The Marion Republican Town Committee will conduct its next monthly meeting on Monday, November 10 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall, 164 Front Street, Marion. The public and new members are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there.
Sundays at the Rochester Historical Museum
We will be open throughout the Fall on Sunday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The exhibit will be open for viewing and while they last, we’ll have fresh cranberries for sale. It is a good idea to check with Connie at 617-750-2818 or Sue at 508-295-8908 to make sure that we have coverage. We are also happy to open by appointment.
Walter L. Reid Jr.
Walter L. Reid Jr., 85, of Mattapoisett passed away peacefully on November 5, 2025 at WestView on Main in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, alongside the shimmering waters of Buzzards Bay.
Amid his lifelong focus on empirically grounded truth rather than convention, he did not bother to attend his graduation ceremonies at Manasquan High School in New Jersey or Lehigh University where he secured a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He focused instead on envisioning, designing and building things: A beautiful Dutch colonial house in Mattapoisett that he designed and built mostly with his own two hands and a little help from local friends. A reliable yet cheap expendable bathythermograph commissioned by the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, enabling crucial real-time data collection at low, low cost. Dozens of patented golf-related inventions for the Acushnet Company – where he spent the bulk of his career, including as Director of Engineering for Titleist & Footjoy Worldwide – from ball core and dimple designs to manufacturing equipment and even a method for matching a golfer with a specific golf club, golf ball or style of play. It’s probably fair to say that legions of golfers who find joy in the sport have been blithely clueless about his contributions to their enjoyment. That was the point. Walter’s effective yet typically unseen creative labors were a feature, not a bug.
Even during his retirement, devoted principally to curating and piloting a succession of recreational motor boats, Walter collaborated with his eldest son Brian on the invention and garage-built assembly of a reliable ultra-low-cost automated water sampler for the study of Patagonia’s ecosystems.
He leaves behind his wife of 58 years, Madeline, and three children – Brian (Anna) of Chilean Patagonia; Susan of London, UK; and Robert (partner Cheryl) of Austin, Texas; as well as two grandchildren – Karel and Tomás. He also is survived by his sister Barbara Richert (Steven Lipsitz) of New York, NY and Worthington, MA, and his brother Robert (Bonnie) of New Jersey and Paradox, NY. He was predeceased by a panoply of beloved tail-wagging companions, from Susie (after whom his daughter was named) to Cindy, Marnie, Lily and Tess.
By some estimates, Walter reached a lifetime peak of maintaining 37 things with motors. He leaves behind a workshop and shelves full of power and hand tools that were actually used with great precision for their intended purposes, as most DIYers could only dream, as well as a Chock-Full-O’Nuts can filled with screws, a broad array of nails, machine parts, epoxies, caulks, brushes and other implements and instrumentalities of craftsmanship that now attest in their dusty silence to a productive life well-lived.
A man of few words, he especially eschewed swearing and never adopted the Massachusetts custom of lobbing offensive epithets at fellow drivers on New England’s impossible roads. He just drove faster than everyone else.
A father of his era, he entrusted almost all elements of child-rearing to his beautiful wife Madeline, and mostly was involved in all the fun stuff – teaching the kids, to varying degrees, to ride bikes, ski (on snow and water), somersault and cartwheel, build and deploy rockets and Pine Wood derby cars, fish, snorkel, explore tide pools and spot centuries-old Wampanoag arrowheads on the pine-needle strewn ancient ways of Tinkham Forest. He also taught driving the old-fashioned way, using the Dennis Mahoney’s parking lot on slick days to demonstrate what not to do – specifically, the results of slamming the brakes while speeding. And he (mostly) uncomplainingly tolerated each of the kids’ efforts to learn to play musical instruments, from piano to trombone, clarinet and even drums.
May he now rest ever in peace.
BBC Gets Green Light to Restore Bog
Rochester’s Conservation Commission Tuesday approved the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s Notice of Intent proposal to ecologically restore a former 240-acre cranberry bog at 0 Walnut Plain Road by issuing the plan a positive Order of Conditions with special conditions.
The plan here includes removal of berms, culverts and irrigation lines, and filling and re-grading bog surfaces and ditches to the goal of creating “recreational improvements” and returning the land to its natural state. BBC Project Representative Sarah Gonsalves said the independent peer review of the plan has been completed and no significant concerns were raised. “We are taking the property back to its natural state and hydrology,” she said. Project Engineer Alex Patterson elaborated that the peer review’s comments were only on minor details of design. “No significant issues,” he said.
