by Trail Sweep Staff | Feb 18, 2025 | In Memoriam
Joe Racanelli was a ski patroller at Stratton Mountain, Vermont from 1977-1981. He passed away at the age of 84 on July 25, 2024, on Long Island, New York. Joe considered himself a “full-time volunteer,” skiing as often as he could.
Joe was born into a multi-generational family construction business on Long Island. He was one of six brothers. His son, Brian, reported that Joe loved to hike and ski. On a trip to Tuckerman Ravine, Joe fell and broke his leg. He had it set and cast in New Hampshire, then drove himself back to Long Island. ‘
Arriving home, he sat in his car and repeatedly blew the horn. When his family came out to the driveway to investigate the commotion, they found that Joe needed to be lifted from the car because of the large cast on his leg.
Joe insisted on repeating the Tuckerman adventure the following year. He hiked in, climbed, skied down, and was pleased that he didn’t suffer the same fate as the last time.
When not skiing, Joe often played golf in Vermont at Haystack Mountain and, in later years, at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Joe is survived by his brothers John, Eugene, and Anthony; his wife Patricia; daughters Connie and Jenny, and son Brian, as well as seven grandchildren.
by Trail Sweep Staff | Feb 18, 2025 | In Memoriam
Nathaniel “Nat” Florian, 85, lifelong Southington resident, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 27, 2024. He is joyously reunited with his son Kristopher and all of those who have gone before him. Nat was born in Southington, CT, on October 6, 1938, to the late R. Steuart and Ethel (Tolles) Florian and was gifted with the nickname “Tweet.”
He attended Southington schools and graduated from Southington High School, Class of 1956. Nat earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from MIT and worked at and eventually jointly owned and operated the American Standard Company, Inc., for 50 years. Nat enjoyed working in the business for 20 years with his son, Sean, and daughter-in-law, Beth.
The company was otherwise known as Florian Tools, based on the family’s invention of Ratchet-Cut Pruning tools patented by Steuart, Nat’s Dad, in 1963.
Nat loved his country and was very patriotic. His strong faith in the Lord was a guiding principle in his life and he and his wife, Judy, were members of Christ-Life Fellowship headquartered in Dallas, TX for many years.
He was a talented musician and played the violin and the viola, sharing his love of music with his wife and son. One of his favorite pastimes was jamming with his family.
Nat was also a passionate skier and served on the ski patrol at Mount Southington actively for 52 years and retired for six more. Nat was one of the first ski patrol members at the mountain with his wife. He enjoyed every minute with his fellow ski patrollers and considered them all close friends. He enjoyed the “cook-offs” in the patrol room. Periodically Nat was bestowed the winner of the cook-off with his hand-made construction paper star.
Nat’s love for skiing was passed down to his son Sean, who began skiing at 2 and racing at 6. This passion was then passed on to his grandchildren, Austin and Erika. By legacy, Nat has influenced hundreds of others through ski racing and freeskiing.
Nat is survived by his best friend and devoted wife of 64 years, Judith (Bowman) Florian; son Sean E. Florian and his wife Beth (Charamut) of Southington and two grandchildren, Austin Florian and his wife Erica (Kosienski) of Southington and Erika Phelps and her husband William of Montana. He is also survived by two brothers, Don Alan “Pucky” Florian of Marion, David W. “Squig” Florian and wife Honey of Southington, one sister, Diane “Denee” Chase of Blue Hill, Maine, and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his son Kristopher, Nat was predeceased by three brothers, Roy “Benny” Florian, Jonathan “Finny” Florian, and Walter “Kiki” Florian.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Nat’s memory may be made to the National Ski Patrol, Eastern Division, Specific Patrol, and specify Mt. Southington in the notes, and in memory of Nathaniel Florian (https://givebutter.com/national-ski-patrol-system-inc-eastern-division).
A memorial service was held on October 15, 2024, at the Plantsville Funeral Home, 975 S. Main St, Plantsville. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family. For online condolences and directions, please visit www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com.
by Trail Sweep Staff | Jan 18, 2025 | In Memoriam
Joseph James Mosa, 96, of the Weatogue section of Simsbury, CT, beloved husband of Jean (Seymour) Mosa died Thursday, December 5, 2024, at his home. He was born March 5, 1928, in Somerville, MA, the son of the late Joseph Anthony Mosa and Frances Mosa, and had lived in Weatogue for over 60 years. Joe was a veteran of the U.S. Army having served in the Korean War.
