Obituary - James Todd

James William “Chief Jim” Todd, 86, of Fleischmanns, New York, passed away on November 28, 2025. Born on November 11, 1939, in Englewood, New Jersey, Jim lived a life marked by dedication—to his family, his community, and his principles.

Jim graduated from Fleischmanns High School and went on to serve his country with honor in the United States Marine Corps from June 26, 1958, to April 26, 1962. Following his military service, he returned home, married the love of his life, and joined the family business, AH Todd & Son. For 35 years, he worked alongside loved ones in a role that reflected both his strong work ethic and commitment to tradition. 

After retiring from the family business, Jim continued to stay active in the workforce. He bartended at Choo-Choo Charlies before taking a position with the Town of Middletown Transfer Station. Remarkably, he remained employed full-time until the age of 82—a testament to his tireless spirit and unwavering dedication.

A lifelong resident of the area and a pillar of the Fleischmanns community, Jim was deeply involved with the Fleischmanns Fire Department. His many years of service included time as Chief—an honor that earned him the affectionate nickname “Chief Jim.” He also gave back to local youth by coaching Little League and organizing Ford Motor Company’s Punt, Pass & Kick competitions for many years. 

Jim had a deep appreciation for local history and took great interest in preserving the stories of Fleischmanns and Griffin Corners. His passion for community heritage was matched only by his devotion to those around him. Known for being steadfast in his beliefs and unafraid to speak his mind, Jim was also known for always being there when someone needed him. 

He is survived by his loving wife Jeanne; they shared a remarkable 63-year marriage built on mutual respect and enduring love. He is also survived by his son James (Dawn) Todd of Napanoch, NY; daughter Lisa (Doug) VanSteenburg of Margaretville, NY; grandchildren Aaron VanSteenburg, Nicholas (Renee) VanSteenburg, and Samantha Roberts; great-granddaughter Kelsey VanSteenburg; brother John (Sandy) Todd; sister Susan (William) Youngman; as well as nieces and nephews who will remember him fondly. 

Jim was predeceased by his parents Robert and Mary Todd; brother William Todd; father- and mother-in-law Edward and Helen Tuey; brothers- and sisters-in-law Edward and Patricia Tuey and John and Franzi Tuey. 

Jim’s legacy is one of hard work, loyalty, service, and strength. May his memory bring comfort to those who knew him.

Memorial visitation will be held on December 13, 2025, from 11:00 am to 01:00 pm at Hynes Funeral Home, 48 Walnut St. A funeral service will be held at 1pm.

Burial will be in the spring and at that time there will be a celebration of life reception.

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A Conversation about …Enlightenment

November and December this year have reverted to what used to be the usual weather maybe ten or more years ago. The last several years we have been lucky enough to have lots of sunny days and lesser snowfalls than in the “old days.” And I, for one, almost forgot how miserable those days could feel. Everything was gloomy and dark. All because it just stayed so dark all the time. Dawn was reluctant and sunset thumped down like a wet, cold towel.

As I gazed out on the beautiful snowfall, I had a flashback.  It used to be common that everyone fell into two groups.. the panickers and the snow chickens. The panickers would go tearing out to the supermarkets at the last possible moment, in a crowd, to buy bread, milk, and toilet paper. Empty shelves seemed the goal. Snow chickens, on the other hand, filled their gas tanks the day before the storm was due and had all the tools and snow gear lined up, prepared for the Acopalypse. 

Well, this November reverted to the dark side and my attitude changed. I felt the need to keep the lights on in the house well beyond my usual habit. I even put up a couple of holiday lights. The crescendo came to all this when I gazed out at the beautiful snow fall, just beginning but already coating everything with a pristine white. I felt an urge rise in my heart. 

\I grabbed the keys and my coat and scooted out the door. I was into the village in ten minutes, and pulling into the parking lot of the Town Library. Five minutes later I was on my way home with a half dozen mystery novels. There was no need for groceries or other errand running. I was home with my treasure and had my book nest set up in the window near the birdfeeder.  

