Shirley Jean (Corey) Parker

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Shirley Jean (Corey) Parker, 90, of Mattapoisett passed away peacefully in Hospice Care at Tobey Hospital on Friday, September 22, 2023. She was the beloved wife of the late Allen T. Parker for 61 years and the daughter of the late Manuel and Eleanor (Lima) Corey.

            Shirley was born in Boston and spent her early years in Lexington, New Bedford and Fairhaven before moving to Rochester where she served on the Rochester Planning Board for several years. In 1981, she moved to Mattapoisett where she lived until her death.

            Shirley retired from New England Telephone Company in 1990 as a Right of Way Supervisor in the engineering department of their New Bedford office.

            Shirley was a member of the Telephone Pioneers Association, Tobey Hospital Guild, Old Dartmouth Historical Society, and the Long Plain Museum in Acushnet. She also volunteered at the Fairhaven Council on Aging for several years and was a member of the Brandt Beach Improvement Association. Her hobbies included reading, making jigsaw puzzles, travel, music and gardening.

            Shirley is survived by her two sons, Craig Parker and his wife Doreen of Rochester, and Barry Parker and his wife Pauline of Fairhaven. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jennifer (Parker) Duffen and her husband Shawn of Windham, NH and Michael Parker and his wife Tara of Bristol, RI. Her great-grandchildren include Aiden Duffen, Connor Duffen, Scarlett Parker, Jared Turchetta, Teagan Parker and Tobias Parker. She was also the sister of the late David Corey of Acushnet and Buzzards Bay.

            A celebration of life ceremony will be held at the Saunders-Dwyer Funeral Home at 50 County Road, Mattapoisett on Friday, October 6th at 10:30 am with a reception following at the Century House in Acushnet. Shirley’s family will be receiving guests prior to the service from 10-10:30 am.

            She will be greatly missed and always in our loving memory as a strong and generous woman. For online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com

Stephen Patrick Hayes

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Stephen Patrick Hayes, 82, of Marion, MA passed away peacefully on Friday September 22, 2023. He will truly be missed by all who knew him.

            Born August 23, 1941 in Concord, NH, Steve attended Georgetown University and earned an MBA from Babson College. He later served as a lieutenant is the United States Army. His career included roles as a CPA, corporate comptroller, and entrepreneur.

            He will be remembered by those who knew him for his sense of humor in the face of adversity, sharp intellect, good nature, and a staggering knowledge of trivia.

            Steve is survived by his wife, MaryAnn, daughter, Susan, son, Jay, and four strong, good looking, and above average grandchildren.

            In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Community Nurse Home Care of Fairhaven or the Marion Council on Aging in Steve’s name.

            A private service will be held at the request of the family. A celebration of life will be held at Kate’s Simple Eats, 148 Front St., Marion, MA on Saturday, November 4th at 1 pm.

            Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. For online guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com

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Bernice L. (Decker) Sylvia, 93, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at St. Luke’s Hospital.

            Born in Stephentown, NY, daughter of the late B. Franklin and Eleanor Decker, Bernice came to the area shortly after her high school graduation with her twin sister Janice Ellis. Tagged as a duo, Bernice and Janice were often known to match their outfits in a way only twins can.

            Bernice worked for John I. Paulding and later as an inspector at Titleist. In her spare time, she enjoyed sewing, knitting, and crocheting. She was an avid Red Sox fan, watching even when she would accidentally switch the audio to Spanish, and could be often found working on crossword puzzles or word searches. At home she proudly displayed photos of her grandkids and family, and found joy in keeping up her yard, often out there until the last stick was tidied from her lawn.

            She is survived by a son, Eric Sylvia and his wife Sharon of Rochester; four grandchildren, Shayna, Danielle (and husband Ryan Magano), Evan, and Ally; and several nieces and nephews. She was the wife of the late William (Bill) Sylvia; mother of the late Barry Sylvia; twin of the late Janice Ellis; and sister of the late Stanley Decker, William Decker, Armand Decker, and Shirley Tavares.

