Dear Lon:
We first met at a Jaycees meeting in an upstairs classroom at Doc Fry Community Center. At that point you had aged out of the organization and I had just joined. At the meeting you described the past activities of the Jaycees and the value of community service. I will never forget that meeting and the time working with the Warwick Jaycees. For me you were part of a whole group of new friends who shared a common desire to better our community.
Over time our paths crossed often whether at a civic activity or reporting for the Dispatch covering an event. Through the many interactions and projects we’ve become friends.
Lon, I cherish the years we’ve worked together to make our community a better, stronger place. You have had an impact on so many of us whether your work as an educator, or your civic involvement as a Jaycee and a Lion.
We seem to be a community of ribbon cuttings and photo ops that you’ve covered for the newspaper. For years I’ve kept a folding chair in my trunk just in case you needed a seat. I plan to keep it there – just in case.
Lon, you mean so much to us in Warwick. We will miss you as a kind volunteer, a caring citizen, hardworking, loyal, a man of great generosity, humility and eternally a true Warwickian.
Thank you Lon!!
Your Friend,
Mayor Michael J. Newhard
Thank you Rosita for sharing Lon with us for all these years. When you are wed to a man like Lon, you are wed to a community. We are grateful.
The next Village Board meeting is the Village’s Re-Organization Meeting. It will be held on April 3rd at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Warwick.