Volunteer Skip Ciferri honored for his good deeds

MILLBROOK— Roughly 180 people gathered at the Millbrook Golf and Tennis Club on Saturday, Oct. 6, to honor Skip Ciferri, who was named 2018 Volunteer of the Year by the town of Washington.

The title is new, but the good works Ciferri has done go back a lifetime. He has spent his life doing whatever he can to make Millbrook a better place to live. That he loves his community, and the people in it, is an understatement, and those who came to honor him were effusive in their praise of him.

Monsignor Gerardo Colacicco, pastor of St. Joseph-Immaculate Conception Church, told of the beautiful church steps that were made possible by Ciferri, from helping to design them, to financing the job, to hiring the contractor and putting the workers up in his own house while they built them.

 “Skip is one of those rare individuals whom God has sent to remind us of the dignity of hard work, the virtue of charity and the goodness of one’s life not for one’s self but for the betterment of others,” said Monsignor Colacicco.

This is not unusual praise from those who know this man. Born in Millbrook, Ciferri’s family is one of the original families that came to the village from Fundi, Italy, around the turn of the century. Like most of his many cousins, he attended Millbrook schools, where he played football and baseball, graduating in 1958. He went to college, and then he did what most of them did not: He went into the family business, started in 1906 by his grandfather. By the time he joined his father, it was called Ciferri and Sons, a business started by stone masons who had come from Italy, a great source of pride.

Always one for serving his community, Ciferri was town assessor for 42 years.

A massive heart attack in 2002 made him slow down and he retired. He spends time in Florida and Rhode Island, but his heart belongs to Millbrook.

Supervisor Ciferri and his Town Board spoke of the work the man of honor did rebuilding the front entrance of Town Hall. The new granite steps are thanks to Ciferri.  He also helped rebuild the courthouse.

The Millbrook Historical Society said he’s not only given some wonderful artifacts for its collection, but makes sure items are framed or mounted before he donates them.

One of his proudest achievements is the fact that he worked with Barbara Pierce and Village Historian David Greenwood in launching the Museum in the Streets, which features the Italian heritage story of Millbrook written on placards and mounted on pediments all over the village. He designed, built and paid for the mountings.

It was through his work with Pierce and the museum that he became involved in the making of the documentary feature, “Il Villaggia di Millbrook,” which was produced by Pierce and her nephew, Robert Hanson. The film features interviews with residents who can trace their families back to the original families from Fundi. It’s the story of immigrants coming to Millbrook and making it their home while enriching the lives of those around them.

Dan Fichter, who went to school with Ciferri, worked closely with him on the Millbrook Athletic Hall of Fame, another project Ciferri devotes time and energy to. Over the years they have covered athletes from the 1920s through the ‘50s. 

“Everybody is better for having had Skip Ciferri in their lives,” said Fichter.

The town supervisor, in introducing Ciferri and awarding him with a token of appreciation for his volunteer work, talked of the labors of love Ciferri has taken on through the years: work for the schools and churches and Town Hall.

“This is long overdue,” he said. “We’ve been trying to do this for about two years, and finally it’s happened.” 

Ciferri said he is grateful for the life and the opportunities he’s had. 

“Public service has always been a part of my life,” he said. “I’m happy, honored and blessed to live in a community where people are friendly and help one another.”