North Salem News 02.13.20

North Salem’s only weekly newspaper mailed to every home and business.

Vol. 5 No. 46 Visit TapIntoNorthSalem.net for the latest news. Thursday, February 13, 2020

Adventure and love Party
defined her century favors
from Grace
Somers woman reconnected with high school Gilligan’s
boyfriend, a North Salem resident, at 78 100th
birthday.

PHOTO
COURTESY
OF MAUREEN
DESIMONE

BY CAROL REIF when she happened upon the obituary of the

STAFF WRITER sister of a childhood friend…well, actually, her

ninth-grade boyfriend.

At 100, Grace Gilligan doesn’t expect to be hitting the golf She and Frank Grimmer and been part of the

course anytime soon. teen crowd in New Rochelle. Everyone sort of

But she keeps a set of clubs in her garage–“just in case.” innocently paired o back in those days while

Hers is just the sort of sunny optimism that naive U.S. the whole gang went swimming or to the mov-

Navy nurse Nellie Forbush sang about in “South Paci c,” ies.

the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical in 1949, the year the Gilligan remembers long walks holding hands

equally irrepressible Somers centenarian turned 29. with JR, his nickname.

Being upbeat and continually curious about life are traits Her high school sorority sisters had dubbed

that have served Gilligan well, especially after she lost her her “Terry” because, Gilligan recalled, “Grace

beloved life partner, traveling companion and father of her sounded too religious.”

four children, Bernard, in 1996, just a year after the former ings were rosy until Gilligan’s family moved

Pleasantville couple moved into Heritage Hills. to Mount Vernon and the two young love birds

ey had been married for 55 years. Gilligan was 76. eventually lost touch.

Instead of moping around the house, Gilligan threw her- Noticing that Frank, now a widower, was liv-

self into the retirement community’s social whirl, joining ing in North Salem just a few miles away, Gil-

the Women’s Club, where she was its treasurer; and Chat ligan sent him a sympathy card.

and Sew, a charitable organization that made, among other Before she knew it, he was sitting on her liv-

things, comfortable bed pads for terminally ill patients at ing room couch, reminiscing over photographs

Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne. of them strolling around the old neighborhood.

She even took a turn with the local bowling club where she e time that had passed no longer had any

was—proudly—named “most improved bowler.” relevance.

en at 78, an age at which no one would blame her for “To meet someone after all those years, it

resting on her laurels, Gilligan did something even more re- seemed like it was yesterday,” Gilligan said.

markable. Grimmer, it turned out, shared Gilligan’s

She fell in love again. SEE GILLIGAN PAGE 4
Gilligan was lea ng through the local newspaper one day

BALANCED ROCK 2

BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 19

CLASSIFIEDS 18

LEGAL NOTICES 18
LEISURE
17 SCHOOL BOARD

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Page 2 – North Salem News Thursday, February 13, 2020

The Staff OBITUARIES BALANCED ROCK

EDITORIAL TEAM Thomas vannah, omas, Victoria Chapel at Jane Smith in Somers at Smith-
JODI WEINBERGER Croton Falls [email protected] or Su-
EDITOR: 914-302-5830 Ambrosino and Rose. Also survived by san ompson in North Salem at
[email protected] his sisters Angela Adams, 609 Route 22, Croton Falls, NY S [email protected].
BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER
SPORTS EDITOR: 914-302-5628 omas Ambrosino, for- Janet LaCamera, Irene Ger- Registration for
[email protected]
merly of Carmel, NY, died, berti, Mary Kempton, Susan Join us this Interfaith Sunday,
ADVERTISING TEAM
LISA KAIN peacefully at the Bailey Hos- Capul, Catherine Pernice, Feb. 16th at 10:30 am, with Rev. Baseball/Softball
Gary Deinstadt who will explore
914-351-2424 pice Center in St, Augustine, and brothers Joseph Ambro-
[email protected]
Florida on January 31, 2020 sino and James Ambrosino, with us the amazing gift of Divine Registration for the Spring 2020
PAUL FORHAN
914-202-2392 with his loving wife at his along with loving sister in- Love. Special guest, Dan Gallagher North Salem Youth Baseball and
[email protected]
CORINNE STANTON side. He was 67 years old. laws, brother-in-laws, many will also lead his group, Dances of Softball season is now open. is
845-621-4049
[email protected] Born in Brooklyn, NY on nieces, nephews, cousins and Universal Peace, in circle dances us- year’s program (excluding T-ball)
JENNIFER CONNELLY
917-446-7757 May 28, 1953, he was one of friends. ing sacred phrases from the world’s will be fully integrated with Brews-
[email protected]
BRUCE HELLER nine children born to the late Tom was a simple man faith traditions. ter Little League. We are con dent
914-202-2941
[email protected] Joseph Ambrosino and late with lots of love to give. If Town Historians need that this merged program will of-
SHELLEY KILCOYNE fer a great opportunity for our kids,
Daphne (Freeman) Ambro- you were lucky, you even got
CO-FOUNDER
914-924-9122 sino of Jackson Height, NY. a nickname. His interests your help including more balanced & com-
[email protected] petitive teams as well as increased
Married for 36 years, he were nature, history and any-
PRODUCTION TEAM
TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL is survived by his wife, Mary thing mechanical. Mostly his e Town Historians need your player development. e integrated

