By Jeanne Sager
ROSCOE — December 24, 2002 – They just don’t make people like Raymond Pomeroy.
And now that he’s gone, said grandson Raymond “Rusty” Pomeroy II, it’s going to be hard to fill a hole in people’s hearts.
The elder Pomeroy died Thursday in his hometown at 85. He left behind not only a large family of mourners, but a town stricken by grief.
At one point, Rusty said, his grandfather, a Roscoe Central School graduate, had been honored by nearly every organization that hands out thank yous and awards.
“He never looked for any of it, but he was very deserving,” Rusty said.
Pomeroy was always an active member of his community. Although the retired owner of Elliott & Pomeroy Realty was born in Massachusetts, Roscoe was truly his home.
Over the years, he held positions on the Roscoe-Rockland Chamber of Commerce, Roscoe Kiwanis Club and owned everything from the Roscoe Dairy to the Roscoe House.
“He taught me so much about community awareness,” said Pat Pomeroy, Town of Rockland supervisor and Pomeroy’s daughter-in-law. “He taught me how to live in a small town.”
Pat still remembers the day she met Raymond. She was 17 years old, and her own father had just passed away. Raymond, his wife Ruth and their son invited the teenager to dinner in their home.
“It was an act of kindness,” she recalled. “Kindness was one of those things he was all about.”
And later, Raymond would take Pat under his wing, inviting her to take over as a partner in his realty office in Roscoe, a “temporary” position that has lasted since 1977.
“He’s been my surrogate father since my own dad died,” Pat said. “It would be hard for me to put into words what he means to me.
“He taught me about integrity,” she continued. “He taught me about pride in the work that you do.”
Pomeroy had a code of honor that he stood by, she said, and in a very quiet way he taught others to uphold that code.
Pomeroy was an original member of the Sullivan County Planning Board and a former member of both the Sullivan County and Town of Rockland Democratic committees.
He is survived by his wife, Ruth A. Pless Pomeroy, three children and numerous in-laws, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
And, said Rusty, he’s going to be missed as much by the community as his family.
“He was a very special man,” he noted. “He was everything to the community.”
With just an hour to go before Pomeroy’s memorial service yesterday morning, the younger Raymond Pomeroy was looking for words to describe his grandfather.
“They don’t make people like that anymore,” he said. “When you lose them, it’s so hard to fill the void.”