Somers Family Blog

Cindy’s Memorial

pamela — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:25:55 +0000

Burning Man 2011

Henry, Jessie and Hilary and placed a memorial to Cindy in The Temple at Burning Man. Hilary made the photo montage, Henry added the note, and Jessie placed the verse by Rumi.

They placed the items in the right-most out-building. It was the last part of The Temple to fall.

Link to their album

Cindy would have loved being at Burning Man!

Picture gallery: Celebrating Cyn

pamela — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:38:03 +0000

The Bergson Group and America’s Response to the Final Solution

The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies
June 2, 2011

Dear Pamela, Andrew, and Val,

I am very pleased to tell you the good news that Yad Vashem, Israel’s central Holocaust authority, has agreed to co-host (along with the Wyman Institute) a conference on the Bergson Group, at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, on July 17. The official invitation is attached.

While this is not a complete fulfillment of our goal to have the Bergson Group acknowledged in Yad Vashem’s permanent museum exhibit, it is a very significant step forward. Moreover, July 17 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding the Bergson Group, so our conference will be a particularly noteworthy event.

You can be sure that Congressman Somers will be mentioned prominently at the conference (especially in Prof. Penkower’s lecture about the Jewish army campaign).

Thank you again for all your help in promoting this cause and helping to persuade Yad Vashem to agree to this landmark event.

with all best wishes,

Rafael Medoff
Director

Edward McCormick Somers 1924 - 2011

pamela — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:08:46 +0000

Edward McCormick Somers, age 86, died Sunday, June 12, 2011 at his home after a 12 year battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was a resident of Valatie. He was born October 21, 1924 in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of the late Congressman Andrew Lawrence Somers and Ruth Edna (McCormick) Somers.

Ed served in the U.S. Navy as a seaman second class. He worked for many years in the insurance business and then was employed in the NYS Assembly for 20 years. Among the positions he held were supervisor of the production department, assembly photographer, research assistant to the majority and staff director of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation and later staff director of the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. He retired from the assembly in 1979 and became the director of Medical and Governmental Affairs of the American Lung Association of NYS Inc. Ed later worked as legislative representative of the Public Utility Law Project of NY and retired from that position in 1989.

Ed and his family resided in Nassau, N.Y., for 38 years before moving to Valatie. He was the former chairman of the Rensselaer County Conservative Party, the Nassau Town Planning Board and the Nassau Village Zoning Board of Appeals.

Ed had many interests and had memberships in various organizations including the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the National Audubon Society and the Federation of NYS Bird Clubs Inc. He helped organize and was elected the first president of the Albany County Audubon Society from 1969-1974. He also helped organize and was elected first vice president of the Mohawk-Hudson Wheelmen in 1969. He was a former member of the U.S. Power Squadron, the Amateur Radio Relay League (N2ROS), the Mohawk Valley Art and Wood Carvers Association and spent some time volunteering at the Berkshire Scenic Railway in Lenox, Mass., as a conductor.

Ed was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and was a past grand knight of the Knights of Columbus. Ed enjoyed being with his family and telling stories about his life, including his favorite job as cowboy and trick rider at the G Bar S Ranch in Great Barrington, Mass.

Although the patriarch of our family has gone on before us, the memories of his presence, strength and fortitude will give us courage to live our lives to the fullest until we meet again. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Nancy (Hurd) Somers; and his children, Edwina (Richard) Queen, Silverdale, Wash.; Susan Somers, Nassau; Edward M. Somers Jr., San Pablo, Calif.; Clytie (Kurt) Nurnberg, East Nassau, N.Y.; Clinton (Carol) Somers, East Nassau; April Wolfe, Niverville, N.Y.; Maria (Thomas) Hebert, Sterling, Va.; daughter-in-law Sheri Somers, Coronado, Calif., and Angela Somers, Nassau. He is also survived by a sister E. Valerie Somers of Waterford, N.Y.; a brother Andrew L. Somers Jr. of Fitchburg, Wis., and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and members of his extended family. Ed was predeceased by his first wife Maria (Giallongo) Somers; his son Andrew L. Somers II; his brother Arthur S. Somers; his sisters, Andree Ross and Ruth E. Somers; his son-in-law Allan Smith and a daughter-in-law Marilyn Johnson. Funeral services will be at St. Mary’s Church in Nassau on Saturday, June 18 at 10 a.m. where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Relatives and friends are invited to call at the church on Friday, June 17 from 4-7 p.m. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Those wishing to remember Ed in a special way may make contributions to the Community Hospice of Columbia-Greene, 47 Liberty St., Catskill, NY 12414, The Kinderhook Memorial Library, P.O. Box 293, Kinderhook, NY 12106 or The Nassau Free Library, P.O. Box 436, Nassau, NY 12123. Online condolences may be offered at mooneyfuneralhome.com