PRODUCTION MANAGER Ann (Taggart) Ambrosino life was all about his family help for a joint Somers-North Sa- program will also o er new oppor-
DESIGNER/PHOTOGRAPHER
[email protected] and their three children and and grandchildren. lem history project, we are looking tunities for North Salem athletes

CHRISTINA ROSE their spouses James Ambro- In lieu of owers, contri- for old photos, drawings, maps, including All-Star, Travel and Wil-
ASST PRODUCTION MANAGER
sino (Monica); Jessica Am- butions can be made in his postcards, etc., that show or men- liamsport teams. Other combined
DESIGNER
[email protected] brosino Wakeman (Chris- memory to the Leukemia & tion Dean’s Bridge, sometimes activities will include an opening-

EXECUTIVE TEAM tian); Matthew Ambrosino Lymphoma Society: www. called Casey’s Crossing. If you have day ceremony and end of season
BRETT FREEMAN
CEO & PUBLISHER (Tia), and grandchidren, Sa- LLS.org something we can borrow and scan, SEE ROCK PAGE 4
845-208-8151
please let us know. Contact Doris
[email protected]
JOSEPH R. TESONE LET BELL KEEP YOU AND YOUR SWEETHEART WARM THIS VALENTINE’S DAY AND EVERY DAY

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Thursday, February 13, 2020 North Salem News – Page 3

Snowflake Ball

Girls and their special guests danced
the night away at the North Salem Golf

Club for the annual Snow ake Ball
hosted by Girl Scout Troop 02950. All
proceeds are shared by the Girl Scout

Troops in the community.

PHOTOS: HUDVALLEY PHOTO

SEE SNOWFLAKE BALL PAGE 10

Page 4 – North Salem News Thursday, February 13, 2020

GILLIGAN the recent past. her 100th birthday with her sub- Somers Supervisor Rick Mor- deer and other woodland crea-

FROM PAGE 1 According to one of her three stantial tribe at Traditions, a cozy rissey was on hand to present tures frolic.

daughters, Maureen Desimone, restaurant in Granite Springs. Gilligan with a framed procla- When asked what it’s like to

lifelong wanderlust. Soon the she “never forgets anything” or e beaming matriarch was mation, which she now proudly turn 100, Gilligan said she feels

reunited pair were hitting the where she was when she rst photographed surrounded by displays next to a small statue of “just the same” as she ever did.

road, going to family gatherings, heard about it. grand- and great-grandchildren a zebra in her tidy living room. ere’s still plenty to look for-

exploring historical sites and “I was a home watching tele- and snuggling the youngest clan On a recent Friday afternoon, ward to, but, she admits, there are

visiting Pennsylvania’s so-called vision during 9/11 and I saw it member, adorable 6-month-old Gilligan rocked a pretty pink limitations.

Amish country. all go down,” or, “I was in France Demi Jean. out t complete with jaunty be- “My goal is 105. I can’t see go-

Not bad for two folks pushing when we landed on the moon,” According to Desimone, she ret as she sat next to the picture ing past that,” Gilligan said.

80. she might say. has 10 grandchildren, a dozen window from which she watches

Grimmer passed away in Feb- Gilligan even kept up with the great-grandchildren and one

ruary 2002 at age 83, and Gil- current presidential impeach- more on the way.

ligan has no regrets about their ment trial. Given away as party favors

nearly four years together, as they And she still goes for the oc- were jars of Smucker’s jam print-

created so many new memories casional paddle in the ocean, ed with Gilligan’s smiling face.

together. wading into waves people half (No one knows exactly how

When asked why they hadn’t her age are afraid to tackle, said it got started, but for years the

married, she responded with Desimone. “Today” show had given people

twinkling eyes: “It was too com- In response to the standard “se- marking the milestone birth-

plicated. Besides, it was just a cret of your longevity” question, day the chance to see their face

piece of paper.” Gilligan gleefully volunteered, printed on a jar of fruity good-