            Her visitation will be Thursday, Oct. 5, 4-7 pm at Rock Funeral Home, 1285 Ashley Boulevard, New Bedford, MA 02745. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jimmy Fund, c/o Dana Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168 or jimmyfund.org. For online tribute/directions: www.rock-funeralhome.com

Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee

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On Tuesday, October 10, the Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee will hold its October meeting from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the Mattapoisett Library, 7 Barstow Street. Matt Dems invites all Tri-Town community members who share their progressive values to attend and share their ideas Topics to be discussed range from how to protect the right to reproductive freedom in the Commonwealth, protecting the right to vote, protection of civil rights of all residents of the TriTown especially in our local schools, and strategic planning for the 2024 primary, municipal and general elections. We welcome folks of any age but would like to specifically invite our local high school students to come sit in on one of our meetings to see if Matt Dems is a place for them. We are looking for some fresh new ideas for younger voter outreach. Hope to see some new faces.

            For more information, please reach out to Nicki Demakis, Chair of Matt Dems at ndemakis@tidlaw.com. Visit our website at mattdems.org/ or visit our Matt Dems Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MattapoisettDTC.

Rochester Woman’s Club

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The next meeting of the Rochester Woman’s Club will be held on Wednesday, October 4 at 6:30 pm. The club house is located at 37 Marion Road in Rochester. Our membership is not limited to Rochester residence.

            Originally, this club was an auxiliary of the Men’s Country Club, known as the Rochester Country Club. Meetings were held twice a month at the Men’s clubhouse located at the ball field on Mary’s Pond Road. In 1928, as the club continued to grow, they moved to the vestry of the First Congregational Church. At this time ceased to be an auxiliary and now were organized as the Rochester Woman’s Club.

            As the club membership grew, the members felt a need for a clubhouse. In 1932, they purchased land from Mrs. Arthur C. Kirby and the construction of the clubhouse began.

            For more information on the amazing history of the Rochester Woman’s Club or for general information about membership, call or text Marsha at 508-322-0998.

Harbormasters Office

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To The Editor:

            Opinion – Rebuttal…Taxpayers should reconsider new Harbormasters office.

            In all reasonable discourse, the key to any position is the understanding and proper use of the facts. In a recent Opinion piece, “Taxpayers should reconsider the new Harbormasters office” the writer seems unclear of the applicable facts. We would like to correct some of the misinformation.

            First and foremost, the design and construction of the proposed new Harbormasters office is completely funded through grants and harbor fees. In addition, every penny of operational cost of the Harbor Department is funded by harbor generated revenue. The Harbor Department operates from monies generated through grants, excise taxes and fees from resource users which includes boaters, shellfish workers, waterfront businesses and general users of Sippican Harbor.

            The writer goes on to ask, “How does one access the Harbormasters office when the ground beneath the office is under twenty feet of water?” Hurricane Bob in 1991, one of the most significant hurricanes to hit Marion, had a maximum storm surge between 12 and 15 feet above mean sea level. The new Harbormasters office has been specifically designed and engineered to withstand a storm more severe than Hurricane Bob and remain functional.

            The writer asks “Who will pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance costs to insure the Harbormasters office? The taxpayer?” Again, the answer is no. The taxpayer does not contribute in any way through their taxes to fund the costs of insuring Harbormaster assets, both vehicles and buildings.

            The writer concluded by stating that “the several millions of dollars saved on this extreme and extravagant project could be used for vital community projects.”  Massachusetts General Law prohibits the transfer of funds from a project such as the new Harbormasters office to any other town project unrelated to the waterways. In addition to the statute restrictions, the grant money received is also tied to the new building and cannot be utilized for other purposes and most likely would have to be returned.

            The new Harbormasters office will also meet the American with Disabilities Act and a variety of insurance requirements the current facility does not. It will be a safe working environment for the employees and will accommodate the equipment needs in support of harbor activities. It will be a welcoming community facility for residents and people visiting Marion and Sippican Harbor.

Greg Houdelette

Marion Marine Resource Commission

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence. All letters must be typed and submitted directly to: news@wanderer.com.

Self-Storage Case Continued

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            Plans are in the works for a 15-acre self-storage facility off Cranberry Highway at Route 28 and Kings Highway.

            Petitioner JPF Development’s engineer Bill Madden told Rochester’s Planning Board Tuesday night that the facility will combine four large lots and include 180 small, self-storage units and 64 others. Fencing will surround the site, and landscaping will enhance the view of the property from the highway. A roadway will provide firefighting access to the site.

            Madden said he intends to file the project’s permit application within a week. The Approval Not Required application to combine the lots has already been filed and will be on the Planning Board’s agenda on Tuesday, October 10.

            Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson noted where project approval might run into a problem. He complained the current plan shows the draining basin is within 100 feet of a wetlands buffer zone and wanted to know why Madden could not adjust the basin’s location. Madden assured Johnson that he could either make the basin smaller or simply take great care that the work will not touch wetlands, “with the proper direction,” Madden said.