Conservation Commission member Michael Gifford noted his take on the comments was that they were asking BBC whether the plan would make the property better or worse. “Their consensus seemed to be it will be an improvement of the habitat there,” Patterson countered. “Trees will grow in their natural condition.”
Before the approval vote, Russell and Wendy Keeler of Walnut Plain Road and the Rochester Land Trust praised the plan. “I am grateful they (the BBC) are coming to town,” said Russell Keeler. The special Order of Conditions the board set for its approval include requiring a notice of the start of work and the commission to be continuously notified as each phase of the project begins.
In other action, the commission judged a plan to construct a 25×40-foot metal building at 15 Wolf Island Road that will sit partially within the 100-foot wetlands buffer zone as not needing wetlands-protection permitting. The board did so by issuing it a Negative Determination of Applicability but with conditions including the installation of silt barriers at the wetlands’ edge.
The board issued a Certificate of Compliance for the construction of a single-family home with attached garage and driveway at 527 High Street, work that occurred within the 100-foot wetlands buffer zone and an existing cranberry bog. This vote came after Conservation Agent Merilee Kelly reported successful completion of the new home and lawn.
The commission issued a Certificate of Compliance for the construction of a single-family home with attached garage and driveway at 490 High Street, work that occurred within the 100-foot buffer zone of an existing cranberry bog and within the 200-foot Riverfront area. Here, too, Kelly reported that house and lawn were complete and looking good.
The commission continued to its next meeting the hearing on the Request for Determination of Applicability for a proposal at 756 Snipatuit Road to relocate a drainpipe that currently runs under the house and level a backyard within the 100-foot buffer zone of a vegetated wetland.
The commission continued to its December 2 meeting the Notice of Intent hearing for the construction of a single-family home with associated grading at 0 Robinson Road, within the 200-foot riparian zone to a perennial stream.
The next Rochester Conservation Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 18 at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Conservation Commission
By Michael J. DeCicco
ORRHS Drama Club Presents ‘Murder Mystery at the Murder Mystery’
Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Principal Michael Devoll are proud to announce that the Old Rochester Regional High School Drama Club will present “Murder Mystery at the Murder Mystery,” a comic murder mystery with a storyline that features a play-within-a-play.
The comedic play will be performed at the Old Rochester Regional High School Auditorium at 7:00 pm on November 20 to 22, as well as 2:00 pm on November 23. General admission is $12 per ticket, and $10 for students and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased in advance by scanning the QR code on the event flyer or by visiting this Eventbrite link.
Set at the fictional “Murder Mystery Playhouse,” this fast-paced and hilarious whodunit written by playwright Brian D. Taylor follows a troupe of actors rehearsing a delightfully corny production called “Putting A Little Southern On It.”
But when the lights go down during a scene and come up on a very real corpse, the performers find themselves caught in a real-life mystery. As police investigators, critics and playwrights descend upon the chaos, the actors must replay the scene again and again — each time with another shocking “victim.”
What follows is a play-within-a-play filled with outrageous accents, theatrical satire, and a mind-bending finale that turns the murder-mystery genre on its head.
Leading roles in the Old Rochester Drama Club production are being played by a cast that includes Tessa Ripley, Lincoln Fauteux, Charlotte Cook, Amanda Tomasso, Tenley Lane, Gianna Annunziato, Raegan Correia and Luca Cabral. Max Chace is serving as student stage manager for the production.
Old Rochester Theatre Director Brayden Fanti will direct the show, with help from Vanessa Medeiros, the drama program’s new assistant director.
“This show is a perfect blend of mystery, comedy and meta-theater,” said Director Brayden Fanti. “Our students are having a blast bringing this script to life, especially when it comes to the challenge of playing actors who are themselves trying to solve a murder. It’s a smart, funny play that’s full of surprises. Audiences are going to love it.”
“Old Rochester’s theater program continues to amaze us with its creativity and professionalism,” said Principal Devoll. “This production gives our students a chance to show off their comedic timing, stagecraft, and teamwork in a really fun and clever way.”
“The arts are such an important part of the Old Rochester experience,” said Superintendent Nelson. “We’re incredibly proud of our drama students and staff for continuing to create performances that engage, entertain, and inspire our school community. We look forward to the curtains going up and seeing what’s in store.”