Once again Gilligan, who “You know how when you go to ness. Veteran weatherman Wil-

takes care of herself–a feat at 80, the doctor, and he sits there with lard Scott started the tradition

never mind 100–is staying busy, a somber face before telling you, with one of the show’s sponsors,

if not physically, at the very least ‘We can’t nd anything wrong’? Smucker’s. It was carried on by

mentally. Well, I just tell him that the se- Al Roker, television personality,

She avidly follows the news, cret’s a Manhattan (cocktail). Al- host of the Macy’s anksgiving
“Joe, thfaonrkyyoouurday’s major events with those in On Jan. 15, Gilligan marked town resident.)
comparing and contrasting to- cohol kills the germs.” Day parade and former York-

heart and PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAUREEN DESIMONE

Grace Gilligan holding her youngest great-grandchild.

fighting spirit. ROCK of opening bowling and a souve-
FROM PAGE 2
”-C.S. nir for the child. e cost is $15

Law Offices of Joseph J. Tock for each additional child. Sign up
963 Route 6, Mahopac, NY 10541
celebration. We will be holding through March 3. e event is
TOCKLAW.COM • 800-869-8080
integrated player evaluations to sponsored by North Salem Youth

ensure balanced teams consisting Baseball. Log in to the NS Little

of players from both North Salem League registration site: http://

and Brewster. www.nsybaseball.com

Registration for the 2020 sea- Please be aware only one ses-

son is currently open and will run sion will be o ered this year and

through March 1, 2020. Open- space may be tight, so registration

ing Day celebration with Brew- is a rst-come, rst-serve basis.

ster is scheduled for April 18th All registrations and payments

and practices will begin in April must be complete by Tuesday,

(as soon as town elds are open). March 3, 2020. No walk-ups

Visit nsybaseball.com to register. please.

Bowl-A-Rama • Each lane has a cap of 6 peo-
ple (adults/children combined)

and a minimum of 4 so we may

Bowl-A-Rama is back! e need to combine lanes that are

event is from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, not full.

March 21, at Spins Bowl in Car- • Clean non-scu sneakers are

mel. All North Salem Boys grade permitted so shoe rentals are not

K-5 are invited to participate in necessary unless the management

an afternoon of bowling, photo nds that your shoes are leaving

keepsakes and memories with scu marks on the lanes.

their special guest. e fee is $35 Questions? Contact Chrissy

total for one child plus their spe- Bucci - [email protected]

cial guest. is includes 2 hours

Thursday, February 13, 2020 North Salem News – Page 5

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Page 6 – North Salem News Opinion Thursday, February 13, 2020

Happily Ever After Getting there

Ilove to write, and MAN
the fact that I OVERBOARD
don’t often have
anything particu-

larly important to say RICK
should not deter you MELÉN
from loving to read.

But if I’m expecting

my writing to pay the

bills around here, I’m going to need some smaller bills.

For that I rely on my day job, working at the big televi-

sion network in the big city. I’ve been there for 40 years

now, and quite a bit has changed over the years in the

network, in the city and in myself. But one thing has re-

mained the same, and that is that the hardest part about

my job is getting there.

Armchair Travel A lot of people hate to commute into Manhattan, but

I’ve come to embrace the trip. I get some sleep and some

exercise, and I engage in one of my favorite activities,

Ilike to watch travel shows people-watching. By the time board the 8:04 at Goldens
on TV. Globe Trekker is a
favorite, especially with Ian were beautiful. Mickela sampled the Bridge and present my monthly pass, I’m already worn
national lamb and rice dish, plov, but
her main focus was on learning some out and ready for a nap. e sound of the conductor’s

READING, voice wakes me up at Grand Central Terminal: “Please
WRITING &
Wright or Zay Harding as the of the folk dances and wearing the exit the train as quickly and safely as possible!” I exit the
travel guides. ese congenial CHOCOLATE colorful regional costumes for a dance
train fairly slowly, but in an extremely safe manner. ere

hosts bring you along on their KIM performance. are more announcements at the station to be careful of

adventures to remote parts of the KOVACH Recently, my friend, Ellen, called to the gap in between the train and the platform. One time

world. You can imagine yourself tell me that she just returned from a a girl got drunk and fell into the gap, she may still be

hiking up a mountain in Swit- 27-day trip to South America. “South there for all I know, and now we all have to su er these

zerland or trekking in Patagonia. America!” I exclaimed in surprise. My insu erable announcements and disclaimers; it’s the

Useful facts and amusing side trips add to the view- momentary travel envy got the better of me and I American Way.

ing experience. snarkily asked, “But did you go to Easter Island?” It’s pouring outside so I decide not to ride my bike to

I also like cooking shows with travel included as “YES!” replied Ellen. “We stayed there for three my o ce and opt for Plan B, the subway. ere are only

part of the episode. When I watch Pati’s Mexican nights!” two out of three tracks in service at the Times Square

Table, I may not make the recipes that Pati Jinich is Easter Island is one of my favorite someday-I’d- Shuttle today, and and everyone is waiting at Track One.