Published in Albany Times Union from June 15 to June 17, 2011

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Cindy

pamela — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:40:31 +0000

Cynthia Somers Koeppel
Jan 14 1946 - Feb 20 2011

Dear Pam,
i just learned of Cindy’s passing. My husband Kurt and I send our sympathy. it does seem that there is a lot of sadness in our family at this time, but we can get through it sharing and supporting each other.

Clytie Somers

With heartfelt sympathy.

Uncle Ed and Aunt Nancy Somers

Dear Pamela,
I am so very sorry for the loss of your sister Cindy. My heart breaks for all of you. The loss of a sibling is something we (my sibs) know all to well. My love goes out to you, Hilary and Arthur. Please know that you and your family are in my heart and prayers.

My heart breaks every time I think of my brother Andy. He was my hero and my whole life I looked up to him. I wonder when it will get easier?

Know you are thought of and cared about,

Angela Somers

Dearest Pam,
I learned about your loss from an email from my brother, Clinton, while I was away, I had no idea she was so ill.

This is really no way to tell you how deeply sorry I am that you lost your sister, Cindy. I can only hope that you realize that we care deeply about you and your family members and wish to support you at this time.

I hope to come to NY in the next few days or so. Perhaps we could meet in person.

Susan Somers

Dear Pam,
I hope you are doing well and that you keep yourself busy and think of the great memories you have of Cindy and the positive she left behind. She was a wonderful person and she will be missed by all of us. You put a smile on my face regarding the “typical Cindy story”- (the story of the escaped ferrets, Fat Boy and Skinny Girl) - you are right, that is typical of her. I can remember the first time I went to her house in NJ and all the different animals she had- I could hardly walk without fear I would step on one or one would join me in the bath!

Vicky Gonzalez

Dear Pam,
I am very sorry for your loss. I was shocked to hear of Cindy’s passing. I am sure this is hard on you. I hope you are able to find comfort and the support you need to get through this loss. If there is anything I can do, please contact me.

I also would like to say I am very sorry for contacting you so late. I actually just found out. It appears everybody here thought someone else had already told me. Once again, I am very sorry for your loss.

Love,
Victor Gonzalez

Dear Pam,
I was so sorry to see the entry on your blog today, that Cindy has died. This is an awful shock, it is hard to believe that such a vibrant person is gone, and so soon. I am sorry on so many fronts: not to have seen her more recently (I think it was at Candy’s funeral that we last met up and I was certainly not at my best); not to have known sooner, and not to have been in touch with you sooner. I am so very very sorry and send my sympathies to you, the loss of a sister is hard, no one else knows you so well or shared your early life experiences so much as Cindy had. But I am equally sorry to have been out of touch for so long! Cindy’s sudden death reminds me again that we are too old to let contact slide like I have done, so I am doubly sorry. I have so many funny memories of Cindy growing up: with Smokie, with her rabbits-and the washing machine…, and her sense of fun and devilment and just general liveliness. Cindy really was full of life, I am so sorry Pam.

With love and prayers,
Steffi Ross Williams

Dear Pamela:
Please accept my sincerest sympathy on the death of your sister. Kathy and I wish you well in these trying times.

