Town of Gorham Historical Society

06/17/2026

Local Farm & Family Business

06/16/2026

Jackie and her daughter Jess ran the Old Mill House Restaurant for a few years.
Rest in Peace Jackie.

Benton/Penn Yan - Jacqueline Grace “Jackie” Ellis, 87, passed away surrounded by loved ones on Monday, June 15th, 2026.

Calling hours will be held on Saturday, June 20, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Perkins-Ames Funeral Home, 2583 East Main St., Gorham, NY 14461. A memorial Service will follow at 1 p.m. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Dresden.

Jackie was born in the town of Torrey on April 26th, 1939 to Vern and Frances (Ingraham) Johncox. Since she was young Jackie was a hard worker. From her youth, picking berries on the side of the road to owning and operating the well loved “Village Den” and finishing out her career at the Dairyman’s Diner she loved to work and keep busy. Besides working, Jackie would express her love through cooking and baking. Anytime she cooked, Jackie would make sure that no one went home hungry. She would always be last to eat, and made sure everyone left with full bellies and to-go containers filled with food. Besides cooking and baking, Jackie enjoyed playing solitaire and euchere, and loved watching the birds. Jackie enjoyed going out to eat and socializing with her friends. Above all else, Jackie had unconditional love for her grandchildren and enjoyed spending as much time with them as she could.

Jackie is survived by her husband Burton Ellis of 68 years; children Ed (Denise) Ellis and Jess (Ron) Chapin: and grandchildren Wendy Chapin, Darren Chapin, and Dylan Ellis; sisters Audrey, Joanne, Mary, Carolyn; and several nieces and nephews.

Jackie was predeceased by her parents and siblings Betty, Dorothy, Anita, Bud, Jack, and Junior.

Please visit www.perkinsamesfuneralhome.com to send a message of condolences to Jackie’s family.

06/15/2026

Canandaigua- Rodney E. Frarey, May 8, 1934 – June 11, 2026, passed naturally with his children by his side.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 27 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Canandaigua. A Celebration of Rodney’s life will follow in the church hall.

Donations are being graciously accepted in Rodney’s memory at House of John, 14 Spring St, Clifton Springs, NY 14432, or online, https://www.houseofjohn.org/donate.html

He was predeceased by his wife Margaret (Macri) Frarey, parents William and Ina (Kreppenneck) Frarey, stepmother Virginia (Rackum) Frarey, sister Ruth (Dutcher) Stell, brothers Walter, Kenneth, Gary and Terry Frarey and Charles Dutcher, and grandson Matthew Everett.

He is survived by his children Kimberlee Frarey, Lisabeth Frarey (Michael Christie), James Frarey, Eric D. Frarey (Chris) and John Frarey; many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews; his dear companion Eleanor (Short) Licht, and her children Suzanne (Tim) Hession, Rich (MaryAnn) Licht and Michelle Licht.

He graduated from Gorham Central School where he participated in Boys State and played baseball and basketball. He attended Canton Agricultural and Technical College on a scholarship, and graduated with an Associates Degree in Animal Husbandry.

He and Marge owned and operated The Fra-Mac dairy farm and her beauty shop in Stanley NY. The family moved to Canandaigua and Rodney went from dairy farmer to sales and customer service, working for Shepard Ford and Marine, Macri’s Grocery, Seneca Dairy and German Brothers Marina. He was a hard-working, affable man who was well respected in the community.

Rod loved to sail on Canandaigua Lake, grow vegetables, dance, and enjoy good food and spirits with friends and family.

Please visit www.perkinsamesfuneralhome.com to send a message of condolence to Rodney’s Family.

06/12/2026

GHS Class of 1964 Rest in Peace, Tom.

View Thomas J. Smart's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

06/11/2026

Don’t forget we are accepting donations every Monday Wednesday and Friday from 10 am - 2pm, other days and times by appointment.

