ESSEX – Sarah Cooley Martin, born May 18, 1940, died Aug. 1, 2025, with her family at her side in Essex. Born in Hartford, she was the daughter of Paul Whitman Cooley and Jane Crary Allen.
Sarah attended the Renbrook School, graduated from The Wheeler School in Rhode Island, and then attended Hollins University, Virginia. During her college career, Sarah spent a year abroad at the coveted Villa Marchetti Art Academy.
She is survived by her sister Clare Edwards and her husband Jared of Essex; and by her brother Jefferey Cooley and his wife Betsy of Old Lyme. She is also survived by her three sons, Whitman Seymour and wife Lisa of Niantic, David Seymour and wife Anna and Christopher Seymour of West Hartford; as well as by her nephew Johnathan Edwards and wife Allison of West Hartford. Sarah is also the beloved grandmother to eight grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Her husband, Robert S. Martin, predeceased her in 2023. Sarah enjoyed traveling and spending time outdoors with her husband Bob. She was a skilled racket player and a feared opponent on the croquet court.
After her education, she resided in West Hartford and was a volunteer at Hartford Hospital for numerous years. Her fondness and constant involvement in all five ARTs of Hartford made her a keen ally to them where she served on the Board of Trustees of the Mark Twain Home and Museum and of the Connecticut Opera.
A gourmet cook, all welcomed an invite from Sarah for a friend-filled, exciting meal at the dining room table, particularly at 219. Utilizing these cooking skills, Sarah served on the editorial committee and was chair of recipe testing of the award-winning Connecticut à La Carte Cookbook, published in 1982, which benefitted the five ARTs of Hartford, and subsequently went on to multiple publishings.
Dedicated to community, Sarah was a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity through Asylum Hill Church and a member of the Connecticut Valley Garden Club where she served as its president. She played bridge at the Old Lyme Country Club and was a regular attendee at Florence Griswold Museum events and programs. Sarah was also a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America.
Sarah’s greatest passion was spending time at her Shore home visiting with family and friends, sharing a laugh or memory with everyone in Old Black Point (OBP). She spent her summers at OBP since the year of her birth, and she always looked forward to the summer weekends of mayhem and shenanigans with a full house of family and grandchildren.
A woman of utmost grace, character, enthusiasm and unpretentiousness, Sarah never missed an outing, sports game, performance, or ceremony for those she loved. She fostered irreplaceable relationships throughout her life which will sustain her legacy for those of us that remain behind.
A Memorial Service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at Asylum Hill Church in Hartford, with a gathering to follow for Family and Friends.
Donations may be made in her memory to the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center, 79 Retreat Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106, and the Essex Meadows Scholarship Fund, 30 Bokum Road, Essex CT 06426.
OLD LYME – Linda Joyce (McElroy) Savago (Lola), formerly of Mystic and Old Lyme, passed away at home with her family in Omaha, NE, on August 23, 2025, at 82. She had shown remarkable strength throughout her year-long fight with cancer, and she maintained her sense of humor, kindness, and compassion right to the end.
Born in New London, CT, to Dorothy Mae Partelow of Hope Valley, RI, and Irving “Patrick” McElroy of Exeter, RI, Linda spent her childhood on Groton’s “town farm,” an almshouse that cared for the town’s poor until it closed in 1952 …
Linda was preceded in death by three husbands-Ronnie Lagrua, Gerald T. Lawlor, and Samuel Savago; two sons-Gerald T. Lawlor III and Brian Patrick Lawlor; and her brothers Wayne and Patrick.
She is survived by her son Andrew Lawlor of Omaha, Nebraska; two nieces … five grandchildren … and four great grandchildren …
A private Celebration of Life will be held later in Omaha.
Freakier Friday is a sequel worth the 22-year delay. Everyone is back and the comedy of errors is as unpredictable as the original.
I planned this review with low expectations. I’ve always said sequels are generally not well-received (especially when they’re released decades after the original). No mass marketing campaign can atone for the desperation to catch lightning in a bottle.
I only saw the original Freaky Friday once when it was released in 2003. I knew if I wanted to give this a proper review, I should refresh my memory by watching it again.
To my surprise, I enjoyed it. This gave me hope because I watched it as an adult with critical thinking skills, not nostalgia goggles. I even read that Mary Rodgers, the author of the original 1972 novel, hailed it as the best adaptation because of its authenticity.
The storyline is not original, it’s a body-swap movie.
But this sequel turns it up a notch. Anna (Lindsay Lohan) prepares to marry Eric (Manny Jacinto), but her teenage daughter, Harper, and her soon-to-be worldly stepsister, Lily, struggle to accept each other. Not only has this tension caused Anna and Tess to experience a second body-swap, but it now includes Harper and Lily.
A double-body-swap with double the chaos. They’ll all find that just because it’s the second time around doesn’t mean it can be solved any easier.
