Longtime Staten Islander, retired Parks Department supervisor, Army veteran, family man, Henry Bardel passed away on January 20, 2023. He was eighty years old. He was a very proud father and grandfather. Born in Manhattan to Nancy (nee Sardone) and Gustave Bardel, he moved to the Island with his parents at age 2, living over the years in South Beach, Grant City, New Dorp, Oakwood, and Eltingville. As an industrious young man, he worked hard and bought his first house at the age of 23. He served with honor in the US Army, where he drove tanks and won a sharpshooting competition. Continue reading

Greetings friends and family of Julia. The family is having a memorial to celebrate Julia’s life on June 2, 2024, 2-5 pm, at St Paul & St Andrew United Methodist Church at 263 W 86th street. Please visit the Memorial Page at the link below. http://www.memorialsource.com/memorial/julia-willebrand It is with profound sadness and grief that we share the news that our beloved mother Julia died on December 31st. She was a proud mother and diehard New Yorker who lived on the upper west side since 1967. She had a deep and meaningful relationship with her husband Jan who preceded her in death in 1988. Julia was born in Brooklyn May 29, 1933 eldest daughter in a family of ten siblings. She was a fierce woman, a committed environmentalist, a deeply political social justice warrior, an early feminist, and a dedicated Green Party activist. She was also a long time friend of Bill’s, a voracious reader and theater lover. Her life intersected with many many circles. Over the years she hosted many political and family events, generously sharing her wonderful cooking and home with others. Continue reading

Ralph Poynter passed away peacefully at the age of 89, on Christmas day, December 25th, 2023. He is survived by seven children, fourteen grandchildren, three (soon to be four) great grandchildren, longtime companion Betty Davis, as well as extended family, comrades and friends. Ralph was born in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania in 1934 to George Norman and Annie Leola Poynter, when Pittsburgh was the steel capital of the world. Ralph’s father, George, was a steel mill foreman and union organizer who forged in his six children, especially in Ralph, the steeliness necessary to survive the brutality of being Black in America. Continue reading

The Green Party of New Mexico is sad to report the passing of Martin Zehr, aka Mato Ska. Mato Ska was a long-time Green and was serving on the GPUS National Committee and GPUS EcoAction Committee. He was a voice for a just electoral system, including speaking on C-SPAN as recently as this summer as a caller. He was particularly concerned about water use. Part of his legacy is his work on the New Mexico State Water Plan. We continue to seek transparency from the state regarding the 2023 State Water Plan. In his own words, Continue reading

I am sad to tell you that George Martin passed from this life to the next on Sunday, July 16, 2023. His dynamic presence will be greatly missed by friends all over the country and beyond. Continue reading

Mel King, a co-founder of the Green-Rainbow Party, died on March 28, 2023, at the age of 94. He was a respected and renowned politician in the Boston area for over 70 years. In 2002, Mel King and members of the Massachusetts branch of the Rainbow Coalition merged with the Green Party of Massachusetts to form the Green-Rainbow Party (GRP). "A giant tree has fallen in the forest of humanity," said David Barkley, who continues Mel King's community breakfasts. The current members of the GRP party remain grateful for the commitment and grace that Mel King brought to civil rights and diversity throughout his life.