Sarah Duckett (right) receives a proclamation from the state in honor of her service to Hopkinton from then-state Rep. Carolyn Dykema.

Hopkinton Independent founder Sarah Lothrop Duckett passed away Friday at the age of 77 after a period of declining health.

A longtime resident of Fenton Street near downtown Hopkinton, Duckett started the paper in 1999. She sold it to co-owners David Bagdon of Bagdon Advertising and Susanne Odell Farber in 2018. She also volunteered for multiple town committees and nonprofits, worked with the Hopkinton Public Library and helped with the creation of the Hopkinton Senior Center.

“Sarah Duckett loved Hopkinton, and she was committed to doing her part to make it a better place to live,” Bagdon said. “It was this passion that drove her to create the Hopkinton Independent back in 1999.

“With little formal journalism experience, she created a newspaper from her kitchen table that would grow to become the trusted voice of Hopkinton to this day. Although always firm in her convictions, those who knew her saw a woman with a very tender and caring heart.

“I believe that those who love Hopkinton owe a debt of gratitude to Sarah.”

Added Farber: “Sarah Duckett started the Hopkinton Independent out of a strong commitment to serving her community. She was passionate about bringing the news of her hometown to life through the pages of her newspaper. Sarah’s legacy is not just the ink that graced the pages of her paper but also the way she treated her staff like family and respected them as peers.

“After 19 years in publication, when she was ready to let the paper grow further, she entrusted the next stage of the paper to Dave Bagdon and me. Sarah’s spirit will forever live on in the pages of the Hopkinton Independent.”

Duckett was predeceased by her husband, Frank, last November. They were married for 47 years and raised three children (Brendan, Amy and Mark).

Calling hours will be held Thursday, June 13, from 3-6 p.m. at Callanan Cronin Funeral Home in Hopkinton. For her obituary, click here.