Virginia R. Erario, a homemaker who was a foster mother to some 25 babies awaiting adoption even as she was raising her own children, died of congestive heart failure at home in Montauk on May 17. She was 91.

Mrs. Erario worked for Catholic Charities in South Ozone Park, Queens, where the family then lived, caring for the children of unwed mothers. She took care of about two dozen infants until they were 6 months old, sometimes until they were 2, said her daughter Virginia Sayers of Montauk. “She gave a lot of love,” Ms. Sayers said. “She treated them like her own kids.”

Born Virginia Rose Yacobellis in Brooklyn on Dec. 18, 1922, to Anthony Yacobellis and the former Maria Acerenza, Mrs. Erario grew up in Richmond Hill and graduated from John Adams High School in Queens. In 1938, when she was 16, her family began visiting Montauk, eventually buying property and building a house on Arthur Drive in the Mirror Development.

When she was 18 and working for her father’s import-export company, she would put money away with the help of  her mother, said Ms. Sayers. She managed eventually to save enough to buy a piece of property of her own, on Grant Drive, where she and her husband would later build a house.

She married Vincent J. Erario in 1942, the same year he was drafted. They moved to South Ozone Park after the war. In 1956 they began spending summers in Montauk, and Mrs. Erario helped her sister, Lucille Jarmain, run the Wavecrest Resort Motel there.

After Mr. Erario retired in 1980, the couple split their time between Montauk and Jensen Beach, Fla. He died in Montauk of a heart attack four years later. They had been married just shy of 42 years.

Mrs. Erario continued to spend winters in Florida, where, said her daughter, she was active in the Nettles Island recreational community, where she enjoyed playing tennis and boccie. Affectionately called the “Queen of Mah-jongg,” she taught many to play the game, both in Florida and at the Montauk Community Senior Center, where she spent a lot of time.

In addition to Ms. Sayers, she leaves another daughter and two sons. They are Marian F. Price of Yaphank, Anthony J. Erario of Port Saint Lucie, Fla., and Vincent J. Erario Jr. of Atlanta. Ms. Sayers said she was very close to her son-in-law John J. Sayers Jr. of Montauk, whom she considered “a fifth child,” and to her daughter-in-law Pamela L. Erario of Port Saint Lucie, whom she taught to make the apple pie that is served in Lily’s Cafe, her restaurant there.

Five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren also survive. A brother, Daniel Yacobellis, died before her.

A memorial service will be held at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk on June 14 at 11 a.m. The family has suggested memorial contributions for the Montauk Community Senior Citizens Center, 240 Edgemere Road, Montauk 11954, or to St. Therese of Lisieux, P.O. Box 5027, Montauk 11954.

Jeremiah Edward Joseph Desmond, a dentist who had lived in Montauk for 40 years, died at Southampton Hospital on Sunday. He was 96 and had been ill for a month with a bone infection.

Dr. Desmond began his dental practice in Tarrytown, N.Y., and later practiced upstate, in Flushing, and in Montauk. 

He loved to write poetry and to paint, his family said, and enjoyed creating limericks highlighting the special qualities of his six grandchildren.

Born on Oct. 4, 1917, he grew up in New Haven, Conn., the son of Richard William Desmond and the former Ellen Bourassa.

He attended James Hillhouse High School in New Haven, and went on to Fordham University and then the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons School of Dentistry.

Before establishing his practice, he served as a captain in the United States Air Force, stationed in Tripoli, Libya, and later at St. Andrew’s Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

In 1944, Mr. Desmond married Eugenia Quinn, who died in 2011.

The couple’s six children survive. They are Mary Celeste Howard of East Hampton, Jeremiah Desmond and Thomas Desmond of Montauk, Kathleen Carney of Scottwick, Mass., Eugenia O’Connor of Upper Nyack, N.Y., and Dr. Richard Desmond of Flushing.

A sister, Mary Desmond of Saybrook, Conn., also survives, as do his six grandchildren.

Dr. Desmond was cremated. His ashes will be buried at Calverton National Cemetery. A funeral service will be held at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk, where he was a member. The Rev. George O’Neill, Dr. Desmond’s nephew, will preside.

The family has suggested memorial contributions to the Long Island Chapter of the National Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Association Long Island, at 105 Maxess Road, Suite S124, Melville 11747.

William Rockliff Claxton III, a surfer and lifeguard who loved adventure and his red 1961 MGA sports car, died on April 22 at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he had undergone surgery. He was 62. A longtime Amagansett resident, he had been living in Sunnyside, Queens.

Mr. Claxton, who was called Rocky, was born in Darien, Conn., on May 7, 1951, to William R. Claxton and the former Maureen Palmer. He and his parents summered in Amagansett for many years, and he eventually made it his home. He attended East Hampton High School, where he was a football star, and graduated in 1969. He also studied at what was then known as the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University in Brookville, receiving a degree in film studies and becoming a grip in New York film production. He worked on numerous films and television commercials during his career and became a member of the New York Chapter of the International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees in 1979.

Mr. Claxton loved the ocean and was an excellent swimmer. He was a lifeguard at Georgica and Main Beaches in East Hampton Village, and, as a surfer, was known to  catch waves from Montauk’s Ditch Plain to the first jetty at Georgica. At one time he joined the crew of a 38-foot sloop that sailed from Three Mile Harbor to Ha Ha Bay in Quebec, and he had also hiked in the mountains of Colombia. Friends said there was no finer wheelman around, calling him a naturally safe and fast driver.

Mr. Claxton, who had no surviving family, was buried after a graveside service on May 5 at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton, two days before his 63rd birthday. A service had been held for him at the Lynch Funeral Home in Sunnyside on May 4. Friends suggested memorial donations to a charity of personal choice.

Jean Fischer, an animal rights activist and well-known member of the Montauk community, died on May 18 at Southampton Hospital. She was 86 and had been hospitalized for two weeks following a stroke. 

Described by her family as small of stature, big of heart, and in possession of an iron will, Mrs. Fischer and her husband, Herb Fisher, a patent designer, moved to Montauk, where they lived in a house overlooking Lake Montauk and the Montauk County Park, shortly after their marriage in 1982.

An early board member of the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, Mrs. Fischer volunteered at ARF’s Thrift Shop for more than 20 years. She and her husband were original members of the organization’s Operation Cat program, teaching volunteers how to trap and care for generations of feral cats, and caring for a small colony near their house.

At various times, Mrs. Fischer also served on the board of the Concerned Citizens of Montauk and was a supporter of the Montauk Library. When they weren’t in Montauk, the couple traveled the world — enjoying wildlife and exploring exotic locales. Her husband died in March of 2008.

Mrs. Fischer was born on July 28, 1927, to E. Wallace Erisman and the former Ruth Heim in Lancaster, Pa. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. Beginning in the 1960s, she worked at what was Bell Labs (now AT&T) in Holmdel, N.J., as its first female supervisor in the engineering information department and became a role model for several young women working there. She retired at 55. 

Mrs. Fischer is survived by a step-daughter, Kim Black of Middletown, N.J., and by two granddaughters and two great-grandchildren. Her family has suggested memorial contributions to the Animal Rescue Fund, P.O. Box 901, Wainscott 11975.

Leona Smith, who had suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for a long time, died at her apartment at the Windmill Village II complex in East Hampton on May 24 at the age of 84. Mrs. Smith, who was always known as Faye, lived on Abraham’s Path for some 50 years, said her daughter Maureen Semb of East Hampton. More recently, as her health declined, she lived with Ms. Semb on Oakview Highway, moving to Windmill Village three years ago.

Except for brief periods during which she lived in North Carolina and Connecticut, she was a lifelong resident of East Hampton Town, her daughter said. But she and her husband, Norman E. Smith, who died in 2011, loved to travel. “Tennessee, Florida — small vacations all over,” Ms. Semb said. “She and my dad loved to get in the car and go.”

