Passing of Fred Mackerodt of Stone House Farm, Blooming Grove

We are saddened to hear of the death of Fred Mackerodt. He moved to Blooming Grove, within walking distance of my farm on Prospect Road, about the same time I moved here. We shared a love of horses and at one point he asked me to keep an eye on his horses while his barn was being built I remember like it was yesterday when one Summer the fields in front of my house were too much for my small mower, and when I mentioned it to him he said "No worries, I'll be right over". Indeed, a half-hour later in the pouring rain, he came up my driveway with a giant old-fashioned farm hat and "got 'er done". I shared bulb plantings with his wife Cristy. One day he gave me a thorough tour of his spectacular historical Stone House Farm interior, and could not have been more proud of every historic relic in every corner. The acreage he saved, adding more land several times determined to restore it to its original acreage, will leave a truly beautiful historic mark on Blooming Grove for a very long time. Stone House Farm's 160th Birthday Party Celebration became a favorite memory of the area's old-timers, officials and newcomers some years back, while Sean Giery's Percherons gave tours in a big 'ole farm wagon. If you blinked you might have thought it was a garden party of the 1800's. And I think he must be thrilled that the farm's new owners have begun a whole new exciting adventure for the house and farmland that will certainly do it justice. Fred gave me one of the last sets of a printed early history of Stone House Farm and I feel compelled to find where I placed it and perhaps put the cover page in a frame where it can stand as a reminder of a good man who did some fine things for his commuity. I remember when our neighborhood first started hearing a helicopter passing over regularly, and someone clued us in... "Oh, that's Fred, He's commuing to Parsippany." Indeed, as his obituary says, he was a man devoted to big things and similarly had a demeanor that was "Larger than life". We must remember Fred at his best and brightest, and the extremely good work he did for our town by preserving one of this area's most beautiful spaces, and preparing it to continue with a very bright future. I know it will succeed, because when I stopped by some months ago they gave me a container of their new batch of maple syrup ...best ever! Fred will be proud.

Edie Johnson

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Frederick T. Mackerodt

September 17, 1948 – December 25, 2023

New York, NY

Frederick T. Mackerodt passed away on Monday, December 25, 2023, peacefully at home. He was 85 years old. The son of the late Leroy and Margaret Mackerodt, and predeceased by his sister Marie, he was born on September 17, 1938, in Brooklyn, NY.

Fred was larger than life, he was a writer and editor to several popular magazines, and he was the owner of Fred Mackerodt, Inc., a public relations company in New York, NY/New Jersey. He was a very well-known person in the industry, making many amazing connections. Flying planes and helicopters, taking beautiful pictures, and making maple syrup were just some of his hobbies. He will be greatly missed by many!

A Graveside Service will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, January 5, 2024, at All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village, NY, followed by interment. A Memorial Gathering for Fred will commence on April 6th at 2 pm at the Stone House Farm, 940 Craigville Rd., Chester, NY 10918.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Blooming Grove Humane Society, www.humanesocietybg.com or to the German Society of New York, 6 E. 87th Street, New York, NY 10128.