Obituary: James Cropsey, Farmer And Civic Leader

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Friends and family are mourning the death of James Cropsey, former owner of the historic Cropsey Farm and active member of the New City community.

He died at home in Nyack July 21.

"It was the first perfect day of this summer, the humidity left as the breeze came in. Farmers just left the fields from harvesting, summer camp had just let out and the farm store was open. Jim and Pat loved watching Friday afternoons at the farm. The sounds of children squealing in laughter and cars pulling in always kept his curiosity. It was their favorite time of day," said Sue Ferreri, executive director of the Rockland Farm Alliance.

Mr. Cropsey graduated from Cornell University and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War before coming back to the family farm. He started selling his produce from a table at the end of the driveway. Over time this evolved into a produce and garden center across the street from the landmark family farmhouse on Little Tor Road in New City.

He cared deeply for the Town of Clarkstown and Rockland County. He was a member of the New City Rotary, and the New City Chamber of Commerce where he served for a time as President to both organizations. Jim was also a member of the Rockland County Farm Bureau. He was also an active member of the Historical Society of Rockland County. Jim was a lifelong history buff.

Until he and his wife Pat retired, the farm was a year-round operation that also included the farm stand and nursery.

Two Blauvelt brothers established the farm in 1769, when they built the Dutch Colonial home and barn at the site. The farm had 10 subsequent owners between 1850 and 1890, when Jim Cropsey’s grandfather Andrew, a Brooklyn lawyer, purchased the property. The property passed to Andrew’s son, Wallace, then to Jim. The Cropseys agreed to sell it to the county and Clarkstown in 2006 and it was preserved and saved from development through an intermunicipal agreement.

In January 2017, the Blauvelt-Cropsey Farm was named to the National Register of Historic Places. The farm's historically significant Revolutionary War-era New World Dutch barn, one of the few remaining structures from the 1700s in Rockland, was restored in 2019.

"His legacy precedes him and now leaves us with a space that he designed just for us to continue to grow, learn and cherish together," Ferreri said.

Jim is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Patricia “Pat” Cropsey, his beloved dog Sammy, and his nurse Annie, who took great care of him in his last years. Sister in law Pamela Guevara and husband Manolo, sister in law Dorothy Sogn and husband John, nephews and nieces Rick Guevara and his wife Laura, Michael Guevara and his wife Dawn, Amanda Knapp and her husband Jason, Andrew Sogn and his wife Genevieve. Jim also had great nephews and nieces Matthew, Jack, Drew, Christopher, Deanna, Emma, Owen, Ethan, and Charlotte.

A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Higgins Funeral Home in New City, followed by interment at Germonds Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

Afterward, all are welcome to the Cropsey Farm from 3-7 p.m. for a celebration of his life.

"There will be food trucks, music and a festival — just as they always loved it," Ferreri said. "You can see all of our historic photos and agricultural equipment in the barn … and we will be giving tours of the land and historically renovated barn. But most importantly, you will get to love the land the same way Jim did. The same way we do."

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to United Hospice of Rockland.

Read the full obituary here.