Skip to main content

Lucy West, 101

Lucy West, 101

Feb. 20, 2016 - Aug. 28, 2017
By
Star Staff

Lucy West, whose 100th birthday on Feb. 20, 2016, was declared Lucy West Day in the Village of East Hampton by Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., died at home here on Aug. 28. She was 101.

Her only surviving sister, Lottie Gaines of Montclair, N.J., said that the mayor’s proclamation was not the only one Ms. West received. Others arrived from President Barack Obama, Senator Charles E. Schumer, and Msgr. Donald Hanson of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in East Hampton, and they were all beautifully framed.

Ms. West belonged to an extended family, all of whom were reportedly accomplished and active members of their communities. She herself was a prime example: A social worker in New York City in the 1980s, she later attended the Orchid Beauty School in Garland, Tex., and opened her own salon with her sister Ruth Hartwell on North Main Street in East Hampton. She went to college when she  was in her 60s, and earned a degree from the College of New Rochelle. 

She loved to travel, always accompanied by one of her many nieces. Three years ago, at the age of 98, she went to Egypt. Years ago in Italy, she had an audience with Pope John Paul II. She had also been to Jerusalem, Spain, Bermuda, and many of the Caribbean islands. 

Lucy West was born on Feb. 20, 1916, in McKenney, Va., one of 10 children, three boys and seven girls, of the former Lottie Mason and Robert Hartwell. The family moved to the South Fork when she was a child, and she graduated from Bridgehampton High School. Later, in 1928, they settled on Race Lane in East Hampton.

Not long after that, her sister said, “Lucy found her way to the bright lights of New York City,” eventually settling in Brooklyn and coming to East Hampton in the summers.

In September 1937 she married Norman Rayfield West, who died in 1977. The couple never had children, but “she took care of everyone else’s,” Ms. Gaines said. Toward the end of her life, she took lunch at the East Hampton Town Senior Center and was cared for by her sister’s husband, David Gaines. 

“Our angel, Lucy Hartwell West, has gone on to be with the Lord . . . she was the epitome of a Deborah, a warrior in her own right, like a Rachel, who helped in her parents’ household, like Mother Theresa. . . ,” Ms. Gaines said.

In addition to Ms. Gaines, 27 nieces and nephews survive, many of whom live in East Hampton, and a considerable number of great-nieces and great-nephews.

The family received visitors on the evening of Sept. 8 at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton. A funeral Mass was celebrated at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Sept. 9, followed by burial in the church cemetery, next to her husband.

Robert W. Massa, 94

Robert W. Massa, 94

Oct. 13, 1922 - Sept. 19, 2017
By
Star Staff

Robert W. Massa of East Hampton, who served on the battleship U.S.S. Nevada as a seaman first class during World War II, died at home of respiratory failure on Sept. 19. He was 94 and had been ill for about two months.

Mr. Massa met his future wife, Kathryn Tobin, at Doubleday in Garden City, where both worked. After leaving Doubleday, he was employed as a machinist for the New York Central Railroad for 17 years, later working for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and the Bowery Savings Bank.

The couple were married on June 26, 1948, and were able to make use of a G.I. loan to buy a house in Westbury, where they raised four children. Mr. Massa retired in 1987 and, in 1989, he and his wife moved to Wesley Chapel, Fla. In 1995, they moved to East Hampton to be closer to family. Mrs. Massa died in 1999.  

“My whole family followed me out here,” Deborah Donohue, one of his daughters, said, first when she went camping at Hither Hills and then when she got a summer job in Montauk.

Mr. Massa’s favorite pastime in East Hampton was surfcasting. He was a member of the Holy Name Society and St. Brigid’s Catholic Church of Westbury, and was a parishioner at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in East Hampton. 

He was born in Ridgewood, Queens, on Oct. 13, 1922, one of two children of the former Elizabeth Frick and Christopher Massa. He grew up in Mineola, graduating from Mineola High School. He attended Farmingdale State College, where he earned a certificate in technology. 

In addition to his daughter Deborah Donohue, he is survived by another daughter, Carol Link, who lives in East Hampton. Two sons survive, Robert L. Massa of Woodinville, Wash., and Doug­las Massa of East Hampton, as do a sister, Florence Klemm of Bethpage, six grandchildren, and eight nieces and nephews. 

