Clara Lou Gould, the first woman to be elected mayor in the City of Beacon, and the longest-serving mayor in Beacon’s history, passed away peacefully in her house on Dec. 2, 2024.
She was born in Cold Spring on Aug. 29, 1927, to Michael and Clara Malone. She attended public schools in Cold Spring and graduated from the College of New Rochelle with a bachelor’s degree in English, with honors, in 1948.
On Sept. 11, 1954, she married Robert Gould, a research chemist at Texaco Research Center, at Our Lady of Loretto Church in Cold Spring. Her beloved husband predeceased Clara Lou in 1996.
She was also predeceased by her parents and her three sisters: Honora Dougherty, Mary Williams and Kathryn Malone.
Clara Lou is survived by her three nieces, Mary Ellen Brown (Michael), Ann Fossett Uohn), and Ellen Sheffer (the late Robert); one nephew, Peter Williams (Carol) and one stepson-in-law, Keith McKenzie.
Clara Lou is also survived by two step-grandsons, Kent McKenzie (Penny) and Ross McKenzie (Libbie), and their respective children, Tempest, Quinn, Zachary, Andrew and Will.
In addition, Clara Lou is survived by her great-nieces and great-nephews: Will Sheffer (Nicole), Erin Brown McAlister (Heath), Patrick Brown (Peri), Andrew Brown, Dr. Lindsay Fossett (Vassilis), Timothy Fossett (Beth), Michael Williams (Megan), Matthew Williams (Kristina), as well as their respective children.
Bob and Clara Lou moved to Beacon in 1960 and they resided in the Wodenethe area ever since. Clara Lou worked in the publishing departments of Viking Press and Harold Ober Associates in New York City. A highlight of her career was meeting and working with the famed author Agatha Christie.
At this time, she also began a lifetime of community service by serving as the president of the Highland Hospital Auxiliary. Clara Lou and Bob co-chaired several capital fundraising efforts at Highland Hospital, as well. She also became Beacon’s first representative on the board of directors of the Dutchess County Health Department.
Clara Lou loved to garden. She was a past president of the Tioronda Garden Club in Beacon, a Master Flower judge and a district director of the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State. Prior to her election as mayor, she also served on the Beacon Beautification Committee and as a member of the board of directors of the Fishkill National Bank.
Clara Lou served as mayor of Beacon for 18 years, from 1990 to 2007. She was elected in 1989 and re-elected in 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003. Upon her retirement in 2007, she was the longest-serving woman mayor in the state of New York.
Many political observers trace Beacon’s renaissance to her tenure as mayor. Her administration constructed a much-needed water filtration plant and a new Municipal Building in 1997. In 1999, she negotiated a contract that brought a contemporary art museum, Dia, to the former Nabisco manufacturing plant.
There is no doubt that the opening of Dia Beacon in 2003 kick-started the migration of artists, families, restaurants, art-related businesses and other commercial attractions to Beacon. As a result of the notoriety that Dia brought to Beacon, tourists and the commercial investment that follows foot traffic invigorated both Main Street and the entire Beacon area in ways that few could have imagined.
During her 18 years in office, Clara Lou never requested or accepted a single pay raise. Even though her position was considered part-time in nature, she was in the office all day, every day and attended many community events in the evenings and on weekends. She was truly a public servant and a leader of our community, which she loved.
The residents of Beacon returned that affection, many times over. Over the past 30 years, she has been feted and honored by just about every community service and civic organization in both Beacon and Dutchess County. In 2019, on her birthday, Mayor Randy Casale and the City Council dedicated a park bench in the front of the Municipal Building in her honor.
Over the years, Clara Lou and Bob were members of the Kiwanis Club, the Howland Cultural Center, Â the Beacon Historical Society, Â Les Soeurs Amiables Civic Club of Beacon, the Beacon Elks Club Lodge No. 1493, the Hudson River Greenway, the Southern Dutchess NAACP, the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation, Boscobel, and the Southern Dutchess Country Club, among other local civic and charitable groups.
Clara Lou was also an avid baseball fan. She and Bob purchased season tickets for the Hudson Valley Renegades when they located to the Beacon area in 1994, and she rarely missed a game in the past 30 years. In 2022, she was invited to throw out the first pitch at age 95.
Despite her busy schedule as mayor, Clara Lou always found time to attend the Senior Tea at Beacon High School. She also read to the fifth-grade students every spring. Once during her final year as mayor, a student at South Avenue School asked if it was possible for a boy to be elected mayor!
Clara Lou was also a woman of great faith. She was an active parishioner and communicant at St. Joachim-St. John the Evangelist Church in Beacon, where she served as a lector for many years.
The family will receive friends on Monday (Dec. 9) from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey, 2 Beekman St., in Beacon. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Tuesday (Dec. 10) at 10 a.m. at St. Joachim Church, 51 Leonard St., in Beacon. Interment will follow at St. Joachim Cemetery.
The family would like to warmly thank the staff at Right at Home Care, especially Jeanette, for the loving and professional care that they provided Clara Lou over the past five years. They made it possible for Clara Lou to enjoy her retirement at home. We also appreciate the compassionate care provided by Hudson Valley Hospice. We also thank Clara Lou’s long-time neighbors, Paul and Donna Hardisty, for all the love and kindness they showed her over the years, as well as Gary and Pamela Barrack, and Peter and Anne Forman, who made Clara Lou part of their extended families.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation in Clara Lou’s name to Church of St. Joachim-St. John the Evangelist, 2 Oak St., Beacon, NY 12508 (stjoachim-stjohn.org); Hudson Valley Hospice, 374 Violet Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 (hvhospice.org) and St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital (stjude.org).
To send a personal condolence or for directions to the funeral home, please visit riverviewbyhalvey.com. Funeral arrangements are under the supervision of Patrick J. Halvey.