Too big of a donation? We have trucks able to pick up donations. Call Beth to make an appointment.

06/11/2026

As an organization, as individuals, and supporters of doing business locally we were all so disappointed when Community Bank decided to close their Rushville branch.
Last Fall, Copper reached out to us to let us know she had joined the Lyons National Bank family and they were making arrangements to reopen the Rushville location! Our Board made the decision to jump onboard moving our banking back to the Rushville location. We are just so impressed with the investment and support they give to our local surrounding communities.
Last night, Christine surprised us by coming personally to our Board meeting and presenting us with a grant from for $10,000!
Thank you Christine Copper and the LNB Board for this blessing!

06/09/2026

What a difficult loss.

Lisa Paulison, of Middlesex, New York, passed away peacefully at home on June 7, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family.

Lisa was born in Canandaigua, New York, on April 13, 1963. She graduated from Marcus Whitman High School and SUNY Cortland with a degree in sport management. It was at SUNY Cortland that she met the love of her life, Jamie Paulison.

Lisa loved watching sports of all kinds, fishing and traveling on road trips with her family. She was always up for an adventure, especially if Jamie was by her side.

Lisa is survived by her devoted husband, Jamie, who was also her loving and steadfast caretaker. She is also survived by their children, Jessica Paulison and Andrew Paulison and his wife, Tasha; her beloved grandson, Aiden; and her faithful dog, Sydney. She is further survived by her mother, Nancy Hey; her siblings, LuAnn Modrow (Donnie), Curt Hey (Diane), Lynn McCurdy (Harry) and Craig Hey (Peggy); as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends.

Lisa was predeceased by her father, Doug Hey, and her nephew, Ryan Modrow.

Lisa will be remembered for her loyalty, optimistic outlook, unwavering faith, and deep love for her family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to University of Rochester Neuropalliative Care Clinic, in gratitude for the care and support provided to Lisa during her illness.

A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 13th at 11 a.m. at the Perkins-Ames Funeral Home, 2583 East Main St., Gorham, NY 14461.

Please visit www.perkinsamesfuneralhome.com to send a message of condolence to Lisa’s Family.

06/07/2026

Rest in peace, David.

David Lee “Cowboy” Stahlman, age 76, passed away peacefully after a long illness.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, June 13 at 10 a.m. at the Rushville Cemetery.

Memorial contributions in Cowboy’s name can be made to St. Jude’s Children Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or to the charity of donor’s choice.

Cowboy was born on February 12, 1950, to the late Lee Roy and Dorothy (Schweickhard) Stahlman. He briefly served in the Air Force in 1970. Cowboy worked at the Inn on the Lake in Canandaigua from 2005-2013. He enjoyed country music and cowboy and wild west history. Cowboy liked to spend time with his many friends in Gorham and Canandaigua.

Cowboy is survived by his sister, Brenda Fultz Smith; special cousin that shared his love of music, Haley Vanderhoof; cousin and caretaker, Pat (Bill) Whitbeck; as well as many other cousins.

Cowboy was predeceased by his parents.

Please visit www.perkinsamesfuneralhome.com to send a message of condolence to Cowboy’s Family.

06/07/2026

An historical farming business in the Gorham area! Buy and support local farmers!

Good morning to our strawberry enthusiasts!
The strawberries are starting to ripen! The warm weather that is in the forecast will help with the ripening process. We have not set a start date yet. Please keep watching for updates.
Price, start date, hours and more info to come soon.

06/06/2026

Are you a quilter, love quilts, or just a fabric fanatic?

Check out one of our donations coming in this week for our July yard Sale!

Amazing Quilter: “The stash has finally been purged. There are over 240 yards of material going to the Gorham Historical Society for their July Yard Sale along with quilt kits (most of them are partially complete) and over 10 quilt flimsies - all you have to do is quilt and bind them. Don't cry for me as I still have 8 shelves of fabric and too many WIP's.”

How lucky are we????