Joe graduated from Kansas State University with a Master’s degree in Education. He was a teacher, coach, and Athletic Director at Conard High School for the town of West Hartford until his retirement in 1995. Joe was also a member of the Geritol Swingers golf group at Simsbury Farms Golf Course. Most of all Joe had passion for his family.
The Butternut Patrol gathered with family and friends to share stories and celebrate Joe Mosa’s life, a man whose passion for skiing and unwavering dedication to ski patrol defined his journey. He lived a life filled with purpose, where the safety of others was paramount. His ultimate goal was always to teach, demonstrate, and acknowledge his team called the Butternut Ski Patrol.
Joe had a lifelong passion for skiing. He joined the ski patrol in 1966. rising to become the patrol director at Ski Butternut in Great Barrington, MA. During his 35 years of patrolling, he achieved his senior patroller status and took courses in Avalanche and Mountain Travel and Rescue. In 1975 he was awarded National Appointment #4727 and in 2002 a Distinguished Service Award. After retiring from active patrolling, he joined the National Ski Patrol’s Alumni Association running an annual alumni event hosted at Butternut. He was invited to join the Dinosaurs, an invitation-only group of retired ski patrol leaders that gathers annually to tell tall tales and reminisce. He continued skiing until his death, always stopping to say hi in the patrol room.
In addition to his wife of 70 years, he is survived by his daughter Deborah Mosa and her husband John Connors of Northport, NY, his daughter Leslie Pelzar and her husband Chris of Simsbury, CT, his granddaughter Lindsay and her husband Michael of Scituate, MA, and his precious great-granddaughter and playmate Taylor Margaret. Joe is also survived by his brother Anthony Mosa of Essex, CT, his sister Marion Kerrigan of Franklin, MA, and many wonderful nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made to Butternut Ski Patrol, 380 State Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230 or butternut.myskipatrol.org.
by Trail Sweep Staff | Jan 18, 2025 | In Memoriam
It’s with a heavy heart and great sadness that we announce the passing of one of our own. Ron “RD” Dallago conducted his final sweep on December 23, 2024. RD joined the Blue Mountain Ski Patrol in 1990 and over the years served in many roles. There are very few patrollers in the Eastern PA Region and Eastern Division of the National Ski Patrol system and even fewer at Blue Mountain Resort that he hasn’t helped in some way. He will be greatly missed by many!
Ron, 76, of Northampton, PA, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 23, 2024, at Lehigh Valley Hospital Inpatient Hospice Care in Allentown, PA. Born September 18, 1948, in Allentown, PA, he was the son of the late Norman Dallago and the late Isabelle (Matuskowitz) Dallago.
Ronald was the Owner/Operator of Insulation Service Professionals (ISP) in Northampton, PA for over 30 years before retiring. He enjoyed skiing and was a member of the National Ski Patrol, serving at Blue Mountain Ski Resort, Palmerton, PA, and Spring Mountain Ski Resort, Schwenksville, PA. for years. Ron was also a member of the PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America).
He enjoyed the game of golf and was coordinator of two Senior Golf Leagues, Tuesdays and Thursdays at Twin Lakes Golf Club, Allentown, PA. for the past several years. He was a member of the Raccoon Club, in Northampton, PA. An avid sportsman, he participated in and coached wrestling at Parkland High School and was an East Penn Fast Pitch Softball league member for many years, most memorably on the Duke’s Pub team.
Ron is survived by his daughter, Dora M. Zion, wife of Richard Zion of Palm Coast, FL; sister, Michelle D. Mackowiak of Whitehall, PA; Niece, Nicole R. Gutierrez; and great-nephews, Donovan and Landon. He was predeceased by his sister, Barbara J. Dallago Vera in 2019.
by Eva Silverman | Jan 18, 2025 | In Memoriam
Gregg Goldstrohm was many things to many people, son, husband, father, grandfather, orthopedic surgeon, firefighter, lifeguard, gardener, cattle farmer. To the Seven Springs Ski Patrol, he was a ski patroller. A darn good ski patroller.
