in life, he brought his meticulous nature and talent to an auto body shop, where he continued to create and restore with the same fervor he had for woodworking.
Pat was a man of many interests, but his heart truly belonged to classic cars. An enthusiast through and through, he poured countless hours into restoring a 1935 Dodge hot rod and later, his pride and joy, a 1957 Ford Custom 300, which he lovingly brought to perfection shortly before his passing. His passion for cars was matched only by his love for animals, and he was known to rescue and care for any creature in need.
Those who had the privilege of knowing Pat will remember him for his kindness, his infectious sense of humor, and his unwavering love for his family. He shared a beautiful life with his wife, Kim Mahoney, who remained his steadfast partner through every high and low. Pat was a devoted father to his daughter, Erin Mahoney, whose happiness was always his highest priority. He also leaves behind his brother, Michael Mahoney, with whom he shared many memories and adventures.
In the hearts of his family and friends, Pat will forever be remembered for his gentle spirit and the warmth he brought to every room he entered. His legacy is one of love, laughter, and an enduring commitment to those he held dear.
A private funeral ceremony was held to honor Pat’s life, in accordance with the family’s wishes. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Pat’s memory are invited to make a donation to a charity of their choice, reflecting his generous spirit and his wish to make the world a better place.
Though Pat has left this world, his spirit endures in the lives he touched and the memories he created. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him.
A celebration of Pat’s life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home 118 Main St. Canaan, CT 06018.
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