Every so often a perfect day can happen.

I call this day an enlightenment. I was all settled into a snug little circle of light. 

 Animals, and I certainly include humans, have a powerful response to light. It's essential for all aspects of their lives. The calendar and the clock command certain predestined actions from all of us in order to complete our life cycles. Humans are always yakking about themselves, so we have a great mass of information about how we react to the presence and absence of light. There are whole cultures built around the phenomenon of light. Humans being born meddlers, we have religions built around light, natural and man made. India has the festival of Duwali, a celebration of light (and noise.) It is celebrated so massively that air quality warnings are put out each day, and planes landing at the airports can smell the fireworks in the cabins before they even land.

The Arctic countries host a medly of festivities when the days shrink from sight. The wee village of Burghead in Scotland has a tradition called the Burning of the Clavie that's been a regular event since 400 AD. It involves carrying a barrel of burning oil around the village co celebrate a new year. It's only one of hundreds of fire festivals around the world, each spontaneously a human response to the fear or threat of darkness. 

On a smaller scale, regional drive-through light shows and neighborhood decorating contests continue the natural urge to combat darkness. Let's all enjoy whatever version of “enlightenment” we can, and proceed happily through the holidays back into the light.

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THE CATSKILL GEOLOGISTS BY PROFESSORS ROBERT AND JOHANNA TITUS - A Fossil Smiley Face

Recently, one of our facebook page members (Heidi Burns) posted a photo on our site. See it right here. She wondered what it was. Yep, it is one of those geological oddities that turns up from time to time. We would like to tell you that it is the fossil of a petrified toothy smile, but we don’t think that you are that easy to fool. No, it must be something else, but exactly what? Let’s work on that. What’s the story here?

                                 

This is not going to be a simple story. That smiley face started out as a fracture in a brown sandstone. But there is more; this fracture is filled with crystals. Those are probably crystals of quartz. Something made the fracture open up but how did that happen? Also, how did it fill with quartz? And, if we are really going back into time, then where did that brown sandstone come from? Those might sound like questions that are hard to answer, but they really aren’t. As we understand it, we have been taken back in time to when there was an ocean lying adjacent to a rising mountain range. Those mountains were rained upon, and the rainwater began a chemical transformation of the bedrock. We geologists say it was chemically weathered and converted from solid rock into soft, even squishy sediment. That sediment was washed down a steep mountain stream and into the ocean where it became a sandy sediment. There, and over a very long period of time, it hardened into rock. In this case that was the brown sandstone.

The mountain building continued, mountain building events typically span tens of millions of years. Eventually our brown sandstone was caught up in all this. All its surrounding bedrock was lifted and then folded. One of those folds, a very small one, became our smiley face. That smile didn’t just fold, it actually came to yawn! A smile shaped gap was left in the rock. Now all we have to do is fill it with quartz. How did that happen?

One way was for injections of very hot water to have risen out of the even hotter crust deep below. They filled that smiley-face gap and then cooled down. Hot water can dissolve a lot of silica but when it cools that produces crystals of quartz. We geologists have a name for these; they are called hydrothermal injections. How long does this take? The two of us have pondered this question. There is no possible solid answer. After all, we can’t go down into the earth with a stopwatch and time these things as they happen, can we? But our suspicions are that it takes quite a while. A mountain building crust is very hot and takes a long time to cool.

We have used the word pareidolia from time to time and want to bring it up once again. It’s important here. Pareidolia is the recognition of human faces in an otherwise random image. Seeing a human face on the surface of Mars is a great example. Take at look at our second illustration. Is that a Martian or just an oddly shaped small hill? You decide. Well, our earthbound smiley face is a good example of pareidolia.

                                          

Contact the authors at “randjtitus@prodigy.net.” Join their facebook page “The Catskill Geologist.” Read their blogs at “thecatskillgeologist.com.”