            “You should get to the Conservation Commission at the same time you file with us to avoid complications,” Johnson advised.

            Madden said he does indeed want to file with the Planning and Conservation panels concurrently.

            Johnson also warned the plan does not include hydrants within the site. “The Fire Department will want hydrants. There will be pushback,” he said.

            Johnson added that the project’s official public hearing probably will be set for the board’s October 24 public meeting.

            The Planning Board began Tuesday night’s meeting by approving an Approval Not Required application for the proposed subdivision of a 22.6-acre lot at 572 Snipatuit Road, but the board could not act on the Special Permit to develop the two lots.

            The petitioner’s representative, Brian Wallace of JC Engineering based nearby in East Wareham, explained that one lot has an existing home on it but that the back lot is vacant but developable. Because the person whose name is on the application is not the current property owner, the board continued the public hearing to Tuesday, October 10, so that confusion can be cleared up.

            Next, the board approved the Marijuana Establishment Draft Decision that will allow Megan’s Organic Market to open at 621 County Road. The vote was near unanimous. The lone dissenting vote came from Chris Silveira.

            Johnson then updated the board on the work of the Public Safety Building Feasibility Study Committee that he chairs. He reported that the Feasibility Study is complete and options are being considered. He said the Select Board will be asked on Monday, October 2, to dissolve the Feasibility Study panel and form a Building Committee. He hinted that all options to build an addition to the Police Station and build a new Fire Station will be expensive and will require a debt exclusion override vote.

            The Rochester Planning Board will meet next on Tuesday, October 10, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Planning Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

Boba Stand Generates Special Gift

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Two children with local ties took a time-honored tradition and turned it on its side, then did a very good deed.

            One weekend this past summer, seven-year-old Ruby Cambra and eight-year-old Emma Grace Daniel went into business together at the end of a Rochester driveway but not to sell lemonade.

            Ruby, a New Hampshire resident whose grandparents Mike and Ann Cambra live on Clapp Road, had become fast friends with Emma, the daughter of Andrew and Nichole Daniel of Marion. The two children even learned that they are distantly related, so when Ruby would make her monthly weekend visits to her grandparents’ home, Emma was not far away.

            Ruby had just received various flavors of boba tea, the trendy (and expensive) drink made from tapioca pearls. Colorful and fruit flavored, Ruby and Emma soon put those pearls to work at the end of the Cambras’ driveway.

            Their boba tea business was doing well when Nichole went on Facebook to invite people to stop by and try out the kids’ concoctions. Soon thereafter, cars parked on Clapp Road, and visitors were educating them in the ways of boba tea.

            They charged only a dollar – boba tea retail prices typically range between $3 and $7 – and the response was overwhelming, as their two-day business venture yielded approximately $250.

            But that’s only the beginning of the story.

            The many people who stopped by the Clapp Road driveway to try the boba tea, left tips totaling $102 that Ruby and Emma donated last week to the Fairhaven Animal Shelter.

            In a grateful gesture for their generosity, Fairhaven Animal Control Officer Terry Cripps gave the girls a tour of the facility, where they held kittens – Ruby’s favorite and dogs – Emma’s favorite. Cripps explained to them how those funds would be used for food, towards the costs of veterinarians’ visits and many other expenses.

            “Nichole put it on Facebook, people just came,” said Ann Cambra. “Bringing the tips was the (children’s) idea. I called the Fairhaven Animal Shelter, Terry was just a wonderful guy. He said, ‘I’ll show them around and show them what a hundred dollars does.’”

            “They were so excited to come to the Animal Shelter and have a tour and just see all the animals and play with all the animals,” said Assistant Animal Control Officer Abigail Griffith. “As soon as you walk in … there’s the cat rooms and small animals in cages in the hallway. Their eyes just lit up, they ran over to them.”

            Run by Cripps and Griffith, two officers in Fairhaven’s Police Department, the Samuel C. Barrett Animal Shelter is the town’s municipal, open-door shelter and works with neighboring public and private shelters such as All about the Animals in Rochester. The Barrett Animal Shelter is open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm not only by appointment, but visitors are encouraged.

            Beyond Cripps and Griffith, the shelter is supported entirely by volunteer help and donations.

            “We love having visitors come see the animals … the more socialization for the animals the better. The more word gets around, and the faster they get adopted,” Griffith said. “We’ve seen an increase in kids having lemonade stands and asking for donations for their birthdays. It gives us hope for the future that these kids care about the community and want to help the animals … it warms your heart.”

