Eileen Bock, 82
Eileen T. Bock of Montauk, who was a co-founder of the hamlet’s senior nutrition program, died on Oct. 8, her 82nd birthday, at the Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. The cause was not immediately known.
Twenty-five years ago at the Montauk Community Church, Ms. Bock and Dorothy Lamay began the nutrition program, said Ms. Bock’s nephew Eric Salvadori, who works there as a chef. She saw a need, he said, for a place where the hamlet’s older citizens could go to be around others — have lunch, play games, watch movies, and enjoy conversation. “Their vision was something that the community of Montauk really needed,” Mr. Salvadori said.
Ms. Bock remained dedicated to the program, and only retired at the end of June, as its executive director. The not-for-profit Montauk Senior Nutrition Program has been run out of the Montauk Playhouse since 2005.
Ms. Bock was born on Oct. 8, 1936, at Queens General Hospital in Jamaica, to John J. Tschantre and the former Adele A. Fessler. She grew up in Whitestone, and attended P.S. 79 and the School for the Industrial Arts.
She was a photographer at United Press International when she met her husband, Alexander P. Bock. They lived in Manhattan and vacationed in Montauk for five years before buying a house on Fleming Road in 1971.
After they decided to live in the hamlet year round, she worked for a time as the Montauk correspondent for The East Hampton Star. She was a member of the Montauk School Board from 1997 to 2007, said Jack Perna, the school superintendent, and was also involved with the Friends of the Montauk Library.
A dog lover, Ms. Bock supported the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, for which memorial donations have been suggested. ARF’s address is P.O. Box 901, Wainscott 11975.
Her husband predeceased her. A sister, Adele M. Scott of Marshall, Mo., survives, as do several nephews, among them Mr. Salvadori. Two sisters, Cari Salvadori and Joan Higgins, died before her.
Ms. Bock was cremated. Her ashes were buried at Fort Hill Cemetery in Montauk.