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Whittling Away with Dick Brooks - Cars

It’s time for Casper, The Friendly Kia to get his weekly check up.  He doesn’t really need it but it’s something I’ve done for a long time and will continue to do so.  It doesn’t take much time and makes me feel that I’m upholding my end of our partnership.  I turn on his lights and take a stroll around his perimeter, checking the lights and the tires at the same time.  I then pop the hood, check the oil, washer fluid, brake fluid, and the transmission fluid level.  About the only thing that needs looking after is adding some washer fluid.  Casper is so reliable and dependable that he’s almost no fun.  Standing there, staring at the miles of wire and plumbing pieces that are covering his engine, my mind wandered back to a simpler time when motoring was still an adventure.

My first car was a 1936 Chevy coupe, given to me my senior year by my Dad, which he had acquired for the then handsome sum of fifty dollars.  I loved it.  Just slightly smaller than the Queen Mary and powered by a mighty six cylinder motor, I was the King of the dirt road we lived on.  I learned just about everything I know about cars from that old Chevy.  It had all those endearing features that I sometimes wish had remained standard features on today’s autos.  The steering column was uncluttered, the only thing attached to it was a steering wheel the size of which can only be found today on buses and tractor trailers.  The windshield wipers had their own knob on the dashboard, labeled plainly in large white letters, “Wipers”.  The wipers were variable speed, driven by the car’s vacuum, the faster you went, the faster they wiped, when you slowed down, so did they.  The headlights had their own knob, “Lights”.  The dimmer switch for the lights stuck up out of the floor to the left of the clutch pedal and you mashed on it to turn on the high beams or to dim them.  The radio was a little round dial in the center of the dashboard with a knob on each side, actually, the real radio was the large box screwed to the firewall up above the passenger’s feet that was filled with glowing tubes.  The seat was comfy and about the size of the average modern loveseat.  Jutting out of the middle of the floorboards was the gear shift, a three foot chunk of rebar that you used to row your way down the road.  The trunk was the size of a modern loft apartment that in New York City would bring about $2000 a month in rent. I think my favorite feature was the little vent windows, you could crack them open just a bit to keep fresh air circulating or open them all the way so the air blasted you.  There was a vent in front of the windshield that could be opened for even more air, handy things, I miss them.

The Discovery Channel has been running a series of programs about the cars of the future.  My suggestion would be to look at the cars of the past.  The universal automobile already exists.  We need to bring back the Volkswagen Beatle.  The Type One had it all.  You could haul a bunch of folks in them, I had twenty three of my fraternity brothers in mine once.  They got about forty miles to the gallon.  If you bent a fender, you unbolted it, bolted on a new one and you were good to go with no huge body shop bill.  They had vent windows and knobs on the dash just like my old Chevy.  They were simple to work on, I broke my accelerator cable once and ran my little machine forty miles using a rubber band.  My tool kit was a little metal box which contained an adjustable wrench, a roll of electrical tape, a Phillips and a regular screwdriver, some wire and a copy of “The Complete Idiots Guide to the Volkswagen”.  With this simple collection of objects, I could rebuild anything on the Bug.

Casper’s one of my best friends but there’s not much I can do on him with my old tool kit, there’s nothing in it that I can use to do a diagnostic reading of his computer.  Life used to be simpler.

Thought for the week—What our country really needs now is more unemployed politicians.

Until next week, may you and yours be happy and well.

Whittle12124@yahoo.com

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Book Signing at Briars & Brambles Saturday - CARPE SKI ‘EM is Phil Bayly’s Novel Celebrating Ski Life…Until Murder Muscles In

WINDHAM — Two skiers say they witnessed a woman plunge to her death from a chairlift. But the sheriff determines that this was no accident.

A ski resort in Colorado is the deadly setting for Phil Bayly’s newest Murder on Skis Mystery. It is titled Carpe Ski ‘em; A Murder on Skis Mystery.