Gregg joined Seven Springs Ski Patrol, Western Appalachian Region, as a candidate in 2000, going alumnus in 2018. He worked the mountain every Saturday and Gregg worked hard. On a busy Saturday, he would continuously ski injured guests to the Patrol Base, never taking a break. Gregg cared for those guests as if they were patients in his own practice.
He spent time explaining the injury to the patient and then to the patrollers working the Patrol Base. He was kind, considerate and caring to everyone. Gregg was not one to care about awards, however, during his career, he earned a Purple Merit Star and a Blue Merit Star. He was also an OEC Instructor.
Gregg would start his shift by dropping off some special baked goods that he baked from scratch. His brownies were a crowd favorite. What Gregg enjoyed most about being a Patroller was the camaraderie. On a slow spring afternoon, you would catch Gregg and other patrollers on duty, kicked back on the porch of one of the huts, enjoying the sun and sharing some tall tales. They swapped a lot of stories. Gregg could talk to anyone about anything.
Days after the Boston Marathon bombing, the Western Appalachian Region was contacted by the Medical Director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and asked to assist as First Responders for the Pittsburgh Marathon. As an orthopedic surgeon, Gregg could have participated under UPMC. But instead, he volunteered as a Ski Patroller.
Gregg continued his membership in National Ski Patrol until his death in October 2024.
by Trail Sweep Staff | Dec 18, 2024 | In Memoriam
Read about the patrollers who have completed their Final Sweep by clicking the In Memoriam page.
by Jeff Paston, CNY Historian | Dec 18, 2024 | In Memoriam
Song Mountain Ski Patrol in the Central New York Region of Eastern Division has lost another former patrol leader. Doug Scharbach, who served on the Song patrol for more than 30 years, passed away at his home in Manlius, NY, on November 14, 2024. He was 90.
Doug was the Song patrol leader between 1988 and 1990. He was well respected and known for his low-key demeanor; traits he no doubt developed from his service in the US Navy and later as a manager in the lumber business. It was at one of his jobs that he saved an employee’s life in 1979 using skills learned on the ski patrol. For that action, the NSP awarded Doug a Purple Merit Star, and the Eastern Division bestowed him with its William Gross Memorial Award.
A graduate of the New York State School of Forestry at Syracuse University in 1955, Doug enlisted in the Navy and served as an ensign following Officer Candidate School (OCS). His Naval career placed him as a maintenance officer in two squadrons on and off aircraft carriers on the east coast and on the Mediterranean during the ‘Turkey Crisis’ of 1957-58. He was discharged as a LTJG in 1959 and moved to Norwich, NY, taking a job as assistant sales manager at a lumber company. He became a Deacon at his church, president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, and was instrumental in building a small ski area there called Penguin Peak.
In 1965, he took a new job and relocated to Manlius. He joined the ski patrol, where he used his leadership skills to further enjoyment of skiing and the outdoors. To that end, he also enjoyed sailing, canoeing, hiking, climbing the Adirondack High Peaks, camping, golfing, fishing, and hunting. He loved woodworking, building furniture, and making holiday decorations.
But most importantly, Doug enjoyed his family. A native of Schenectady, he married his childhood sweetheart Lynn and they were together for 69 years. Both would agree that their lives were strengthened and enhanced by membership in their church.
He is survived by Lynn and their three daughters, LeeAnn, Heidi, and Gretchen; five grandchildren; three great-granddaughters; and a sister.
by Laura Tucker, Editor | Nov 18, 2024 | In Memoriam
Peter Landon Hawley of New Hartford, CT died on “Kilobyte Day,” October 24, 2024. Even though he loved and understood how digital machines work, Peter would have cared little that his earthly life ended on 1024. He was practical and not sentimental. Peter cared deeply about others and lived for three things: To race, to ski, and most of all, to be helpful to others.
The meetings of the Hartford Track Club, of which he was president for over 20 years, and of the Hartford Marathon Foundation will be a little shorter, without Peter to remember the nuances of the myriad details of conducting a road race.
Peter served on the ski patrol of Ski Butternut for 44 years after college and three years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Since 1990, Peter had been a first aid and outdoor emergency care instructor. In 2014, he received the Eastern Division Patroller Achievement Award. His Patrol Director Stew Bartner said Peter was the first to report to work every day that he was on duty with the patrol.
Peter began running at age 35, briefly following in the footsteps of his brother Tim and then soundly beating him for 37 years. Many are the runners who were outkicked to the sound of Peter’s size 12 Brooks Beasts coming out of nowhere.