It’s the 2003 movie on steroids.
Like any sequel (especially ones that are long delayed) there are Easter Eggs that not only pay tribute to the first movie but go beyond the original material. The wedding is scheduled for October 3rd (a nod to another Lohan movie, Mean Girls.)
And we can also appreciate all the generational jokes in between both movies.
Disney clearly meant business with Freakier Friday, bringing back most characters for the sequel. This includes those who seldom act nowadays, such as Ryan Malgarini (Anna’s little brother, Harry). There are Anna’s friends, Maddie and Peg from their band Pink Slip; and even Anna’s love interest, Jake (still rocking the same hair 20 years later).
My favorite reprisal was the spiteful Mr. Bates (played by legendary character actor Stephen Tobolowsky), still working since the school district’s retirement was sunk in crypto.
All the performances are superb. We loved Jamie Lee Curtis’ performance as a teenager back in 2003, but she takes it even further in her second round as a wannabe social media influencer.
I particularly loved Manny Jacinto’s performance as the thoughtful and well-spoken Eric, contrasting with his role as Jason, the idiotic Florida-Man on The Good Place.
But above all, I was happiest with Lindsay Lohan’s return as Anna. She stepped away from the spotlight for her well-being, and it appears to have worked. Watching this movie, you would think she never stopped acting. This was clearly made for her comeback. Disney knew that she still has a lot to offer. Why else would they go to great lengths to bring back almost every cast member of the original?
Maybe this is a new starting point for Lohan to get back to her craft without the scrutiny of the paparazzi? If the original Freaky Friday is a family classic, then Freakier Friday belongs there, too.
It continues the spirit of authenticity and lessons about family and love. With a theatrical-only release, it’s a perfect family outing that reminds us of one of the best ways to connect with youth is to share the stories that shaped us.
This warm, heartfelt, and funny sequel is worth checking out.
About the Author: Having lived in Old Lyme and Lyme since the age of three, Kevin Ganey has always had a passion for movies that is beyond simply watching, but understanding the craft of cinema and and experiencing films as if they were a musical album. Kevin also has his own website devoted to movie analysis, CityOfCinema.com, and also co-hosts a podcast, Moviehouse Mystics, with Koda Uhl (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.)
Editor’s Note: Linda Ahnert wrote this article for LymeLine back in 2008. As summer draws to close, we decided to republish it today to celebrate the anniversary of a very memorable event at which both Linda and I were present. Much has changed since that day—the Inn is no longer an Inn, several of the people mentioned in Linda’s story have sadly passed away (read Linda’s epilogue at the end of the article for more on that), but the game of boules—or pétanque depending on which part of France you come from—goes on and is still enthusiastically played in many locales in Connecticut. If you are not familiar with the game, Linda explains all.
The former Bee and Thistle was still in business as an Inn back in August 2008 when the boules extravaganza described in this article took place.
On Sunday, August 24, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing ended.
On that same day, another sports competition took place in Old Lyme. Like the closing ceremonies in China, the event here went on for hours and there was much celebrating. But unlike the Olympian feats, the local contest had nothing to do with speed or strength. Or even with athletic prowess.
The opposing teams gathered, courtside, behind the Bee and Thistle Inn, to play a challenge match of boules. (For the correct pronunciation, think of the Yale fight song “Boola, boola”—just drop the “a” and—voilà—you have “bool.”) This outdoor sport is popular throughout France where it is played in city parks or in village squares. In the south of France, it is called pétanque (pronounced “pay-TONK.”)
It is similar to Italian bocce, although bocce is more of a bowling game and pétanque involves more tossing, like horseshoes. On this late summer afternoon, players from the Bee (l’Abeille in French) were competing against the Boules des dimanches (Sunday boules) team.
Jacques Pépin (center facing camera, in white shirt) discusses a vital game decision with other team members.
By issuing the challenge, the “Bees” were playing in the big leagues because their opponents were no mere Sunday players. In fact, the visiting team included some Frenchmen who grew up playing pétanque. One of them is Jacques Pépin, who lives just down the shoreline in Madison. The superstar chef and cookbook author is also a pétanque player par excellence.
Another member on Pépin’s team was food writer Lee White, an Old Lyme resident (and LymeLine contributor.) She and her husband Doug first played boules at Pépin’s house and became members of the group, which gets together on Sundays throughout the summer. Lee said there are about 30 players in the league and that “it’s a lot of fun playing and getting to know each other.”
The team’s roster also includes other gastronomic all-stars. There’s Priscilla Martel and Charles van Over, formerly of the Restaurant du Village in Chester, and the restaurant’s current owner/chefs, Cynthia and Michel Keller; Jean Pierre Vuillermet, owner/chef of the Union League Café in New Haven and its general manager, Jean Michel Gammariello; and Claude Martin, former owner/chef of Métro Bis in Simsbury.
