Republicans mourn passing of 'Heartbeat of Lewisboro' Dean Travalino

Dear Editor,

It is with profound sadness and deep respect that the Lewisboro Republican Town Committee acknowledges the passing of our esteemed community leader and dear friend, Dean Travalino. Dean was a pillar of our community whose dedication to the Town of Lewisboro and its residents leaves an indelible mark on all who knew him.

The passing of Dean is a grief felt deeply not only by those who loved him most, but by the entire community of Lewisboro that he gave so much of himself to over so many years. We were fortunate to know Dean as a neighbor, a community leader and a friend. He was someone who defied easy description, a man of remarkable intellect, deep civic commitment and an extraordinary personal courage that inspired everyone around him. Dean’s love for this town was genuine and abiding. Whether it was his tireless work for the Wolf Conservation Center and the Lewisboro Baseball Association, his years organizing the South Salem Concours d’Élégance at the Library Fair, his leadership on the Town’s Advisory Committee for the Disabled and as Chairman of the Cable Television Advisory Committee, his devotion to the Sanctuary Series, or simply his presence on the veranda of the Horse and Hound on a Friday evening, Dean made Lewisboro a richer, more vibrant place.

What perhaps set Dean apart most was the quality of his character. He was a man who held his views firmly yet always with an openness to the other side, a rarer virtue than it should be in public life. Dean could debate passionately with anyone across the political spectrum and leave the table with the friendship intact and everyone a little wiser. In a time when civil discourse has become so scarce, he modeled something we could all aspire to.

And through it all, through every challenge life placed before him, Dean carried himself with a grace and dignity that left a lasting impression on all who knew him. His wife Liza’s tribute to him said it beautifully: the accident allowed the true essence of Dean to shine through. That essence, his courage, his integrity, his belief in people and community, was a gift to all of us.

We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Liza, son James, his mother Theresa, sister Joy, brother Robert, and to all who loved Dean. While writing this letter, a close friend of both Dean and ours said that “Dean was the heartbeat of Lewisboro.” He could not have expressed it any better. He was one of a kind, and Lewisboro is a lesser place without him. His memory will endure in the institutions he helped build, the causes he championed, and the lives he touched — a lasting testament to what devoted service to a community can look like.

With heartfelt condolences,

Peter DeLucia, vice chair, LRTC and former councilman and deputy supervisor; Andrea Rendo, member of LRTC and former councilwoman; Christopher Arnold, LRTC chairman; and Alison Biddle, LRTC treasurer