From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society
Recently there was mention of early talk of separation between the town of Rochester and the Mattapoisett section of town. The 1736 organization of the second precinct was about the creation of a Second Church of Rochester and had no change in the governmental structure of the town. However, at this period of history very little of Rochester’s infrastructure was carved in stone.
It’s interesting how much was fluid in the early Rochester area. Road names came and went with both names and boundary changes that would confound many cartographers. A lot of the descriptions of new roads being created relied on the property under a specific owner’s name. Also, deeds and roads often relied on impermanent markers, such as trees, stones, and small streams. Some of those streams seem to have come and gone.
In 1699, it was “voted that the meetinghouse shall be sit on the westerly sid of the long Bridg”. This has puzzled many looking back at old Rochester as it has not seemed possible that there was any “long Bridg” in the center of Rochester. Additional study has determined that there was a trout brook behind houses which are today on Rte. 105. Possibly, there could have been a bridge in that area. While that area may have been wet enough to need a bridge, by the 1800’s, the land was dry and arable.
Even the town of Rochester went from being in Barnstable County to Plymouth County without moving at all. Most know the story of the homeowner who lived in three towns without moving from his house. Mr. Abiel Robinson petitioned the state in 1826 to change the Rochester town line from being in Rochester, Plymouth County to Fairhaven, Bristol County. His reasons for the move were based on the fact that he worked at the Registry of Deeds in Bristol County, sold real estate there and the schools were less crowded. Amazingly, the set off was granted. Then, in 1860, the town of Fairhaven was divided with Acushnet being set off which then placed his house in Acushnet.
When the towns of Marion and then Mattapoisett separated from Rochester, changes to boundaries and street names were made. While many were happy with the changes, there was one Rochester resident who was adamantly against any change. Capt. David Lewis was Captain of a small sloop and a man well thought of in his community. At the bequest of his “fellow townsmen” he took charge of the town’s “poor farm”. He moved into 269 Marion Rd. (the last house before Marion) and ran the poor farm for four years. After that, he was the agent for the poor and at one time he was the Town Clerk.
In 1850, Capt. Lewis was appointed to a committee formed to consider Marion’s separation from Rochester. He was strongly opposed to the idea of separation and though he lived closest to what would be the new town line, he was reported as saying, ” I was born in Rochester and in Rochester, I mean to live and die.”
By Connie Eshbach
Tri-Town Veterans Day Happenings
Rochester – The Tri-Town Veterans’ Office in conjunction with The Friends of the Rochester Senior Center hosts its annual Veterans Dinner and Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, November 11, in honor of our community’s veterans.
While seating for the dinner is limited due to space constraints, the ceremony will be livestreamed on Facebook beginning at 6:00 pm for all who wish to watch and listen. Our guest speaker is Connie Eshbach of the Rochester Historical Society and there will be remarks from Town Officials and community members. Please join us online as we pay tribute to Rochester’s heroes, both past and present.
Marion – The Annual Marion Veterans Day Ceremony will be held at Old Landing Veteran’s Park on Front Street on Tuesday, November 11, at 11:00 am. Our guest speaker is Colonel Jonathan F. Henry, U.S. Army (Retired). The Sippican School Band led by Mrs. Hannah Moore will perform selections of patriotic music. Please join the Town of Marion as we honor our Veterans.
Later that day the Marion Council on Aging will host a luncheon at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center at noon for veterans, active-duty service members, spouses and guests. Please RSVP for the luncheon by November 7, 2025, by calling 508-748-3570.
Mattapoisett – The Tri-Town Veterans’ Office with support from the American Legion Post 280 and the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club will host its annual Veterans Day Ceremony on November 11 at 10:45 am at the Mattapoisett Center School, 17 Barstow St, Mattapoisett. The ceremony will feature remarks from town officials and entertainment the Showstoppers and The Old Hammondtown Band. Veterans, families, and community members are encouraged to attend and take part in recognizing those who have served.
The event is free and open to the public. The event will begin outside of Center School on Barstow St. and after the ringing of the bells at 11:00 am the event will move inside for the remainder of the ceremony.