Bayly will be signing books from 2-4pm on Saturday, Dec. 6 at Briars & Brambles Books in Windham.

Bayly said that he was excited to return to Windham, a place that he's been to more times than he can count. He raced the mountain, including at the former annual Media Ski Cup. During his time as a journalist at WNYT he was able to "ski with colleagues from the world of journalism and I was fortunate to win the race a number of times (I sort of had an unfair advantage. I was a racer by training and still competed all winter. 

But there was always some stiff competition entered; some really good racers)," he said. He is recuperating from a ski accident last March but is making a recovery through the love and support of his wife and friends.

The author of multiple locally-themed books, Bayly has long been popular in the area and on the Mountaintop. Make sure to stop by and get a book signed!

Did the skier fall from the chairlift high overhead, or was she pushed? And now her husband has vanished.

Bayly’s own experience as a skier in Colorado inspired his novel. He lived there for over a decade and graduated from Colorado State University.

Readers in the Capital Region will remember Bayly from his years on television, at WNYT-Newschannel 13. He still lives in the Capital Region.

But Carpe Ski ‘em harkens back to Bayly’s days as a college student and ski bum in Colorado.

“I’m particularly proud of this book because I found that the site I chose for the fictional Craters Ski Resort has now drawn its own backcountry skiers,” Bayly said. “We were curious about that spot back when I was in college, in the 1970s.”

Other books in Bayly’s award winning Murder on Skis series include A Small Mountain Murder, The Man Who Had 9 Lives, Witch Window and Back Dirt.  

Bayly was a journalist in television and radio for over 4 decades, beginning his career on radio in Colorado and ending it on television in New York. He now lives in Upstate New      York with his wife.

Carpe Ski ‘em tells the story of skiers and their ski town. There’s murder and mayhem. The book includes some of Bayly’s real-life adventures.

Carpe Ski ‘em is out now. It will be available for sale at independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all popular online sites.

An image of Carpe Ski ‘em and an author photo are attached.

inquire regarding books for review, book signings and interviews.

For more information, go to murderonskis.com and Instagram @ski_it_read_it. Phil may be reached at baylyphil13@gmail.com, and moskis2019@gmail.com.

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Local History by Dede Terns-Thorpe - DEATH NEAR FOR SCORES OF COPS AND FAMILIES

Recreation Camp of New York Policemen at Tannersville (Platt Clove) Burns – Many Flee in Night Attire.

A September 17, 1924 article from the Buffalo Enquirer told about the fire that destroyed the Recreation Camp of the NYC Police Camp; something I’ve always been curious about.

“Fire early today destroyed the immense administration building of the recreation camp of the New York policemen and their families, who were asleep on the upper stories of the building.

The blaze for a time threatened to destroy the entire recreation camp, covering several hundred acres furnishing a vacation retreat for the 10,000 members of the department and their families.”

The story credited the “Mountaineers”, the Tannersville volunteer fire department, who found the 3-story, block long building, destroyed. The firemen were able to limited any further damage.

One policeman, Dennis Harrington, his wife and 3 children were asleep on the 3rd floor and could not reach the steps or fire escapes. He improvised a rope out of blankets and lowered his family to safety. He was painfully burned as he slid down the burning blanket rope.

The Police Camp, which provided employment to the Mountain Top, was able to be saved by the quick action of our local firemen.

And now, since about 1990, Platt Clover’s and the rest of the Mountain Top have welcomed  our good neighbors, The Platt Clove Community.

Thanks for reading. I hope you had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Dede Terns-Thorpe/ HunterHistorian@gmail.com.

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A Thank You from Mountain Top Cares Coalition

On Tuesday, November 18, more than one hundred mountaintop friends and families entered the beautifully festive United Methodist Church in Tannersville for the annual Mountaintop Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service.

