At 95 years of age, John passed away on Wednesday Oct. 14 th at the Falmouth hospital with his loving daughters at his side.                Born and raised in Boston’s West End, he was the beloved son of the late Alexander and Karolina Tkaczuk. John attended and was graduated from Boston English High School.  During WW II he enlisted into the US Navy on Nov. 18, 1942.  During the war he was an Aviation Ord...

Helen E. Confalone passed away peacefully at her home in Chatham on October 9, 2020. Born in Chatham in 1926, Helen was raised during the years of the Great Depression and World War II. She was chosen as Miss Chatham in 1943 and graduated from Chatham High School in 1944. After school, she worked for New England Telephone Company assigned to the Chatham Office. It was as a telephone operator that she met her husb...

Robert H. Ericson of Harwich, October 16, 2020 at age 91. Beloved husband of Jacqueline (Remillard) Ericson with whom he shared 69 years of marriage. Bob was predeceased by his parents Emil and Vivian Ericson as well as his two sisters, a brother and son, John Ericson. He is survived by his wife Jacqueline (Jackie) Ericson, their children Robert H. Ericson, Jr., and his wife Julie, Melanie Ericson and her husband...

Ann Steidel, age 57, died on October 18 with her family by her side at her home in Harwich after a courageous 2-year battle with cancer.               The youngest of nine siblings, Ann was born November 11, 1962 in Bronxville, N.Y. to Richard and Margaret Murray. She attended Roosevelt High School and Elizabeth Seton College in Yonkers N.Y. In 1990, she married the love of her life, Arthur Steidel, and the...

Stephen H. Erwin, 89, of Harwich, died on March 26, 2020 in Sarasota, Fla. He was predeceased by his parents James and Teresa Erwin, wife Denise, brother Jim, and sister Helen. He is survived by several nieces and nephews and his long-time partner Barbara A. Tomasian, and his beloved dog Max.             He grew up in N. Quincy and was a graduate of N. Quincy High School, the New Hampton School, Boston College...

CHATHAM – A half century ago, while working for Bell Labs, Michael Tompsett invented an image sensor chip that became the world's first digital camera. The first-ever digital photo was a picture of his wife, Margaret, which ended up on the cover of the January 1973 edition of Electronics Magazine. Last week Tompsett was honored for his achievements, which included work to reduce the size of bulky television ca...

CHATHAM – As the Chatham Children's Fund prepares for the holiday season, a local business has stepped up to help meet what is anticipated to be a higher than usual demand for assistance to local families. Broad Reach Healthcare has offered to match up to $500 in gift card donations to the organization. Due to the pandemic, rather than shopping for clothing and holiday gifts for local families, the Children's ...

CHATHAM – The replacement of sidewalks in the west end of the downtown business district begins Monday, Oct. 26, and the concurrent repaving of Cross Street will limit pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area through mid-December. Sidewalks will be replaced from the rotary to Library Lane on the north side and Cross Street on the south side. The work began at Library Lane; crews will work west to the rotar...

CHATHAM – A piece of Chatham history that was thought to be lost may be returning to town. The Coast Guard boathouse that stood on the shores of Stage Harbor from 1936 until 2009, when it was taken by barge to Quincy and later moved to Hull, was slated to be auctioned Thursday. But a local resident who had previously headed an effort to keep the structure in town was able to convince the current owner to pull ...

CHATHAM – Selectmen last week rejected an allegation that the signing of a federal airport grant contract by the town manager violated the Open Meeting Law, but agreed that greater transparency was appropriate for some ad hoc committees that had previously not complied with the law's requirements. The Open Meeting Law complaint was filed by James Fulton, who alleged that the law was violated when Town Manager ...

CHATHAM – For Dan Meservey and other West Chatham business owners, it's deja vu all over again. A decade ago, businesses struggled through several seasons as sewers were installed along Route 28, limiting and sometimes shutting down access completely. Last week, major construction began on the West Chatham Roadway Project, and although the road is ostensibly open to traffic, long delays and the torn-up surface...

The Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) and the town of Harwich Conservation Department have been chosen to jointly host an AmeriCorps Cape Cod member three days each week from this fall into summer 2021. The AmeriCorps member, Caroline Stephen from Marlborough, graduated from Roger Williams University in 2016 with a degree in psychology. They have done two terms with AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Co...

HARWICH — By all accounts, Peter Luddy was a man of community. He stood out under his pink ball cap. He loved Harwich and its people. Mr. Luddy, 66, who served as a selectman for seven years, passed away at home on Friday. Mr. Luddy moved to Harwich from Waterbury, Conn. in 1989. He established his painting business and shortly thereafter opened a paint and decorating shop. He was a gregarious character always...

HARWICH — Emergency repairs have been made to the roof of the historic West Harwich Schoolhouse, which has been vacant for more than two decades, during which the town has wrestled with what to do with the 1871 building. Selectmen Chairman Larry Ballantine said he received an email from former selectman Peter Hughes who had been at the former schoolhouse and noticed holes in the roof. Hughes recommended the to...

HARWICH — Opposition is building to the 100-unit apartment development proposed on 12 acres off Route 137 in East Harwich. There is a petition circulating seeking to block the development and at least one member of the board of selectmen is speaking out against the project. Selectmen this week agreed to hold a public forum next Monday on the proposed development based on the mounting opposition. A presentation...