The Bee and Thistle’s lawn slopes away from the boules court and gently down to the Lieutenant River.
In addition to the professional chefs, Lee White noted that there are other “amazing cooks” who are on the team. And CBS correspondent Morley Safer, a huge fan of the game and who has a pétanque court at his home in Chester, also plays with the group when he is in Connecticut.
Lee White explained that last year she and Doug invited Linnea and David Rufo, owners of the Bee and Thistle Inn, to their house for a meal. Afterwards, Lee suggested a game of boules to her guests. “They fell in love with it,” Lee said and, within a month, the Rufos had installed a pétanque court at the inn. And they began hosting “Boules at the Bee” on Thursday nights.
This summer Linnea literally threw down the gauntlet to the veteran players on Pépin’s team. And she did it with panache—she sent a white leather glove on a satin pillow to Pépin, challenging him to a match at the Bee and Thistle.
One of the sculptures on the grounds (foreground) looks over the boules court at the Bee and Thistle Inn.
The weather was spectacular the day of the showdown and the players began arriving at 3 p.m. The setting actually looked more like an English garden party—the green lawns sloping down to the Lieutenant River, the sculpture on the grounds, and the tables set for an al fresco feast.
But once the games began, you could easily have imagined yourself to be in the French countryside. There was the clacking sound of the boules (which are made of steel), the whoops of exuberance when someone made a particularly good shot, and the good-natured bantering among the players.
The winning boule in any game is the one nearest to the (in this case, red) cochonnet after the final throw in the game has been played.
The basic rules of the game are deceptively simple. There’s a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (which means piglet.) The goal for the teams is to toss their boules as close as possible to the cochonnet. But the game can change on a dime when an opponent knocks one of your boules out of the way or if the cochonnet itself is hit.
Or, as one of Pépin’s compatriots, Claude Martin, summed it all up, “You see, this is totally screwed up because it’s French.”
Even if you’ve never been to France, you may have read about pétanque in Peter Mayle’s bestselling books. An Englishman who moves to Provence, Mayle becomes smitten with the game and quickly masters its unwritten rules. Number one is “Anyone playing without a drink is disqualified.”
The traditional pétanque-playing drink in the south of France is pastis, a licorice-flavored liqueur. But here in southern Connecticut, the beverage of choice is wine. Underneath a canopy on the lawn, large garden urns served as chillers for bottles of wine.
The tables were set for the upcoming feast.
And what is good wine without good food?—especially with so many gastronomes on the playing field. Across from that outdoor wine bar, there was an oyster bar where a professional shucked oysters throughout the afternoon. Not to mention the gravlax, the cheese platter, and the lamb sausage in lettuce wraps … During a break in the play, Pépin himself was grilling the lamb.
Lee White said that whoever is hosting the event on any given Sunday is responsible for providing the food but, with so many chefs on the team, there is plenty of expert help in the kitchen. She also marveled that the French “eat and drink a lot, but they don’t get fat.”
After about three hours of playing as well as eating and drinking, Linnea invited everyone to sit down to dinner. And she had prepared quite a spread—roasted pork with a spice rub, grilled vegetables, tomato bread pudding, and salads. Members of Pépin’s team supplied some of the to-die-for desserts.
Sometimes the players needed to take a break from the action.
Pépin’s Boules des dimanches team defeated the rookies from the Bee. Afterwards, Lee White confessed that “we were nervous and were very excited to win.” And when the ceremonial plaque was presented, the ever gallant Pépin requested that the award remain at the Bee and Thistle for a rematch next summer.
But the day was far from over. As twilight descended, lights illuminated the court and play resumed. And it would go on for hours, as it always does with pétanque enthusiasts.
Editor’s note: LymeLine heard through the grapevine that the party at the Bee and Thistle lasted until 1 a.m. And, as the French say—c’est normal!
Epilogue and Author Comments:
Seventeen years have passed since I wrote about the “Boules Bash” in Old Lyme.
It was so much fun remembering that day, but there was some bittersweetness, too. Lee and Doug White as well as David Rufo and Morley Safer have passed away. Two beloved restaurants—the Bee & Thistle Inn and the Restaurant du Village in Chester have closed. And Peter Mayle, whose best-selling books about life in Provence introduced readers to the wonderful world of boules, died in 2018.
Since I am a Francophile and also love to cook, it was a thrill to meet Jacques Pépin. After drinking a few glasses of wine, I even summoned up the courage to start our conversation en français! I was already a fan—over the years I had watched his cooking shows and read his books.
During the pandemic, Pépin began posting short daily videos on Facebook, which I still follow.
A few weeks ago, there was a wonderful spread of photos—a group of players on a pétanque court; mouth-watering close-ups of a roast chicken, parslied potatoes . . . and a picture of Pépin and his daughter Claudine at the table. Pépin’s comment: “We had a great weekend of friends, food, and boules.”