Faith leaders from across the mountaintop came together to continue this cherished tradition—where service and neighbors helping neighbors remain guiding principles. During the service, annual offerings were collected to support the mission and operations of our nonprofit organization, Mountain Top Cares Coalition (MCC).

Thanks to the generosity of those in attendance, over $3,600 was donated this year!

We are deeply moved by the size and spirit of this contribution. We will use these funds wisely—reflecting our gratitude to the neighbors who continuously step up to support recovery and hope in our community. The donations will help cover operational costs, staffing, training, and direct services for those in need.

Founded in 2017 as a grassroots volunteer effort responding to the growing substance use crisis on the mountaintop, Mountain Top Cares Coalition is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Haines Falls, with an excellent Executive Director, a trained staff and an experienced Board of Directors. We are committed to building a community where everyone seeking recovery has access to high-quality care and the resources they need to thrive.

The need is real—and it is urgent:

• In recent years, the opioid death rate in Greene County has more than doubled the upstate NY average.

• Rural counties are seeing overdose rates rise three times faster than urban areas.

• 1 in 7 Americans struggle with addiction—a crisis touching every community.

In response, Mountain Top Cares now supports approximately 150 individuals each year who are battling alcohol and substance use disorders—a number that continues to grow annually.

We offer our heartfelt thanks to the Mountaintop Interfaith Community, to everyone who attended, and to every neighbor who believes in recovery and hope. Together, we are building a community where healing is possible to.

For more information, to volunteer or to use our services, please go 

info@mountaintopcarescoalition.com or call 518-560-4278.

Jonathan

Jonathan Gross

President

Mountain Top Cares Coalition, Inc

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Annual Tree Lighting in Windham Saturday

WINDHAM — The Windham Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the return of Windham’s Annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Parade of Lights on Saturday, December 6th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM in downtown Windham. This festive community tradition continues to grow each year, and we invite you to join us as we celebrate the start of the holiday season.

The evening will begin with the Parade of Lights, hosted by the Windham Hose Company. The parade will start at 5:00 PM on Mitchell Hollow Road, travel west on Main Street (Route 23), and conclude at the Windham–Ashland–Jewett School. All are welcome to participate by entering a decorated car, truck, trailer, or float. 

Santa will arrive at approximately 5:30 PM at the Centre Church to light the town tree. Following the ceremony, he will be available inside the church for visits, free crafts, small gifts for children, and balloon twisting. The WAJ Chorus will perform traditional holiday carols, and a DJ will provide music throughout the event.

We are pleased to partner with the Windham Public Library to support Toys for Tots. Attendees who wish to participate are encouraged to bring an unwrapped gift and place it in the collection box located inside the Centre Church.

Complimentary hot chocolate, hot dogs, brownies, and popcorn will be provided courtesy of the Windham Hose Company, the PBA, and the Hensonville Hose Company. Free-will donations will be accepted.

We invite all members, residents, and visitors to come together and help welcome the holiday season in true Windham spirit. This is a free, family-friendly community event, and we look forward to celebrating with you.

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Ashland Speaks

By Lula Anderson

Another week and another Holiday gone.  I wasn't sure about the weather, and if my sons would be called to work for Thanksgiving, so I made my turkey and a ham on Sunday, and divvied it up among them so they could have dinner even if they weren't home.  As it turned out, they didn't have to work, so we went to the VFW hall and partook of the Windham Community dinner for Senior Citizens.  We went with Opal and Pat so we had someone besides ourselves to eat with.  It made the holiday somewhat special, but not like the old days when we had more family than chairs.  We went early, got home early, and everyone went their own way.  Judy's sons had to work until 3, so a late dinner was planned for them.  Bill M and Maria came over, so there were 5 vs the 15 to 25 they used to have.  Bill misses the days when the Hudecek family used to gather on the enclosed porch.  It took 5 minutes just to pass the food around.  Memories.