From the Tri-Town Veterans Office -Thees events honor the courage, service, and sacrifice of the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. “Veterans Day is a moment to come together as a community to express our gratitude to all who have served,” said Chris Gerrior, the Tri-Town Veterans Service Officer. “It’s also a reminder of the work we continue to do every day to support veterans and their families here at home.”
If you have any questions about Veterans Day Events in the Tri-Town or any questions relating to state or federal veterans’ benefits please reach out to the Tri-Town Veterans Office at 508-758-4100 x212 or veterans@mattapoisett.gov.
John Thomas Gray
John Thomas Gray, age 100, of Trumbull, CT peacefully passed away November 5, 2025, at his residence at Middlebrook Farms surrounded by family. A member of The Greatest Generation, he was born on September 23, 1925, in New York City, NY to the late William Alexander Gray and Mildred (Holden) Gray. He graduated from Pelham Memorial High School in 1942. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and proudly served during WWII from 1943 to 1946 and was an Ensign aboard the USS Defense in the Pacific Theatre. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1947. He loved “The Big Green” and was proud to be the first of three generations of graduates. He married Doris Moore Gray at Huguenot Memorial Church in Pelham Manor, NY and they were together for 70 years prior to her passing in January 2025.
John worked in marketing and advertising for Booz Allen Hamilton, BBDO New York, Best Foods, the Guild Bascom Bonfigli agency in San Francisco, Ralston Purina in St Louis, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Mama Mary’s Pizza. John was a former Elder and Sunday school teacher at Huguenot Memorial Church. He was also a member of Mattapoisett Congregational Church in Mattapoisett, MA, and former member of Toastmasters International.
John was an avid golfer and enjoyed sailing, writing poetry, reading, playing Bridge, sudoku and other games. He also loved to sing and dance, and played harmonica and piano. He most enjoyed spending time with his family. His pride and joy were his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and pets.
In addition to his parents and wife he was predeceased by daughter Susan Leslie Gray Cmejla, her grandson Craig S. Lancaster, his three brothers Duncan Gray and wife Jean (Campbell) Gray, William Gray and wife Joan (Blanchard) Gray and James Graham Gray and wife Joan (Fitzpatrick) Gray.
Survivors include his devoted children William Alexander Gray (Lynnette Cubeta Gray), Linda Gray Connolly (Jay Connolly), Karen H. Gray (Tracy Djerf), his brother-in-law Harvey M. Moore, Jr.(Vicki Moore), loving grandchildren, William, John and Lauren Gray, Kelsey Connolly Crawford (Ben Crawford), Ian William Connolly, Keith Lancaster ,Jenny Cmejla Herbst (Gregg Herbst) and Jeff Cmejla, his cherished great grandchildren Charlotte and Jack Crawford, and Caylin and Ashlyn Herbst, numerous nieces and nephews and his cat Penny and granddogs Lincoln and Silas.
There will be a celebration of life and military service for John on Saturday, November 15 at 11:00 am at Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 27 Church Street Mattapoisett, MA 02739. Interment will take place at a later date at Huguenot Memorial Church, 901 Pelhamdale Ave. Pelham Manor, NY.
Memorial contributions may be made to Moby Kit Rescue (Mobykitrescue.org) or Mattapoisett Congregational Church.
Arrangements in care of the Cyril F. Mullins Funeral Home, 399 White Plains Rd. Trumbull, CT. For more information or to leave an online condolence please visit mullinsfh.com
November Reflections
November deserves the last flourishes of fall. Too many people go directly into Christmas from Halloween as though guided by commercialism.
Not me. “The trail doesn’t end here,” I tell myself. Yet some folks will skitter away, their energy flagging, their enthusiasm waning, their journey complete. November is upon us and so is the choice: to chill or not to chill.
Many have a tendency to turn inward. People begin to burrow, persuaded by the fading daylight and cooler temperatures. No doubt these nesting instincts are a reflection of nature as the animal kingdom recedes and the plant world winds down.
Yet there are those of us who would still like to venture out and be a part of this fabulous season. As I set out on my bike ride Saturday, I took in many similar-minded people; walking, cycling, even skateboarding. The life around me continues as before. The neighbor’s children are heard in some outdoor game, and over the other side, my neighbor Jim is still tending his glorious gardens, just as energetically as he did in June; digging, potting, tending – making it look so easy and so worthwhile.
