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Arbor Hill winery owner mourned after he died suddenly over the weekend

A well-known winery owner is being mourned after he died in an accident over the weekend.

Ontario County deputies that 76-year-old John Brahm III died Saturday on Hawks Road in South Bristol when he became pinned between a minivan and a garage. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Brahm was the co-owner of Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery, located just north of Naples. The Messenger Post newspapernotes that Brahm and his wife Katie founded the business in 1987. He was a Cornell University graduate, who the paper says had a long career with Widmer Wine Cellars, and then established the winery and gourmet food operation.

There has been an outpouring of messages and remembrances of John Braham on Arbor Hill’s Facebook page:

Chris Clemens writes about food and other attractions in the Finger Lakes and has a website called ‘Exploring Upstate.’

He was among those weighing in with comments about Brahm on Facebook, and he tells WXXI News he’s not surprised so many others wanted to express their memories as well.

“I think the reason that people have been responding with such sadness and so much remembering is the type of guy he was," Clemens said. "You could find him at Arbor Hill hanging out, he was always having fun, he was always playing the host.”

Clemens says people who visited Arbor Hill felt like they were visiting a neighbor; he says the atmosphere gave people “this sense that you’re hanging out in the living room of Naples.”

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.