demonstrating in her home kitchen, but I do enjoy like-to-go-to dream destinations. I have read exten- e computer generated announcement that clips the

watching her travel to small Mexican towns. We get sively about the Moai statues on Easter Island going rst letter o of each word says: “A rain is approaching

to see local chefs cooking in their rustic kitchens. I’ve all the way back to my days as a Creative Writing/ on rack oo!” So we all run over to Track Two. “Areful of

learned a lot about di erent varieties of chili peppers, Anthropology double major in college. the osing oors on rack un!” So we all run over to Track

as well as tiny beachfront towns that tourists have not Ellen explained that the three-day trip to Easter One, where the train has already come, opened its doors

yet discovered. Island was an add-on to her organized adventure and closed them. Meanwhile the train has arrived at

For a culinary travel experience of a completely vacation trip to Brazil, Argentina and Chile. She Track Two. “Areful the osing oors on rack oo!” I swear

di erent kind, I enjoy watching New Scandinavian told me in detail about her vacation itinerary. I could this really happened, and while everyone was scratch-

Cooking. A able host, Andreas Viestad, takes view- picture each stop from episodes of Globe Trekker. ing to get back to Track Two I put on my rain gear and

ers to locations in Norway to see where the ingre- “No one knows how the Moai got to their positions unlocked my bike.

dients are grown or caught. Breathtaking views of around Easter Island,” she said. I’m sopping wet by the time I reach the Broadcast

ords, lush green valleys and quaint villages are on “Yes, they do!” I answered. I had watched a PBS Center. My pants are tucked into my socks, my sneakers

display since Andreas always cooks outdoors. He may documentary where archeologists tried to gure out are soaked, I’m wearing a red poncho with the hood held

be cooking on a portable grill or stovetop set up on how those massive stone statues were moved from the in place by a pair of ski goggles and I’m dripping water

a windy dock by the sea or on a rocky outcrop. I am quarry sites where they were carved to various loca- from my nose, at least I hope it’s water. A sloshing sound

rarely tempted to try any of these recipes but I am tions around the island. Oral histories told of seeing is coming from my sneakers as I get in the elevator.

tempted to grab a sweater since many of these excur- the Moai “walking.” Archeologists nally succeeded in Inside the car of course is the gal from “Inside Edition,”

sions are in cold and windy locations. moving a large stone Moai by using three long ropes who works on my oor, blonde, about six foot-three in

Another travel-oriented show that I often watch tied around the stone head and shoulders. ree groups heels, two legs that are decorative as well as functional,

on PBS is called Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozi. of team members pulled and tugged on the ropes to perfectly dressed with not a hair out of place and kind

Mickela is an American dancer who likes to travel slowly move the tall statue across the ground. is of gorgeous. I look like a cross between Rocky the ying

to di erent locations across the U.S. and around the jerking forward motion actually made the giant Moai squirrel and the creature from the black lagoon. She

world to learn ethnic and popular dance styles. I statue look like it was “walking.” Ellen’s guide hadn’t beams a perfect smile at me with not a tooth out of place

particularly enjoyed the episode on Uzbekistan. e told her that! while we both try to pretend I’m not there. In my day-

sightseeing included gorgeous examples of 15th cen- dream we work on the 137th oor, enough time for me

tury Islamic architecture. e blue mosaic tiles and Kim Kovach appreciates the convenience of armchair SEE MELEN PAGE 8

vibrant colors of the ancient buildings and pottery travel. www.kimkovachwrites.com

BRETT FREEMAN, PUBLISHER Letters to the editor and op-ed submissions may be edited.
JODI WEINBERGER, EDITOR The views and opinions expressed in letters and op-eds are not
TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL, PRODUCTION MANAGER necessarily those of North Salem News or its affiliates. Submissions
must include a phone number and address for verification. Not
Editorial Office: 914-302-5830 BAILEY COURT, 334 ROUTE 202, UNIT C1S all letters and op-eds will necessarily be published. Letters and
Fax: 914-617-8508 SOMERS, NY 10589 op-eds which cannot be verified or are anonymous will not be
[email protected] published. Please send your submissions to the editor by e-mail
©2020 HALSTON MEDIA, LLC
to [email protected].
For more information, call the editor at 914-302-5830.

Thursday, February 13, 2020 North Salem News – Page 7

Promise the curious
lives in...
The wonderers. The ponderers. The ones
© Nuvance Health who always wear their thinking caps.
Asking the di cult questions. Not only
treading into uncharted waters, but diving in.
In search of something new, something better.
At Nuvance Health, we embrace curiosity.
Because it leads to better answers. Answers
that help eliminate hassles. Answers that
o er new options. And answers that help
you and the people you care about rest easy.
The promise of curiosity lives in us, painting
a brighter future for us all.

nuvancehealth.org