Cora Elizabeth Stackelberg

KENT — It is with great sadness that the family of Cora Elizabeth Stackelberg (née Sleighter) announce her passing on Sept. 5, 2020. She died peacefully at her home in Schodack, N.Y., at the age of 87.

Cora was born on March 15, 1933, in Torrington, to Lester and Marion Sleighter and, along with her sister Marilyn, grew up in Kent. Cora attended Housatonic Valley Regional High School, where she met her husband to-be, Olaf Patrick Stackelberg. They were married on Sept. 4, 1954, and went on to raise three sons, John, Peter and Paul.

Cora excelled academically and as the top student in her class delivered the valedictory address at her high school graduation ceremony. 

Upon graduation, she attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), at a time when MIT was overwhelmingly male, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. Cora is remembered for knitting during physics class at MIT — an activity that somewhat intimidated her male counterparts!

After graduating from MIT, Cora and Olaf moved to Minneapolis, Minn., where Cora worked as an electrical engineer for Honeywell while Olaf studied for his Ph.D. in Mathematics. 

She also worked as an electrical engineer for the U.S. Army in Fredrick, Md., while Olaf served in the Army. 

Cora then pursued a career teaching mathematics at various community colleges while living in Durham, N.C., and Kent, Ohio. 

She also continued her own education, earning a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Duke University and a Master of Science degree in computer science from Kent State University.

Cora was a passionate gardener and a member of the East Greenbush garden club. Her talent for gardening was reflected in her beautiful flower and vegetable gardens, which she vehemently protected from deer and woodchucks her entire adult life. 

Cora was an avid reader, always with a book at hand, and enjoyed classical music and attending the symphony. She also enjoyed spending time with family in Vermont and the annual family trip to Cape Cod where she enjoyed her favorite meal: lobster.

Cora was preceded in death by her son Peter; and her parents Lester and Marion. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Olaf; her sons John and Paul and their wives, Mariann and Megan; her granddaughter, Ana; her sister, Marilyn; and her nephews, Edward and Clarke Kohler.

A private family remembrance is planned to be held in Vermont at a later date.

Latest News

Housatonic softball beats Webutuck 16-3

Haley Leonard and Khyra McClennon looked on as HVRHS pulled ahead of Webutuck, May 2.

Riley Klein

FALLS VILLAGE — The battle for the border between Housatonic Valley Regional High School and Webutuck High School Thursday, May 2, was won by HVRHS with a score of 16-3.

The New Yorkers played their Connecticut counterparts close early on and commanded the lead in the second inning. Errors plagued the Webutuck Warriors as the game went on, while the HVRHS Mountaineers stayed disciplined and finished strong.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mountaineers fall 3-0 to Wamogo

Anthony Foley caught Chase Ciccarelli in a rundown when HVRHS played Wamogo Wednesday, May 1.

Riley Klein

LITCHFIELD — Housatonic Valley Regional High School varsity baseball dropped a 3-0 decision to Wamogo Regional High School Wednesday, May 1.

The Warriors kept errors to a minimum and held the Mountaineers scoreless through seven innings. HVRHS freshman pitcher Chris Race started the game strong with no hits through the first three innings, but hiccups in the fourth gave Wamogo a lead that could not be caught.

Keep ReadingShow less
The artist called ransome

‘Migration Collage' by ransome

Alexander Wilburn

If you claim a single sobriquet as your artistic moniker, you’re already in a club with some big names, from Zendaya to Beyoncé to the mysterious Banksy. At Geary, the contemporary art gallery in Millerton founded by New Yorkers Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary, a new installation and painting exhibition titled “The Bitter and the Sweet” showcases the work of the artist known only as ransome — all lowercase, like the nom de plume of the late Black American social critic bell hooks.

Currently based in Rhinebeck, N.Y., ransome’s work looks farther South and farther back — to The Great Migration, when Jim Crow laws, racial segregation, and the public violence of lynching paved the way for over six million Black Americans to seek haven in northern cities, particularly New York urban areas, like Brooklyn and Baltimore. The Great Migration took place from the turn of the 20th century up through the 1970s, and ransome’s own life is a reflection of the final wave — born in North Carolina, he found a new home in his youth in New Jersey.

Keep ReadingShow less
Four Brothers ready for summer season

Hospitality, ease of living and just plain fun are rolled into one for those who are intrigued by the leisure-time Caravana experience at the family-owned Four Brothers Drive-in in Amenia. John Stefanopoulos, pictured above, highlights fun possibilities offered by Hotel Caravana.

Leila Hawken

The month-long process of unwrapping and preparing the various features at the Four Brothers Drive-In is nearing completion, and the imaginative recreational destination will be ready to open for the season on Friday, May 10.

The drive-in theater is already open, as is the Snack Shack, and the rest of the recreational features are activating one by one, soon to be offering maximum fun for the whole family.

Keep ReadingShow less