Kevin Neary, for years the mayor and champion of Richmondville, died Sunday.
Although he had an accomplished career in emergency management, Mr. Neary was probably best known as a community man––one who frequently lent a hand to others in Richmondville and Schoharie County.
“He was very community-minded,” said Jeff Haslun, who served with him on both the Richmondville and Cobleskill-Richmondville school boards.
“He looked out for people who didn’t have much. That’s the kind of person Kevin was.”
Others echoed those words, noting that Mr. Neary never sought the limelight. Randy Crapser, former Bank of Richmondville president and another friend, recalled Mr. Neary’s kindnesses.
“We had dinners at the firehouse, you know, chicken barbecues,” he said. “Kevin would buy a dinner and take it to a family that didn’t have much.
“One day, we needed new flags at the cemetery, so I called Kevin to ask where we could get some. The next thing I knew, he ordered them.”
Mr. Neary was first elected mayor in 1997 and served in that office for nearly 25 years. He was reluctant at first to run for office, but George Davis, who had been mayor for 20 years, urged him to do so.
“My father influenced him to run,” said Gary Davis, a trustee on the Richmondville Village Board. “And Kevin was good at it. He always had the best interests of Richmondville at heart.
“Kevin always said he didn’t want to beat my father’s record [years as mayor], but he did,” Mr. Davis added, chuckling.
After college, Mr. Neary first worked at General Electric before becoming Schoharie County’s Civil Defense director.
Reflecting on that job when he was chosen as the 1998 Times-Journal Star, Mr. Neary remarked, “It gave me a way to give back to people,” which described much of his life––professionally and in the community.
Mr. Neary later worked for the state Emergency Management Office and not only responded to major disasters––like 9/11 in New York––but also instructed in disaster preparedness and response around the country.
Back home, one of the ways he gave back in the county was as an organizer of the Community Thanksgiving Dinner, which began in 1987. He coordinated the meal every year, culminating in a record turnout last November, 590 dinners.
“He did a lot of good things for everybody, like the Thanksgiving dinners,” said Cliff Hay, who chairs the county’s Democratic Party.
Mr. Hay and Mr. Neary, also a Democrat, worked on many campaigns, but Mr. Hay remembered him more as a Good Samaritan.
“Kevin did a lot of little things,” Mr. Hay said. “He knew everybody’s birthdays and would stop and say hi to them.”
Mr. Davis agreed, adding that Mr. Neary “helped people in ways other people never knew.”
As mayor, Mr. Neary directed many village projects, and Mr. Hay noted that having the community support him for nearly a quarter century was testimony to his devotion to Richmondville.
“I don’t know how we’ll replace him,” Mr. Crapser said. “It’s a big, big loss.”
“They just don’t make that kind of person any more,” Mr. Haslun added.