Hudson Valley residents gathered in Nyack Wednesday to remember the life and legacy of Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison.

Morrison called Rockland County home for five decades, and her fellow neighbors took a moment to honor her legacy at the Bench By The Road at Memorial Park in Nyack.

Morrison personally dedicated the bench back in 2015. It is one of several erected by the Toni Morrison Society in cities across the country that celebrate the contributions slaves made to the world.

Morrison died Monday at the age of 88.  She lived in the village of Grand View-On-The-Hudson, and was a prominent figure in the Rockland community.

She was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Morrison authored 11 novels, including celebrated works "The Bluest Eye" and "Beloved."           

Her bestselling work focused on black identity in America.