Since the week was broken up by the holiday, it seemed like there were two weekends in it.  Walter has been helping me with my baking, as I can't see the controls on my range and have been known to put it on broil when I should be baking.  It's nice to have someone in the kitchen with me again.  I used to have my husband help with small domestic chores, you know the ones you need an extra pair of hands to help.  Open the oven door when you have a heavy pot in your hand, open the fridge when you're struggling to put something in before the door slams shut just as you are ready to slide something in.  Ah, the struggle is endless.  Now Walter calls me to do that stuff.  

Don't forget this weekend is the Red Cross Blood Drive at the Windham Ambulance building-Senior meeting room starting at 9,  We're a little short of our goal, so please come by and give the gift of life.  

Stop in at the Ashland Town Hall for their Free Will Offering breakfast starting at 7:30 until 11:30 either before or after giving blood, then at between 10 and 4 you should head to the Windham Hensonville UMC for their annual Christmas Tea and Craft Sale.  Santa will be arriving at 2, so bring the family.  That night, stay in Windham for the Parade of Lights, starting at Mitchell Hollow Road and proceeding to the school.  Santa will be at the Center Church when he's done at the tea.

On December 13, come to the Ashland UMC annual Cookie Walk for your Holiday cookies from 11 - 2.  That night you can head down to Catskill High School for the Catskill Glee Club concert starting at 7:30.  WOW  How are we going to find time to decorate and shop??

AS I REMEMBER IT

Since I haven't published in November, I have been looking through past notes and see that I missed my recollection of Election Day.   I served on the Election Board for the Town of Ashland for many years.  I started as a Poll Watcher.  We checked out who was legal to vote, or not, made sure the voters knew proper voting procedure, and if someone needed a ride, went to pick them up.  

The next year, I was asked to sit on the board.  We had the old voting machines with the levers and button to release the curtain, which also registered the vote.  The machines in Ashland were under the "protection" of Willie Drum and Reggie Cross who would prepare them about a week in advance.  They would take them out of the closet and make sure they were in working condition.  Sometimes they needed new curtains, sometimes just a quick clean up.  The big day would arrive and we would show up at 5 AM to set up .  It would be a long day as the polls didn't close until 9.  It was in the days before the IPad, so the voter would have to go to the table to sign in.  The worker would check your name off in the book, then you signed below your official signature.  You were directed to the voting booth where you grabbed the red handle above your head and pulled to the right.  Next you checked the names and pushed the lever over the person you wanted to vote for.  When you opened the curtain, the vote was registered on big sheets in the interior.  After the polls closed, we would have to manually add up the numbers,.  Absentee ballots were opened and manually counted.   Some nights the numbers wouldn't match and we would count and recount.  When everyone checked out, the paperwork was sealed in a pouch and sent to Catskill to be verified. Machines would be packed up and sent to Catskill with our town's name on it to get ready for the following year

Everyone in town had something to do that year.   The Ashland Church woman would be busy making and selling chowder and turkey dinner.  The Ladies Aux would hold a bake sale.  Busy , Busy Busy  

One year, Mr Nendiline put his truck in drive instead of reverse and drove right through the picture window where Irene Hunt was sitting.  Luckily no one was hurt, just scared.  

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Baptiste to Exhibit 'Exotic Birds Collection' at Mountain Top Library

TANNERSVILLE — The Mountain Top Library will host a solo art exhibition featuring the work of artist Jerrice J. Baptiste on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026.

The exhibit, titled "Exotic Birds Collection," showcases Baptiste's watercolor paintings on paper. An opening reception is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the library, located at 6093 Main St. in Tannersville.

The event will feature a display of colorful avian subjects rendered in watercolor. In the event of inclement weather, a rain date has been set for Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, also from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, contact the Mountain Top Library at 518-589-5707.

Conference of exotic birds - Jerrice J Baptiste

Jerrice J Baptiste

Jerrice J Baptiste -Exotic Bird drawing

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