Best,
Andrew Lawrence

Marilyn Johnson

pamela — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:21:26 +0000

Marilyn Johnson
December 25, 2011

Condolences to Ed Somers, Andrew’s brother, who lost his wife Marilyn on Christmas Day. Marilyn died suddenly, of a brain aneurysm. Ed and Marilyn had been together for 28 years. Our hearts go out to Ed and his family, who so recently suffered the loss of their beloved son and brother Andrew.

Memorial Service for Andrew Somers

pamela — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:25:51 +0000

There will be a memorial service at St. Mary’s in Nassau at 10 Am on November 27, 2010. Friends and Family are invited to bring photos and memories to add to a keepsake book for his daughter, Chelsea.

SDSU:In Memorium

Andrew L. Somers II

pamela — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:37:51 +0000

Somers, Andrew L. II CORONADO, Calif. Andrew Lawrence Somers II of Coronado, died September 7, 2010, at his residence after a courageous struggle with melanoma. He was born March 21, 1959 in Kingston, N.Y., the son of Edward McCor-mick Somers Sr. and Maria Giallongo Somers. Andy was a 1976 graduate of Columbia High School in East Greenbush, N.Y. He attended Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., and in 1981 graduated from the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla. In 1984, he graduated from California Western School of Law in San Diego, Calif., and was admitted to the State Bar of Calif. the same year. He was a certified tax law specialist with a master of laws in taxation and had an MSBA in tax and financial planning. Andy was an adjunct professor at SDSU and an instructor at UCSD Extension. He sat on the Ethics Board of UCSD for clinical trials. Andy loved fishing, camping, cycling and the Prairie Home Companion, and most of all he loved being Chelsea’s dad. He is survived by his wife, Sheri Somers; and his daughter, Chelsea Somers of Coronado; and his father and stepmother, Edward McCormick Somers and Nancy Hurd Somers of Valatie, N.Y. Andy is also survived by his brothers, Edward M. Somers Jr., in San Pablo, Calif., Clinton and Carol Somers of East Nassau, N.Y.; his sisters, Edwina (Richard) Queen of Silverdale, Wash., Susan Somers, Nassau, N.Y., Clytie (Kurt) Nurnberg of East Nassau, April Wolfe of Niverville, N.Y., Maria (Thomas) Hebert of Sterling, Va., and Angela Somers of Nassau. He is also survived by many members of a large extended family and his many friends. He was prede-ceased by his mother, Maria Giallongo; and his brother-in-law Allan Smith. A service was held in Coronado and a memorial service will be planned in N.Y. later this fall.

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Share your memories, express your condolences and add photos in the Guest Book for Andrew L. Somers II.

“There will be a memorial service at St. Mary’s in Nassau at 10 Am on November 27, 2010. Friends and Family are invited to bring photos and

Drew

pamela — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:20:21 +0000

Our hearts go out to Drew Somers - our brother, son, father, spouse, cousin, friend - who we’ve just learned has been struggling with melanoma. Here is a link that Drew’s wife Sheri has set up to keep everyone posted on his condition and what is happening. There is an area to leave messages as well.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/drewsomers

Drew and Sheri and Chelsea, we send you our thoughts and our prayers for a good recovery, and most of all our LOVE.

To Our Valentine!

pamela — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:45:46 +0000

On this Valentine’s Day we’re delighted to unveil our pictorial celebration of Valerie Somers, who was born on Valentine’s Day! We don’t have her bio up yet, but we’re working on it, and encourage all to contribute their thoughts and stories and comments about our beloved sister, mother, aunt, friend. There are tales to be told — of Mexico and Ireland and before that, of Brooklyn, Monterey, New York, San Francisco. But for starters, have a look at what we’ve gathered about Valerie Somers.

(more…)

The Old Ice House

pamela — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:18:28 +0000

The cottage and ice house as seen from Lake Garfield

I’ve been told that the Monterey News received quite a few comments - all positive on The Somers Men of Monterey. I was contacted by Mike Freundlich, who sent me this picture of the cottage that his family owns on the old Somers property. Mike says:

Thank you for the story in the October Monterey News. I was the one who suggested that they do more stories about the old houses on the lake. One that came to mind was “Indian Cove”, which is on the left side entering the small lake.