Mrs. Smith was born at Southampton Hospital on Jan. 13, 1930, to Harold W. King and the former Leverne J. Edwards. She attended East Hampton High School. Prior to her marriage to Mr. Smith, a brief early marriage had ended in divorce, her daughter said. She worked at North Main Street Cleaners and the North Main Street Ice Cream Parlor in the past and was a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton, but was mostly a homebody, her daughter said. “She liked to do crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and she loved murder mysteries.”

In addition to Ms. Semb, she is survived by her daughters Sharon King of East Hampton and Joyce Coleman of Noyac. Ten grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren also survive. Four siblings died before her.

A memorial service will be held in the community room at Windmill Village II on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The family has suggested memorial contributions to the East Hampton Village Ambulance Association, 1 Cedar Street, East Hampton 11937.

Arnold J. Cox, a retired police officer who grew up in Sag Harbor, died on May 16 in Dorchester, Mass. He was 58. The cause of death was not reported, but his sister, Nora Cox of Sag Harbor, said he had had a long illness.

Mr. Cox, who had lived in Boston for the last 40 years, was a fine athlete, his sister said. He played baseball as a young man and was an enthusiastic fan in later years.

Born in Southampton on July 22, 1955, to Arnold C. Cox and the former Ellen Menaik, who do not survive, he graduated from Pierson High School in 1973 and then from Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. Following his graduation, he began a career with the Boston Police Department, serving for more than 25 years.

Mr. Cox never married. In addition to his sister, he leaves three nieces and nephews.

A service took place on May 21 at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in Sag Harbor, Robert Diederiks, pastoral assistant of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Sag Harbor, officiating. Mr. Cox was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sag Harbor.

Chris Cosich, the founder of Honor Flight Long Island and an Amagansett resident who died on April 21, will be honored posthumously at an event Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Southampton High School on Narrow Lane. Organizers of the program said that they plan to “celebrate how giving he was in his professional life as a trainer, nutritionist, bodybuilding competitor, and friend to many.”

Honor Flight Long Island has taken more than 1,000 World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the war memorials since its beginnings in 2007. Those planning to attend Sunday have been asked to leave a message at 702-1945.

Services for Tyler Miller Valcich, who died on Monday at Southampton Hospital, will be held at the Montauk Firehouse on Sunday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. A Mass will be said at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk on Monday at 11 a.m., followed by burial at Fort Hill Cemetery.

Mr. Valcich, who was 20, is the son of Mitchell (Mickey) Valcich and Valinda Miller Valcich. His sister Carin Valcich also survives.

His family has suggested donations be made to the Montauk Fire Department, 12 Flamingo Avenue, Montauk 11954.

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

The Ross School in East Hampton has announced services for Franco Denaro, a cook at the school for 12 years who died on Wednesday. Visiting hours will be at Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m.

His funeral will be at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in East Hampton at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The school held a morning gathering in Mr. Denaro's memory on Thursday.

    Myron B. Levy of Atlanta, a former East Hampton resident who had helped run Hren’s Nursery here, a business in his late wife’s family, died of a heart attack on May 12 in New Mexico, where he was vacationing. He was 81.

    Mr. Levy, who was known as Mike, loved working, his family said, and had no plans to retire. He had worked in commercial and residential real estate, and most recently in sales and marketing with contractors doing home modifications to accommodate the disabled and elderly.

    Mr. Levy had lived in Atlanta since the early 1990s. He was born in Long Beach on June 26, 1932, a son of Louis Levy and the former Ruth Mintz, and grew up in Lawrence. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in textile engineering in 1954.

    He was married to the former Elizabeth (Betsy) Hren on April 28, 1958. The couple lived on Huntting Lane in East Hampton Village from 1959 to 1971, and then in a cottage at the Hren Nursery property from 1974 to 1992. She died in 2010.

    The Levys’ daughter, Alyssa McElrone of Atlanta, survives, as do two grandchildren. Mr. Levy’s “greatest joys” were his grandchildren, his daughter said, and he had helped care for them from the time they were born. A sister, Sally Posmantur of Naples, Fla., also survives.

    A memorial service will be held on June 1, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Cross Creek Cafe in Atlanta. Contributions in Mr. Levy’s memory have been suggested to the Shepherd Center Foundation, 2020 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30327.