Housy Juniors win summer baseball championship

Wes Allyn hoists Byron Bell into the air after Housy Juniors wins the Babe Ruth League District 4 Northwest championship.
Riley Klein
Wes Allyn hoists Byron Bell into the air after Housy Juniors wins the Babe Ruth League District 4 Northwest championship.
SHARON — Housy Juniors defeated Barkhamsted 6-5 in the thrilling conclusion to Babe Ruth League District 4 Northwest Connecticut summer baseball Thursday, Aug. 1.
Housy, made up of players aged 13 to 16 from the six Region One town, played from behind for the majority of the game at Veterans' Field in Sharon. All tied up in the bottom of the seventh inning, the championship ended when Owen Riemer stole home plate for the go ahead run.
It was a team effort to secure the victory and Coach John Conklin praised his players for keeping a level head throughout the game.
"I don't care if we're up by 10 or down by 10, they've got the same look on their face. That's what distinguishes a champion from an ordinary player," said Conklin after the win.
Braeden Duncan pitched the first four innings against Barkhamsted.Riley Klein
The Juniors finished with the second-best regular season record and advanced to the big game after beating Tri-Town, with players from Litchfield, Warren, Goshen and Morris. First basemen Wes Allyn hit a grand slam in the semi-final game July 29 to propel Housy into the final.
Four seed Barkhamsted reached the title game by defeating top ranked New Hartford in a stunning 12-6 decision Tuesday, July 30. The Barkhamsted squad battled to the bitter end and shook hands with their heads held high as runners up after a well-played game against Housy.
On Aug. 1, the heat was on for the title. Lawn chairs and bleachers were packed with fans for both sides there to cheer on their team. The sun was shining, about 87 degrees at game time.
With the bleachers full, young fans found seats on the nearby playground.Riley Klein
This was the first year that 16-year-olds were permitted in the Babe Ruth League, however players aged 16 were not allowed to pitch. Braeden Duncan started the game on the hill for Housy and pitched the first four innings.
Duncan let one run by in the first and Housy was held scoreless through two. Barkhamsted clung to a 1-0 until the third inning when they tacked on two more runs to go up 3-0.
Housy responded in the third inning by putting the bat on the ball. Base runners hustled around the diamond and successfully tied the game up at 3-3.
Grafton Reilly closed out the game on the mound for Housy.Riley Klein
A scoreless fourth inning gave way to a pitching change for Housy with Grafton Reilly taking the mound. Reilly took a few batters to find his rhythm before settling in. Barkhamsted scored one in the transition to go up 4-3.
Housy took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth when Owen Riemer and Brooker Cheney each scored on errors. Barkhamsted quickly evened it up in the sixth inning at 5-5.
Reilly pitched a clean seventh inning before Housy stepped up to the plate and quickly loaded up the bases. A pop fly was snagged out of the air by the Barkhamsted first basemen, who turned a double play at third. Riemer stole third the next pitch. With two outs and the game on the line, glory was just 90 feet away.
Housy celebrates as champions after Owen Riemer steals home for the 6-5 win.Riley Klein
A wild pitch from Barkhamsted bounced to the backstop and sent Riemer charging down the third base line. As the catcher turned to make the out, Riemer touched home safely.
Housy rejoiced in the infield as champions after the 6-5 victory.
"This is probably the best group of kids I've coached," said Conklin.
Housy players and coaches pose behind home plate.Riley Klein
LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.
Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.
In 1982 after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College, Rhys returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology, where he met his wife of 35 years, Rebecca (Becky) Snow. After two years of teaching, he worked at a research field site in Borneo, then went on to the University of California, Davis where he earned a PhD in Animal Behavior in 1995.
Rather than follow an academic tenure track, Rhys preferred the solitary focus of field ornithology, and he spent several decades researching the ecology of bird species in California and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Rhys believed passionately in supporting biodiversity through habitat preservation. His proudest achievements, therefore, came through his work for the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, in New Hampshire, where he served on committees and the Board of Trustees for twenty years, including three years as Chair.
Deeply intellectual and curious, Rhys learned Homeric Greek so he could read The Odyssey and The Iliad in their original language. An amateur Melville scholar, he would wax poetic about reading Moby-Dick for the umpteenth time.Rhys’s spirit was filled by the performing arts. Concerts by the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Early Music Festival often brought tears to his eyes, while Boston Bluegrass Union shows delivered toe-tapping fidgetiness.
Rhys will be missed by his wife, Becky Snow, his mother, Anne Bowen, extended family, friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A service will be held at The Hotchkiss School chapel on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at 1 p.m..
In honor of Rhys’s memory, donations can be made to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.
LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.
Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.
In addition to her husband and parents, Kelsey is survived by her two beloved children, Hunter Horton and Aryanna Horton, both of Lakeville; a step-brother, Jason Tuncy of East Hartford, Connecticut; her mother-in-law, Frances “Fran” Horton and her brother-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton III and his wife Penny of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and their son, Alec, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and many dear friends. She was predeceased by her father-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton, Jr. in 2017.
There are no calling hours. A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Millerton American Legion Post # 178, Route 44, Millerton, NY 12546. A time to celebrate Kelsey and share stories and memories. Memorial contributions may be made to The Jane Lloyd Fund. Please make checks payable to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (please note in memo line, The Jane Lloyd Fund) and mail to: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, 800 N. Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257.
To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Kelsey’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.
In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.
Normally at this point one might list some interests, but in Eliot’s case, it’s easier to list what he wasn’t interested in: watching sports.
Eliot made a living as a fine craftsman and carpenter, but at heart he was an artist. He was well versed in music, painting, literature, biking, travel, Mardi Gras costumes, poker, pranks, street performance and on and on and on.Having previously hiked the entire Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, he recently achieved another dream of summiting the highest stratovolcano in North America.
Eliot’s creative ability was astounding. His creations were designed to bring joy to others. He didn’t seek recognition or praise, and a large part of his work was anonymous. Pieces of art would appear in the community, encouraging people to think, connect and enjoy.
From the precociously funny and determinedly defiant boy that grew up in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, Eliot grew into a brilliant, gentle souled, boundlessly creative, ever mischievous, perpetually scraggly, and astoundingly wise and caring man who made an indelible impact on those who were lucky to have him in their lives.
In honor of Eliot, please consider making donations to organizations that work to end gun violence, support the arts, or provide mental health services. A service will be held at the Congregational Church in Salisbury on Sunday Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
SHARON — Randall “Randy” Osolin passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, at the age of 74. He was born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Sharon, Connecticut to the late Ramon (Sonny) and Barbara (Sandmeyer) Osolin.
He was a dedicated social worker, a natural athlete, a gentle friend of animals, an abiding parish verger, an inveterate reader, and an estimable friend and neighbor. He was a kind-hearted person whose greatest joy was in helping someone in need and sharing his time with his family and good friends.
He was the beloved husband of Karen LaChance Osolin; the loving brother of Bruce Osolin and the late Gail Osolin Leo; the devoted uncle of Kyle and Andrew Osolin and Taylor LaChance; the brother-in-law of Debra LaChance; and the cousin of Brenda Curran, Jay Pickering and Audra Salazar.
To honor Randy’s memory, do a good deed for another or send a donation to the Little Guild, 258 Sharon-Goshen Road, West Cornwall, CT 06796. The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.