Ms. Donohue said her father was devoted to his grandchildren. He not only would have celebrated his 95th birthday in October, he would have met his first great-grandchild, who is due in November, she said.

Mr. Massa was cremated. The family will hold a private service at a later date. Memorial contributions have been suggested to the Montauk Lighthouse, P.O. Box 943, Montauk 11954, or East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach 11978.

Marcie Angel, School Librarian

Marcie Angel, School Librarian

Dec. 22, 1951 - Sept. 22, 2017

For over 20 years, Marcie Angel would leave home in Remsenburg at 6 a.m. on weekdays to beat the eastbound traffic and arrive before the first bell at the Amagansett School, where she worked from 1991 to 2014. She died of brain cancer on Friday at East End Hospice at the age of 65.

Ms. Angel, who had a master’s degree in library science from Long Island University’s C.W. Post College, joined the Amagansett School faculty in 1991 as a part-time teacher, eventually becoming its librarian. 

She was born on Dec. 22, 1951, in Binghamton, N.Y., to the former Helen Oretskin and Milton Goldstein. In 1974, she graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree and went on to receive Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees from Stony Brook University, as well as the library degree.

She and Stephen Angel were married on Aug. 2, 1975, and had two daughters, Amanda Angel who once worked as a reporter for The Star and now lives in New York City, and Anna Angel of Denver.

Ms. Angel took her passions into school, teaching students how to keep score at a baseball game, for example, and starting an opera club.

She and her husband had season tickets for Yankees games and would attend about 20 a year. Ms. Angel was also a football fan, particularly of the New York Giants, but became conflicted as news of concussions surfaced.

Her husband was originally from Hungary and the pair traveled there several times a year, enjoying nights out at the opera and indulging in rich foods.

In addition to her husband and daughters, Ms. Angel is survived by two brothers, David Grayson of Phoenix and Gary Grayson of Walton, N.Y.

A service was held yesterday at 4:30 p.m. at the Remsenburg Community Church. Her family has suggested memorial donations to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach 11978.

For Josie Kalbacher

For Josie Kalbacher

By
Star Staff

Visiting hours for Josie Kalbacher of Springs-Fireplace Road in East Hampton, who died on Friday at the age of 57 of brain cancer, will begin at 1 p.m. on Oct. 14 at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton. There will be a reading and service for her at Yardley and Pino at 3 p.m. An obituary will appear in a future issue.

Bonnie Jacobson

Bonnie Jacobson

By
Star Staff

Dr. Bonnie Jacobson of Springs and Manhattan, a noted psychologist who was the author of seven self-help books and appeared often on television, died in Manhattan on Saturday. She was buried on Monday in a private family graveside service in Pennsylvania. 

A full obituary will appear in a future issue of The Star.

Barry Fleischman

Barry Fleischman

March 10, 1933 - Aug. 28, 2017
By
Star Staff

Barry Marvin Fleischman, who in his long business career owned and operated a number of real estate and insurance agencies, including the Sagg Harbour Agency, died on Aug. 28 at Stony Brook University Hospital. He was 84, and had been ill only briefly, his family said. 

Mr. Fleischman lived most recently on Fort Bond Boulevard in Springs but before that in Sag Harbor, where he had been a member of the school board and the Chamber of Commerce and generally involved himself in civic matters. 

“Later, Barry lived for a decade or so in Paris,” his family wrote, “teaching English and mastering both French and Spanish. After returning from Paris he resided in and around East Hampton.”

Here he became a bridge master and taught the game at the East Hampton Library. Golf was another of his interests.

“Barry was passionate about sports, playing tennis through high school, college, and after,” his family said. A Hofstra graduate, he earned a master’s degree in education at Columbia University’s Teachers College.

“I only knew him through tennis,” The Star’s Jack Graves, who was friendly with Mr. Fleischman, remembered, “though his graceful strokes (he beat me always, and rather handily) were an indication of his character — graceful strokes that he passed on to his daughter, Sandy. . . . I remember Barry and Sandy killing my first wife, Muffin, and me in a mixed doubles tournament at Southampton College.”

