Bradley Marmon, 91, of White’s Pharmacy
Bradley Stanley Marmon, the longtime owner of White’s Pharmacy, one of East Hampton’s oldest businesses, died on Sunday morning, some two weeks before he would have celebrated his 92nd birthday. Mr. Marmon was a resident of an elder care facility in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease about two years ago and he had had two strokes, his family said.
Mr. Marmon bought the pharmacy and the building at 81 Main Street in East Hampton Village in 1954 from William White, whose father had owned the drugstore as well as another in Montauk. In East Hampton, the pharmacy was descended from the 19th-century E.B. Muchmore drugstore.
Mr. Marmon’s wife, Betty L. Marmon, joined him in the business, taking the lead in expanding its services and stocking cosmetics from such companies as Estée Lauder and Revlon. The couple’s daughter Elise Marmon worked at the pharmacy for some 25 years, making it a family business.
Ms. Marmon, who now lives in Needham, Mass., said her father was a generous man who “would drop everything to help someone in need.” As an example, she described an emergency call that came in the middle of the night from Gardiner’s Island. He got up, went to get the needed prescription at the pharmacy, and took it to the island on one of his boats.
He was born on Nov. 15, 1925, the eldest of four children of John and Thelma Marmorstein. He grew up in the Bronx and in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. In 1943, he was a member of the third class to graduate from the Bronx High School of Science. While a student, he was chosen to work with physicists at Columbia University who were part of the Manhattan Project, which developed the use of uranium for the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. He had no knowledge of the project’s goals and he won an Army commendation for his work.
During the war and before going to college, Mr. Marmon was an Army radio operator in the Pacific. The work engendered a lifelong interest in radio, and he eventually became a ham radio operator using the call sign KA1HR. Later, in East Hampton, he erected a tall transmission tower by the garage of his house on Mill Hill Lane.
In 1947, he returned from the war and was married. He enrolled at the Columbia University School of Pharmacy on the G.I. Bill, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1951. He worked at several pharmacies in New York City and Bay Shore before relocating to East Hampton.
In East Hampton, Mr. Marmon and his wife became members of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons and they renewed their vows at the Hedges Inn in 1998 after 51 years of marriage. Earlier, they served as co-chairs of American Cancer Society anti-smoking and cancer prevention fund-raising campaigns. Mr. Marmon joined the Masons, becoming a 32nd-degree member. He also was appointed to the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals, serving for over a decade.
Although he did some golfing and was one of the first members of the South Fork Country Club in Amagansett in 1959, fishing soon became a passion. He fished for over 25 years, first as a surfcaster in the Atlantic off the beaches here and then in Gardiner’s Bay after acquiring his first boat, the Rx, which was followed by larger vessels, the Refill and then the Therapy. His catches not only provided meals for his family and friends but also for two highly-thought-of restaurants, Chez Labatt in East Hampton and Gordon’s in Amagansett. He joined the Power Squadron and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, taking leadership positions in both, and spent many hours standing watch at the Coast Guard’s Montauk station.
In 1998, he sold White’s Pharmacy, retiring and planning to travel with his wife. However, she had a rare form of lung cancer and died that year. After her death, he moved to Bradenton, Fla., where they had often vacationed. Mr. Marmon rediscovered golf and traveled extensively, visiting New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Hungary, from which his family had come. He also looked forward to visits by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
In addition to his daughter Elise, he is survived by his daughter Nan Marmon Kaftan of Bradenton and his son Stephen Marmon of Pearl River, N.Y., as well as a sister, Hilary Marmon of Warwick, N.Y. He also is survived by four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A brother, Lloyd Marmon, and a sister, Mona David, died before him.
Rabbi-Cantor Debra Stein of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons will officiate at a service today at 1 p.m. at Shaarey Pardes Accabonac Grove Cemetery, 306 Old Stone Highway, Springs. The family will welcome visitors at the center from 2 to 6 p.m. today. Contributions have been suggested to the center, 44 Woods Lane, East Hampton 11937, or the Alzheimer’s Association National Office, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago.