Owner of ‘Historic’ New York Diner, From Hudson Valley Dies

Hudson Valley residents are mourning the loss of the owner of a "historic" diner.

Samuel T. Harkins, 68, a longtime resident of Red Hook, passed away on Thanksgiving at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie.

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"May his life and memory always remain a blessing. Sam Harkins was a good man, good friend and brought us good food, good times and good memories. He will be missed… our prayers to his family, friends and all those his life touched," Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro wrote on Facebook on Sunday about Harkins' passing." Thank you, friend."

Sam graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a business degree. In 1982 he married Arleen Garelick.

"Having worked side by side for almost 40 years at the Diner, Sam and Arleen were true partners with everything in life," his obituary states.

Sam and Arleen are the longtime owners of the Historic Village Diner in Red Hook.

The "Historic" Village Diner is significant as a distinctive example of early-twentieth century American roadside architecture surviving exceptionally intact from its date of manufacture in the 1920s. It embodies distinguishing characteristics of the type and period in its streamlined metal railroad dining car-inspired design, which was intended to evoke, at once, the ideas of travel, food cleanliness, and modern efficiency,' the diner's website states.

The Historic Village Diner in Red Hook offers classic American breakfast, lunch and dinner served in an early-20th century railroad dining car, according to Google.

"The Historic Village Diner, located in Red Hook, NY is a Silk City treasure from 1927!," the diner's Facebook states.

At the time of his passing, he was the Code Enforcement Officer for the Towns of Clermont, Germantown, Milan, & Livingston. He previously worked as the Code Enforcement Officer with the Village of Red Hook.