“He was self-assured and friendly, a classy guy.”

Born in New York City on March 10, 1933, to Aaron Fleischman and the former Kay Rubin, he grew up on Long Island. A marriage ended in divorce. In addition to his daughter Sandy Fleischman Richman of New York City, he is survived by two other children, Mindy Carol Smith of Atlanta and Lawrence David Fleischman of Fanwood, N.J. He leaves seven grandchildren and, as the family put it, “2.5 great-grandchildren (one is on the way).” A younger brother, ZouZou Fleischman, also survives.

“He had an enthusiasm for life, coupled with a joy in meeting people, a willingness to explore new places, and the power to find his very own way,” his family said.

A memorial service will be held at Windmill Beach, next to Long Wharf in Sag Harbor, on Saturday at 4 p.m., when his ashes will be dispersed.

Jeannette H. Novack, 88, of Montauk

Jeannette H. Novack, 88, of Montauk

Jan. 18, 1929 - Sept. 14, 2017

Jeannette H. Novack of Montauk died in her sleep at home on Sept. 14. Her family attributed her death to cardiopulmonary arrest. She was 88.

Ms. Novack was born in Glendale on Jan. 18, 1929, where she grew up. After earning an associate’s degree from Pace University she went to work for Suffolk County, first for Joseph W. Dooley Sr., who was the chief lifeguard of the county’s Parks Department, then for Suffolk District Court in Hauppauge, and finally for the Suffolk County Health Department, from which she retired.

With her husband, Morton Novack, whom she married in 1958, and their two sons, she lived for many years in East Islip. Mr. Novack died in 1985. Her son Robert Benson Novack also predeceased her.

Mrs. Novack moved year round to Montauk after she retired. She worked there as a waitress and volunteered for the Montauk Food Pantry. Her family said she enjoyed reading, dining out, and spending time with her grandchild.

In addition to her son, Paul Jason Novack of Sag Harbor and Montauk, and a granddaughter, she is survived by two cousins, Selma Rabin and Millie Petroski.

The family received visitors on Sept. 17 and Sept. 18 at the Chapey & Sons Funeral Home in East Islip, where a funeral Mass was said on Sept. 18. She was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Bay Shore.

Memorial donations have been suggested for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105.

Margaret Hindra, 83

Margaret Hindra, 83

Nov. 28, 1933 - Sept. 01, 2017
By
Star Staff

Margaret Hindra, who came to the United States from Ireland in the early 1950s as a young woman and later retired to Springs with her husband, Valentine Hindra, died on Sept. 1 at home at Windmill Village in East Hampton. She was 83 and had Parkinson’s disease, her son, Matt Hindra, said.

Mrs. Hindra was a strong force in their family, a matriarch, he said, and the center of a large group of friends.

She was born a twin on Nov. 28, 1933, to Timothy Buckley and the former Mary Sexton on the family farm.

She would be one of the couple’s 15 children, among the family’s youngest, and attended a one-room schoolhouse with students coming from three farming families spread out across 50 miles of the rural Cork landscape.

The farm was modest, raising cows for milk to sell, as well as chickens. Matt Hindra recalled that his mother would recite a rhyme to teach him and his sister the names of all of her siblings.

In the post-World War II early 1950s things were not so good in Ireland, so the still-young Miss Buckley left for London, seeking opportunity. She found work there as a baby nurse, remaining until she got a visa to come to the U.S. in 1962.

Living in New York City, she began work in elder care, staying in a client’s apartment for a few years. While there, she met Valentine Hindra, who was a doorman in the building where she worked, and romance, then marriage, ensued.

The couple saved money and eventually bought a small cottage in Hampton Bays, which they had used for a getaway and a place from which to launch fishing trips in the summers, and they moved there full time in the 1970s, looking for a safer place than New York City to raise their two children. At one point, they owned a motel in Hampton Bays, their son said. At another point, the Hindras worked at an estate outside of London.

Later on, the Hindras moved to a house on Woodbine Drive in Springs, Mr. Hindra by then having become a serious painter. They worked as caretakers, minding the Dean family property in East Hampton Village at one time.

