The phone rang and I dreaded the forthcoming news. Mary Jane Pitt, editor of The Cornwall Local had promised me an update on the precarious medical condition of 83-year-old Kenneth W. Cashman. Word here had spread rather quickly early last Wednesday that he had fallen ill and with the help of his family was receiving critical care in Middletown.

The dreaded news confirmed by MJP, whose voice cracked as she relayed it, that he had passed, shook me to my core. So many now impacted who had the honor and privilege of knowing Mr. Cashman. Conversations with local elected officials and fellow members of American Legion Post 353 ensued. Ken Cashman, a Vietnam-era U.S. Army veteran, was a longtime member of our Cornwall Post. The sober conversations and remembrances that followed centered around this description of the Monroe resident: He was humble and kind.

So just how, pray tell, does a resident of a neighboring community become so synonymous with Cornwall? In fact, if one had to characterize Mr. Cashman, it would be thusly – he was and remains quintessentially Cornwall. Across the years of covering our children at their athletic events, the sports journalist wrote poignant and compelling tales of their exploits and never pretended to be objective in his accounts. He was an unrepentant “homer.”

Truth be told, Ken Cashman bled Dragon green and white. He never made himself the protagonist in any of his writings and while serving as longtime editor of The Cornwall Local. His self-effacing columns poking fun at himself were presented under the (wink, wink) self-deprecating nom de plume, “Mr. Know-it-all.” He sang beautiful renditions of “God Bless America” at Cornwall events. He shook hands and kissed more babies than any politician around these parts. Not because he sought patronage, but because he truly LOVED our community. And we LOVED him back.

In 2021, Mr. Cashman sheepishly climbed into the back of a convertible and as he whispered to me, “accepted his fate”; recipient of one of Cornwall’s highest honors – grand marshal of the annual Fourth of July parade. In 2022, he was awarded “Citizen of the Month” by Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus. The distinction was much more a “lifetime achievement” acknowledgement than a casual monthly nod to his community commitment. Whether acting as Sunday School superintendent or chairman of Bicentennial committee, coaching Little League or Pop Warner, Kenneth W. Cashman lived a lifetime of service and he will be desperately missed.

After we rightly grieve his passing, we celebrate his life and ensure that his principle of community involvement remain enduring. He certainly set an example for all of us to aspire to emulate.

Personally, I will miss his visits to Village Hall to ensure that something he was going to publish was accurate. I’ll miss his wry smile and the twinkle in his eyes as we fiercely debated the appropriateness of the Oxford comma and whether a volleyball serve ace was a “true ace” or not – if the opposing team touched the ball.

Godspeed, Mr. Cashman. You left the world a better place than you found it. You will never be forgotten in your adopted hometown of Cornwall.