By Mick Colageo

Officer Comes Home to Protect, Serve

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            Tuesday night’s meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board was more like a celebration. The Mattapoisett Fire Department community meeting room was full to capacity with officers from the Mattapoisett Police Department and many smiling family and friends. The occasion was the formal introduction of two new police officers, Isaac Perry and Benjamin Church, and a request by Chief Jason King that two sergeants, Justin King and Scott LeBlanc, be promoted to lieutenants.

            During his introduction of the two new police officers, Chief Jason King spoke to the level of professional competency the two new members possess.

            Of Church, King stated, “he comes to us with three years’ experience as an officer with the Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, Police Department.” King said Church has completed his field training. Church is married with four children and is a 2009 graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School.

            King then introduced Perry, the former Marion harbormaster who just completed his first summer season as Mattapoisett’s new harbormaster. Also a graduate of ORRHS (1992), Perry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and is married with five children.

            King moved on to promotion of officers, saying, “I would like to thank the Select Board and town administrator for the support of these positions.” He went on to say that the position of lieutenant is demanding, requiring advanced skillsets such as control, operations and support of not only the Police Department itself but also EMS and the Marine Department and ensures enforcement and compliance with the general laws of the state. Further, King pointed out that lieutenants must also uphold policies, procedures and regulations of the Mattapoisett Police Department.

            Sergeant Justin King earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Western New England University. He is currently on track to secure a master’s degree from UMass Lowell. Sergeant King is a 1997 graduate of the Massachusetts Police Academy in Plymouth and is a certified EMT.

            “Sergeant (Justin) King has performed many duties and assignments for the past 28 years,” Chief Jason King stated. The sergeant has been the town’s safety officer, fleet manager, Marine Patrol officer, and was instrumental in the development of SEMLEC, Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council’s motorcycle unit. Sergeant Justin King is also a Massachusetts Police Training instructor.

            Sergeant Scott LeBlanc received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Bridgewater State College and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from UMass Lowell. He graduated from the Massachusetts Police Academy in 2003. LeBlanc earned a captain’s license and over his 25 years with the department has worked in Marine Patrol as well as being a supervisor in EMS and detectives and has worked on cases that brought forfeiture money back to the town. Before Perry’s appointment, LeBlanc handled the daily operations of the harbormaster’s office. LeBlanc is married with two children.

            Select Board member Jordan Collyer moved that LeBlanc and King be promoted to lieutenants. Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger performed the swearing-in duties. The pinning ceremony included the officer’s daughters placing the new badges on their fathers’ coats. Rounds of applause followed.

            Earlier in his presentation of officers, Chief Jason King said, “police recruitment across the U.S. is still at historic lows.” He said the task of finding and keeping qualified candidates is difficult. “Policing is not just a profession, it is a calling, a commitment to serve and protect. It is a vow to uphold justice, to stand against injustice and to be there for those in need.”

            At the beginning of the meeting, the Select Board moved to open the 2023 Special Town Meeting Warrant for the November 6 Special Town Meeting. The next regular meeting of the Select Board was not announced.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

New Exhibit at the MAC

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 The Marion Art Center announces its newest exhibit, The Macy Women, featuring paintings by sisters Beth Macy, Deborah Macy and Margaret Macy. Show dates are September 30-November 3, with an artists’ reception scheduled Saturday, September 30 from 3:00-5:00 pm.

            Separate Lives; One Epiphany of Color – Three sisters born of artistic heritage unite their art to tell their individual stories. Discover expressive, illuminating palettes of color with styles unique to each artist.

            The artist trait is a thread that unites the women in the Macy family. Three Macy sisters, Deborah, Beth Heather, and Margaret, have each exhibited professionally for decades, but showing together has more meaning to them. They have dubbed it “a celebration of our spirits and gifts with a unique family ribbon on top.”

            Beth Heather rejoices in nature and depicts the world around her with bold, impressionistic brush and palette knife work, often capturing the beauty of the marshes and shorelines around her Massachusetts North Shore home. Deborah Beth of New Bedford shows her love of the antique and romantic spirit as she spins tales through her superb figurative work. Margaret Rose of Maine uses gem-like color in her florals and landscapes. She started painting as a child, documenting the rural landscape around her home in Westport.

            To learn more and preview the show visit the MAC online at www.marionartcenter.org/on-exhibit.