Word came from a variety of sources that one of the earliest contributors to GraniteGrok, Ken Gorrell, has perished in a fire at his home in Northfield:
NORTHFIELD — A local man found in the fire-ravaged wreckage of his garage-turned-hobby-shop did not die as a result of the blaze, according to authorities. Firefighters were called to 354 Shaker Road shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday after a neighbor called 911 to report flames coming from a detached garage. Kenneth E. Gorrell, 56, the property owner, was found dead inside the 20-by-20-foot garage beneath a collapsed loft, according to Northfield Fire Chief Michael Sitar. The state Medical Examiner’s officer identified the victim and ruled that his cause of death was not related to the fire. The medical examiner determined the death was not suspicious, said Kate Spiner, a spokesman for the Department of Justice.
I and GraniteGrok co-founder, Doug Lambert, had met each other and Ken on Neil Young’s The Advocates on WEZS about 14 years ago. Smart and knowledgeable guy – passionate about his beliefs. When Doug and I started blogging here, we offered him a spot and he did write three pieces for us back in 2006:
Unfortunately, Neil being Neil, there was a fallout from Doug starting GraniteGrok and then our own radio show and Ken decided to stick with Neil. Unfortunate for us as Ken was a good writer and continued on as a frequent Letter to the Editor to various local papers and a columnist at The Weirs Times. He also was a political activist serving on the Winnisquam School District budget committee. In reading the piece in the UL, I didn’t know that he had also become a volunteer with CASA (which provides guardian ad litems to represent children in crisis in Family Court situations).
Our condolences go out to his wife, Holli, and the rest of his family and friends.
