Gallery | Formats | Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect

All she wants for Christmas is for people to remember her brother — to gift his gift.

Of course, in facing a first holiday without him, if it were truly up to RFH grad Adrienne Ley O’Connell, she’d rather have that brother, Tom “Cooper” Ley, back. But, since she can’t have that sparkly, neatly wrapped present of her brother’s physical presence, she’s chosen to gift herself with the ethereally messy sharing of his art.

In following her Cooper-inspired Earthly journey, Adrienne is making sure he’s remembered and offering a little help and connection to those lost, as he once was, along the way.

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Our annual Veterans Day tribute … (Click on the right corner icon to enlarge and the arrow of the above slideshow. WAIT for it to upload and play. Click one of the photos in the above gallery to enlarge and scroll.)

Their faces are the faces at the core of a close-knit community. Some have passed. Some are still with us. They are cherished. They are veterans.

They were and are neighbors, dads, and just plain friendly faces around the Rumson-Fair Haven area towns.

They served. They fought for freedom.

They lived and still do live their lives with hometown pride, honor and respect. They were, they are founding fathers, friends. They were, they are cornerstones of the sense of community that is the Rumson-Fair Haven area.

The gift of their legacies bears no upscale real estate market value. They passed along a love of country and community that is priceless.

Thank you, on Veterans Day, to the veterans of the area who have passed and those who are still with us. You are cherished, honored.

Take a look at some of their faces and remember the legacy they carry.

— Elaine Van Develde

— Photos, courtesy of families of the Rumson-Fair Haven area.