Home life was important to Mrs. Hindra. There were almost constant card games at the house, both in New York City and Springs, Matt Hindra said. “She was fast friends with anyone from Ireland,” he said, “and she loved it here.”

Walks on the bay beach were a special pleasure for her, her son said. The family always owned a small boat, and Mrs. Hindra would enjoy relaxing aboard it while her husband clammed or fished.

Mrs. Hindra loved to travel, her son said, making yearly trips to Ireland to see family, as well as taking sightseeing trips in San Francisco and Switzerland, among other places.

Her husband survives her, as do their children, Matt Hindra of East Hampton, and Mary Anne Difatta of Trout Valley, Ill., and two grandchildren, as well as four of her siblings.

Mrs. Hindra was buried at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery on Cedar Street in East Hampton on Sept. 5. The Rev. Ryan Creamer officiated at a graveside service that was attended by a large number of people, including several relatives from Ireland.

Matt Hindra suggested donations in his mother’s memory to the National Parkinson Foundation, 200 S.E. 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, Fla. 33131.

Collis E. Russell

Collis E. Russell

May 2, 1946 - Aug. 24, 2017
By
Star Staff

A resident of Morris Park Lane in East Hampton since 1974, Collis E. Russell died at home on Aug. 24. He was 71.

Born in Moore County, N.C., on May 2, 1946, to William and Augusta Russell, he attended school there and in Bridgehampton, where he moved with his family. On Sept. 12, 1964, he married Linda Sue Ward. The couple relocated to East Hampton, and Mr. Russell worked as a window washer for more than 25 years across the East End.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters, Faye Russell, Felicia Russell, and Sonja Russell, all of East Hampton, and by two sons, Kyle Russell of East Hampton and Chris Russell of Maine.

Nine grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 20 nieces and nephews also survive.

A memorial will be held at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett on Friday, Sept. 29, from 5 to 9 p.m. There will be no charge to attend, and donations will be accepted for the family.

Jacqueline de Looz, 73

Jacqueline de Looz, 73

June 15, 1943 - June 02, 2017
By
Star Staff

Jacqueline Odette de Looz, who worked at the United Nations in various capacities for more than four decades and who had a house on Abraham’s Path in Amagansett, died on June 2 in Vienna of pancreatic cancer, her family said. She was 73.

Ms. de Looz began her career with Unesco in Paris in 1967 and worked at the U.N. in New York City from 1980 to 2003. Her positions included a post as head of the French edition team for the Official Records Editing Section. Assignments included General Assembly budget resolutions and editing the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in 1998. After she retired in 2004, she continued working for the U.N. as an editor, translator, and verbatim reporter.

She was born on June 15, 1943, in Bou­farik, Algeria, to Alexandre Le­comte and Odette Van der Straeten, one of three siblings. When she was 8 the family relocated to Paris. As a young woman, she traveled to Britain, Germany, and the United States, where she lived with her husband, Bertrand de Looz, whom she married in 1972, and raised three sons.

She earned a master’s degree in French literature from Hunter College in New York in 1979 and spoke Spanish, German, and Russian.

Ms. de Looz’s family described her as a chef with blue-ribbon aplomb and an enchanting hostess. She had a lifelong love of dancing and was the founder of the United Nations and Pilates clubs and a trustee of the United Nations International School. She modeled for paintings by Hunt Slonem and Lucas Samaras. She became an American citizen in 2010.

Swimming at Albert’s Landing Beach in Amagansett was a joy to her, as was her garden with cardinals and chickadees, interlopers that she adored. She attended services at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in East Hampton, where she was a Eucharistic minister, and where she was awarded Commander of the Star in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. 

Ms. de Looz is survived by her husband and sons, Pierre Alexandre de Looz of Brooklyn, Jean-Sebastien de Looz of Manhattan, and Marc-Andre de Looz of Houston, and her siblings, Claude Lecomte of Angers, France, and Andree Hookey of Rye, England.

A private Mass for her was celebrated on Saturday at Holy Family Church in Manhattan by the Rev. Gerald Murray. She was buried at Most Holy Trinity Cemetery in East Hampton.

Memorial contributions have been suggested to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, Calif. 90266.