Ed Koren, a New Yorker cartoonist and longtime Brookfield resident, died on Friday morning at his home, according to his wife, Curtis Koren.  He was 87; the cause of death was lung cancer. Koren’s artwork is warm, approachable and instantly recognizable. He’s known for his drawings of people (and other creatures) who often had lots of hair and for gags that display a nuanced understanding of human nature. Koren observed trends and poked good-natured fun at them. For example, in one memorable cartoon, he joked about farm-to-table dining. A couple eats in a restaurant, their table surrounded by a group of farmers, growers and a cow. “We think it’s terribly important that you meet the people responsible for the food you’re eating tonight,” the server says. “Everybody knew Ed’s style and he loved to draw,” said Harry Bliss, a fellow New Yorker cartoonist and close friend of Koren’s. “He loved to draw. It was his breath. He breathed in the world through his drawing.” Koren, who served as Vermont’s second cartoonist laureate, was a prolific artist who drew more than 1,100 cartoons for the New Yorker and published cartoon collections and illustrated books. He published his 20th book, Koren. In the Wild, in 2018.  [content-7] A native New Yorker, Koren bought his house in Brookfield village in 1978 and went back and forth between New York City and Vermont for a number years before he and Curtis settled permanently in Brookfield in 1988. He served on the town’s volunteer fire department for 35 years. “He joined the [Brookfield] fire department, and we were here,” Curtis told Seven Days by phone. “We didn’t have any pretense about going to New York.” The Korens were drawn to the “classic things” about Vermont, Curtis said, including its sense of community. “We live in a little village,” she  said. “We know all our neighbors. Everybody helps each other out. We love to go biking and cross-country skiing — all those things that make Vermont heavenly.” Last July, the Brookfield community came together to support  Koren. Neighbors, friends and members of the fire squad gathered outside his house to celebrate the cartoonist. [content-1]”That tribute characterizes Vermont,” Curtis said. “It was one of the most moving things.  It’s been kind of a big social year.” Koren, the only child of a dentist and a schoolteacher, started drawing cartoons in high school. He studied liberal arts…