Manchaug Pond Foundation

Remembering a Dear Friend of Manchaug Pond

It was with great sadness that the MPA learned today of the passing of Fuddy Colonero, our dam caretaker. Pictured here (center) at an MPA Annual Meeting a few years ago, there was no one more dedicated to his work than Fuddy. As an employee of the Guilford mill in Douglas, his charge was the waterlevels and dams of the Manchaug and Whitin Reservoirs.

Many of us knew Fuddy very well, seeing him each morning just after 7 a.m. checking the Manchaug Pond dam and waterlevel. He would also call the MPA often giving us details to pass on to the residents around the “reservoi” as to what he and “Mother Nature” were planning – telling me specifically how many inches we were open, what the weather forecast was, how many inches we were up or down, and how we compared to Whitins or to years past. One day he even came to my door with a gift of his delicious homemade Italian cookies. He was a friend to us and to the lake he served.

He would also be sure to tell you that the weather channel was on at his house 24/7. He knew our lake, he knew the dam, and he worked with our organization to address our concerns and issues. He watched the lowest property on the lake to keep it from flooding but yet kept the water as high as he could to keep us all happy. Yes, sometimes things wouldn’t work quite right and “Mother Nature” wouldn’t cooperate with him by providing enough snow cover or rainfall – but Fuddy had the data and knew the ins and outs of it all and would tell you about it. He worked with the association to fine tune the timing and extent of the draw down to impact the aquatic weeds and he attended Annual Meetings and a committee meeting here and there to explain the priorities of the mill and its use of our water. His commitment to Manchaug Pond was above reproach. He wore his MPA hat and sweatshirt well.

Fuddy has been greatly missed here on Manchaug Pond! and will continue to be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

http://www.legacy.com/telegram/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=119213636