Tuesday, December 20, 2022
It is with a profound sense of loss that we remember these very active NEMBA leaders who died in 2022.
Philip Keyes: Going back nearly three decades Philip was president of NEMBA before being hired as NEMBA's first Executive Director. A position he served in for 26 years. Many of NEMBA's successes over the years were due to Philip's efforts. He was instrumental in developing NEMBA's local chapter program. He was the face of NEMBA when dealing with land managers, government agencies and grew what was a small advocacy group into the internationally recognized organization that it is today. Philip passed away on 11/16, 2022 after a traffic accident.
Housatonic Valley NEMBA lost two very active members.
Chris Del Sole of Oxford CT passed on Dec. 9, 2022 after an illness. Chris was an active member of HVNEMBA, taking on the role of secretary, leading rides, advocating, and maintaining trails. He was often seen at Rockhouse Hill Preserve with one, two or all three of his children in tow. He supported all Rockhouse Hill events. He was always smiling and would do those thankless tasks that no one else would do. He will be missed.
Andy Engel died suddenly on March 22, 2022 .He was one of HVNEMBA’s more active maintainers and kept George Waldo SP free of blowdowns and built hundreds of feet of much needed boardwalks. He served on the HVNEMBA board as member at large. He was known for his wonderful rock work as well. He had dry sense of humor that we all appreciated. He helped several Scouts finish their Eagle projects in the park as well.