Of course, I can’t pretend it’s June, though one can have moments that are summery in the fall, depending on the day’s disposition. Sunday was one such – spent sailing Buzzards Bay – like reenacting July… the sun kept us warm, apart from when the sails momentarily blocked it out. We returned home to the warmth of a blazing fire pit – a creature comfort that we will rely on through winter.
The inescapable inwardness will eventually happen – whether huddled in your eiderdown or outside in the bracing air. Fall invites reflection, even on a warm day. Personally, I prefer to experience it out in the fresh air – taking the wicked with the gentle. Fall is a season of textures and every one of them rekindles a memory…
The leaves underfoot take us back to those that we waded through in the schoolyard. It’s a familiar pattern ingrained in us, magnified by their acrid, decaying scent. The noisy rustle they made as we raked them up high and jumped in is readily retrievable. Because we were children once, we dared touch everything and that left an impression that can still be tapped.
Aromatic pine needles and cones that blanketed the front yard are associated with pumpkin carving, as this is where my children and I set up shop, carving our jack-o-lanterns every year, often having to blow on our hands to keep them warm. In fact, the smooth flesh of the pumpkin makes an interesting counterpoint to the delicate resiny needles… in a weird way, they were meant to be together.
On the banks of ponds, the milkweed pods are bursting open to reveal their fluffy, silky, seedy floss that we used to scatter, then would watch it in fascination, floating through the air, unwittingly planting more in the process.
The tactile forces of nature abound: The velvety cattails out in the marshes, the showy seed heads of various ornamental grasses and the ubiquitous goldenrod – now rather scrappy looking – which seems to have a reverse pointillism – the flowers become more defined as you get up close. Just think, these plants are the very descendants of our childhood landscape! We might not have known what they were called, but we took the time to notice them, to hold or pick them, as they were part of our dominion.
Even if we follow a hand’s off approach, fall’s motherlode of sensory details enlivens us. The muted colors of once vibrant asters and ferns indicate their expiration date, while the tangled shoots of untended roses resemble fiendish tentacles from a children’s fairy tale. And hark, the sibilance of leaves coupled with the groan of a tree limb further animate the scene. You can be totally alone out on the trail and still feel the company of nature. Fall doesn’t fade meekly away. Nor do I want it to.
I will continue to light the jack-o-lanterns for a few more nights and find a purpose to pursue out in the garden. That is something I never lack.
“Like the fruits, when cooler weather and frosts arrived, and we shifted from the shady to the sunny side of the house and sat there in an extra coat for warmth – we too were braced and ripened.” – Henry David Thoreau
The Seaside Gardener
By Laura McLean
William’s Fund
To the Editor;
A neighbor-to-neighbor appeal for Tri-Town students.
My name is Sheilah Sullivan. I’ve lived in Marion for 32 years, raised my children here and had the outstanding experience of teaching at Old Rochester Regional High School for 25 years. Working together with students – and sometimes with their families – in the community I live in was a privilege.
Over the years, I saw how often a student’s biggest challenge wasn’t in the classroom, but at home: when the oil tank ran low, when a parent lost work, or when a child needed new glasses their family couldn’t afford. Those needs, when unmet, make it hard for any student to thrive.
In 2010, my family and I started William’s Fund, named after my father, to quietly and quickly help students and families in moments of crisis. Growing up on the Cape in the sixties, I learned that neighbors look out for each other – and that small kindnesses matter most when times are hard.
William’s Fund is a 501c3 nonprofit that provides assistance for hardships that arise unexpectedly and impact a student’s well-being – oil deliveries and utility bills, gift cards for groceries and clothing, eyeglasses, school supplies, and bedding for emergency camping or short-term housing, are examples.
In the last two years we have distributed almost $42,000 in emergency assistance. This year, we expect needs to rise.
Confidential referrals for assistance are made by the school social workers. The district does not benefit financially in any way.
If you’re able, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help our local students stay safe, warm, and ready to learn.
You can donate online through our secure website (www.orrwilliamsfund.org) or by check to William’s Fund, Inc., c/o Sheilah Sullivan, 39 Lewis Street, Marion, MA 02738.
A letter with necessary information for tax-deductible donations will be provided.
Thank you for helping us continue what this community does best – taking care of one another.
If your employer matches gifts, I’d encourage you to submit your donation for a match to stretch your impact. To learn more or ask questions, email me at shesullivan@gmail.com (subject: William’s Fund).
With gratitude,
Sheilah Sullivan
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.