There is a common road running down to the lake from the big house at the top on Rte. 23. My parents bought the house at the bottom of the hill. I think they bought it from a teacher who just got married and wanted to buy or build a motel in Conn. The Staples originally owned Lakeside Terrace (Glen Fern) as well as the boat house. The Staples sold Lakeside Terrace to the Oislanders. The Erdas bought the boat house and their daughter sold it the new owners from Australia. The boat house is now a family house with the boat part being a living room.

My father bought our property about 50-55 years ago. The “downstairs house”, as we call the cottage, has not changed in that length of time. On the property there was also an ice house on the hill above the cottage. We made the ice house into my house. It was getting too crowded in the cottage with 2 bathrooms and 4 adults and my Dad did not want kids running around the “downstairs”, so he sent us “upstairs”.

Wallace Tryon built the first version of the ice house to house myself. Wallace wrote a book about the people of Monterey, which makes interesting reading. The Tryons ran the “tea house” in the village, where we used to go for ice cream.

The ice house has since been changed and is now a 4-bedroom house with the center being the original ice house. We built around the ice house. The small cottage (”mouse house”) where my parents lived is where my sister now lives during the summer, while I and my family live “upstairs”. I found this picture of the cottage and the old ice house taken from the lake.

–Mike Freundlich

The Ice House rules!

In our day we used the ice house as a playhouse, but back when it was built (I guess in the 1920’s) it was actually used to store ice: Ice houses were buildings used to store ice throughout the year, prior to the invention of the refrigerator. During the winter, ice and snow would be taken into the ice house and packed with insulation, often straw or sawdust. It would remain frozen for many months, often until the following winter, and could be used as a source of ice during summer months. In winter months, ice was chopped from a lake surface and often dragged by sledge to the ice house, and in summer months, was delivered from local ice houses to residences in ice wagons or ice trucks, where it would be stored in an ice box, which was used much like a modern refrigerator. (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_house_(building))

Coincidentally, last summer I had the chance to meet someone else who shares memories of the cottage and ice house as a kid - Arthur Lawrence Somers, my second cousin. I had the pleasure of meeting Larry when he stopped by for a visit while on a trip north from Texas in August. It turns out that Larry and I both lived in the cottage, at different times of course, and our paths never crossed, but we both actually attended first grade for a time in the one-room schoolhouse in the Village of Monterey!

On the lawn by Lake Garfield

Larry said that he had met Valerie back then, and remembered her whizzing by in a red speedboat with some older kids, leaving Larry far behind! Larry and his brother Doug (Douglas Goffe Somers) were the sons of Arthur Lawrence Somers, who was the son of Great-Grandpa Arthur Sylvester Somers, and the brother of Grandpa Andrew Lawrence Somers. That made Larry and Doug first cousins of Aunt Valerie, as well as my father, Arthur Sylvester Somers II.

Doug and Larry Somers

Larry and I have discussed our childhood memories of Monterey, and how lucky we were to have had that magical experience. I sent Mike this picture of the cottage that I received from Larry, which was taken in 1937. The cottage still looks the same today, according to Mike:

Mouse Manor 1937

And here are some pictures of my birthday celebrations that I needed to show Mike in order to prove that I was a Somers by blood and not by marriage (unless I was a child bride…)

Below is my sixth birthday party, held on the lawn outside the cottage. You can see the boathouse in the background. That boathouse has been renovated into a home as well.

Pam, Cousin Steffi, Sister Cindy, Brother Artie

And this is a picture of an earlier birthday party which was taken on the big lawn by the beach on Lake Garfield. Lucky me — I was the one who got to celebrate my birthdays in Monterey since I was born in August

(back) Andy Somers, Pam Somers, (front) Cindy Somers, Steffi Ross

Like how we’re all smiling at the camera? That charming redhead is my Cousin Steffi!