John Dutton

CORNWALL — On Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, John Kimberly Mumford Dutton, quietly died in the same home in which he was raised in Cornwall. He was 93 years old. Born on Nov. 28, 1930, he was the third son of the late David Garland and Constance (Mumford) Dutton.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Yvonne, and their four children; Michael and his wife Karen, Seth and his wife Karen, Alison and her partner Jay, and Colin, as well as their grandchildren Lucas, Patrick, Caleb, and Meaghan. He is predeceased by his siblings David, Arthur, and Cynthia.
John was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York and Cornwall. He attended the Poughkeepsie Day School, the Hotchkiss School, Syracuse University and Babson College. After graduating from Babson, he worked briefly in the insurance business in New York City before heading west to Vancouver, British Columbia to start a long career in the lumber industry.
While in Vancouver, he met the love of his life, Yvonne McKee from Northern Ireland. They married in 1961 in Poughkeepsie, New York and began their married life in Tarrytown, New York. Later, after moving to Toledo, Ohio, their first child was born. In 1963 they returned to New York where John joined the A.C. Dutton Lumber Company, the family wholesale lumber business started in 1887 by his grandfather Arthur C. Dutton. John spent the rest of his career in Poughkeepsie before retiring in 1995. He and Yvonne moved to Cornwall in 1996 where John felt truly at home.
He thrived on hard work, caring for others, and providing for his family. His many acts of quiet kindness may never be known to anyone other than the recipients, but he instilled in his children the same sense of charity toward others.
John was a longtime board member of the historic Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery and the Dutchess County Chapter of the American Red Cross, as well as a long serving member of the vestry of the Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie. In 1970, President Nixon appointed him to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Committee, a group of industry experts charged with protecting the economy against natural and manmade disasters.
More often than not, John could be found outdoors, often creating excuses to putter around his beloved Cornwall home, usually while his entire family waited in the car to travel back to Poughkeepsie.
For many decades, John cut cords of firewood to provide cozy heat to his family, even when home heating oil prices bottomed out. He also spent many hours cutting hay and brush in the fields surrounding his home. His children continue to honor his legacy by cutting firewood and clearing brush for no apparent reason other than “that’s the way we were raised.”
He was able to regale friends and family with entertaining stories of his childhood and his experiences. He was truly interested in people and celebrated when others succeeded. His smile was infectious. His sense of humor was uplifting. His good nature and sense of social responsibility stood out in a world rapidly losing both.
No formal services are planned. His ashes will be buried at the convenience of his family at the North Cornwall Cemetery in Connecticut. A memorial gathering will be held at a later date.
LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.
Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, George, include son, George R. DelPrete II, daughter, Jena DelPrete Allee, and son Stephen P. DelPrete. Grandchildren; Trey, Cassidy, and Meredith DelPrete, Jack, Will and Finn Allee, and Ali and Nicholas DelPrete.
A Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church, Lakeville, on Saturday, Oct. 4. May she Rest in Peace.
Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in care of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.
Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.
She was raised on her parents’ poultry farm (Odge’s Eggs, Inc.).
After graduating from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she worked at Litchfield County National Bank and Colonial Bank.
She married the love of her life, John, on Aug. 16, 1969, and they lived on Sharon Mountain for more than 50 years.
Shirley enjoyed creating the annual family Christmas card, which was a coveted keepsake.She also enjoyed having lunch once a month with her best friends, Betty Kowalski, Kathy Ducillo, and Paula Weir.
In addition to John, she is survived by her three children and their families; Sarah Medeiros, her husband, Geoff, and their sons, Nick and Andrew, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Shelby Diorio, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Addie, Lainey and Lyla, of East Canaan, Connecticut,Jeffrey Perotti, his wife, Melissa, and their daughters, Annie, Lucy and Winnie, of East Canaan. Shirley also leaves her two brothers, Edward Wilbur and his wife Joan, and David Wilbur; two nieces, three nephews, and several cousins.
At Shirley’s request, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 283, Sharon, CT 06069.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.
Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.
Ronnie is survived by her daughter, Jaime Silvernale (Wm. MacDaniel, Sr.) of Millerton, her beloved grandson, Wm. MacDaniel, Jr.; two special nieces, Shannon and Rebecca and a special nephew Sean Hosier. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Bradley C. Hosier, Jr. and her dear friend Ruth Fullerton of Millerton.
Visitation was private. A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held in the future. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ronnie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Christine Gevert, Crescendo’s artistic director, is delighted to announce the start of this musical organization’s 22nd year of operation. The group’s first concert of the season will feature Latin American early chamber music, performed Oct. 18 and 19, on indigenous Andean instruments as well as the virginal, flute, viola and percussion. Gevert will perform at the keyboard, joined by Chilean musicians Gonzalo Cortes and Carlos Boltes on wind and stringed instruments.
This concert, the first in a series of nine, will be held on Oct. 18 at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, and Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Lakeville.
For those unfamiliar with Crescendo, the award-winning organization was founded in 2003 and brings lesser-known works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods — along with contemporary fusion pieces — to new life. Its performances often blend classical composition with nontraditional instrumentation for a refreshing new take on an established body of work.
Gevert, who is German, Chilean and American, is a conductor, keyboardist and musical scholar. As the multi-national, multi-lingual (German, Spanish and English) creative director, she is a veritable whirlwind of talent, professionalism and inspiration who conceives of new musical treats for her audiences. She also hires and nourishes local talent, sources internationally known vocal and instrumental professionals, and provides her audiences with well-researched program notes for each concert, packaged in lush, full-color programs that resemble illuminated manuscripts.
“It is the excitement about and dedication to the music, along with the prerequisite vocal and instrumental talent, that characterizes a Crescendo member,” said Gevert. “I don’t care about things like how old or young you are or where you’re from — it’s all about bringing these performers together to provide unforgettable musical experiences for its audiences.”
“Traditional audiences for classical music performances tend to skew older,” Gevert continued. “For that reason, I’ve embarked on an effort to reach younger listeners, and have done things like taken a Crescendo choral group to perform at Housatonic Regional High School. I’ve also launched an effort to recruit and train young singers in Baroque singing techniques so they can perform with our existing choral group.”
The upcoming 2025-26 season includes, among other performances, a solo recital and benefit concert on Nov. 22 by the international Baroque opera star and countertenor Nicholas Tamagna. The curated program will include works by Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi.
Two dazzling Christmas concerts follow: on Dec. 6 and 7, Crescendo presents J.S. Bach’s “Sweet Comfort” cantata and Mass in G minor, featuring the full chorus and soloists with a period instrument orchestra. On Dec. 21, the annual Holiday Concert will be presented: “A Tapestry of Traditions: Unraveling the History of Christmas Carols,” with the entire Crescendo vocal ensemble and Gevert on organ.
For the full schedule, concerts details and ticket information, visit: www.crescendomusic.org