Doris Dee (née Lansing) Kirk, an identical twin and a lover and creator of art, died peacefully on Thursday, July 10, 2014, at Alpine Nursing Home in Little Falls, New York. She was 87.

ALTAMONT — James W. Hurley, a World War II veteran with a gentle spirit, died on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, at St. Peter’s Hospital, after a brief illness. He was 91.

Mr. Hurley was born in Willimantic, Conn., the son of the late William T. and Helen (née McCurdie) Hurley.

PRESTON HOLLOW — The tiny Helderberg hamlet of Preston Hollow was a lifelong home to Ellen M. Hillicoss Potter who served her community as a mother and grandmother, a farmer and letter carrier, and a leader for the local park.

ALTAMONT — A devoted family man, Rocco “Rocky” Fallone knew how to fix just about anything.

“His strongest characteristic was a sense of persistence,” said his son, John Fallone. “In the dictionary, there should be a picture of Rocky next to the word ‘persistence.’”

More stores and more dwellings may be signs of progress, as our 1800's editorial had it, but what about the values that dwell within, the stores of goodness and knowledge? How do we plumb their depths as the year turns?