Peter completed 49 marathons including several in Boston and every Hartford Marathon from the inaugural race in 1996 through 2022. He always helped set up the course, too. He “did” the Mt. Washington Road Race three times and ran probably more than a thousand other races.
We are thankful that he was not hit by a car while training for a marathon before dawn or when crossing the Founder’s Bridge on his bicycle to certify the Hartford Marathon course. And that he fully recovered from the mild stroke he had a few years ago. We are thankful for the many years he was a friend, co-worker, mentor, and brother.
Peter graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional H.S. in 1967. He became an FCC-licensed radio technician, then served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps (graduating first in his class at signal school), and graduated from Wabash College in Indiana. Together with his father and brother, Peter built a house where he lived for 35 years.
At Al’s Seafood, he applied his listening and computer skills to improve processes. As an astute IBM AS400 tech with business knowledge, Peter found a role at Hartford Technologies and worked there until he retired in 2019. Peter volunteered to help the Connecticut Forest and Park Association maintain CT Blue Trails.
Peter was the eldest son of Kathleen Lamphier Hawley and Samuel Seymour Hawley. He was predeceased by his parents, brother John, and sister Karen. He is survived by his brother Tim, nephews Sam and John, niece Kirsten, and many friends in the Butternut Ski Patrol, Hartford Track Club, and Hartford Marathon Foundation.
A memorial service was held on Saturday, November 16 at Rocky Hill Congregational Church followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Great Mountain Forest Foundation in Norfolk, CT, or volunteering to help the Hartford Track Club conduct a race would be welcomed.
Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on Thurston Rowe Funeral Home’s memorial page and share them with the family.
by Lisa Rabideau | Nov 18, 2024 | In Memoriam
With deep sadness and a very heavy heart, the Titus Mountain Ski Patrol had to say goodbye to fellow patroller Rick Finch. On Thursday, January 18, 2024, Rick was involved in a fatal accident on a ski lift at Titus Mountain while on duty. Rick was loved by all on our patrol and the staff at Titus Mountain who knew him.
Born on November 7, 1955, to George and Virginia Finch, and brother to Vic (Dorothy) Finch, Jim (Gail) Finch, George (Betty) Finch, and Tom (Shirley) Finch. Rick grew up in Clare, Michigan, and had a childhood filled with adventure. He was a musician and athlete – setting the stage for his lifelong love of sports and music.
He married Sherry (Deaton) on September 1, 1979, but they started dating in 1974, so they get credit for a full fifty years of partnership. They both attended Aquinas College and lived in several mid-western towns and cities as Rick pursued his medical education and a career that allowed him to regularly feel the adrenaline rush that he loved. They moved to Malone in 1989 where Rick could combine his love of the outdoors and activity with a career in emergency medicine.
They had two children; a daughter Adria Finch (Patrick Engle) and a son James Finch (Brittnie Finch). He was grandfather to Alesandra Finch (16), Serenity Finch (8), Anderson FinchEngle (6), Lilah Finch (5), and Elin Finch Engle (2). By watching him, Rick’s children and grandchildren learned so much about balancing hard work with the things that bring them joy. Consequently, they have many of the same interests and skills ranging from home improvement projects, to golf, to watching a car race.
Rick was a physician’s assistant in emergency medicine and later became a surgical assistant to local orthopedic surgeons. He was a part of the medical team of the Clarkson University Hockey Team.
Rick joined the Titus Mountain Ski Patrol in 1993. He wore many hats within our organization; as a consultant on our medical review team, lift evacuation instructor, and mentor to many patrollers. Rick also took active involvement with our candidates assisting anyone who needed extra help with ski and toboggan. He enjoyed many activities besides his love of skiing. Rick loved motorcycle riding, tinkering around the house, and spending time with family. He loved a good NASCAR race; and an occasional cold beer.
Titus Mountain honored Rick by having a last radio call. We will never forget you, Rick, and thank you for your service to our organization. You will be missed. May you rest easy, your shift has ended. Rest in peace.
Eastern Division is developing a backpack safety campaign called “Rick’s Rules” to honor Rick and increase safety for all the skiing and riding public.
Read about other patrollers who have completed their Final Sweep by clicking In Memoriam in the red bar at the top of the page.
