Barbara Cosgrove Proferes of Sag Harbor, a nearly lifelong resident who established Christy’s Liquor Store in the village with her husband in the mid-1940s, died at home on July 2. She was 90 years old and had been in declining health.
Born in Southampton on Oct. 6, 1929, she was the only child of Captain Cornelius Cosgrove III and the former Marian Zelenski. She was raised in Sag Harbor, in a home that had an outhouse, “and occasionally ate rabbit Grandpa shot, like everyone else,” her family wrote. During World War II she attended and graduated from a Catholic high school in Daytona Beach, Fla., where Capt. Cosgrove was a shipbuilder.
After returning to Sag Harbor, she met Christy J. Proferes, a World War II veteran who had lost both his legs in combat and received the Purple Heart medal. They married in 1948. The couple had three children, but their firstborn and only son, Christopher Proferes Jr., died of cancer when he was 10 years old.
Her husband died in February of 2005. Mrs. Proferes leaves two daughters, Patty Proferes of Lothian, Md., and Sag Harbor and Ann Plucis of Denver, N.C., and two grandchildren.
Patty Proferes recalled her mother as a child of the Great Depression who “never asked for sympathy. Never felt sorry for herself as she struggled to work through her sorrow and live a happy life.” She said her mother had a warm smile, rarely shed tears, and was a source of “inspiring strength,” kindness, and love.
Patty Proferes also remembered her mother as “a very fashionable gal” with stylish clothes, makeup, and Hollywood hairstyles. “Mom wasn’t super fancy but was always lovely and contemporary,” she recalled. “Lipstick and her comb were essentials throughout her life. Even while waiting for an [E.M.T.] to bring her to the hospital, she would ask for her lipstick and a comb.”
When Mrs. Proferes’s mother was advancing in age, having outlived her father by 16 years, Mrs. Proferes was her caretaker for many years. “The Cosgrove women have a strong will to live and don’t give up easily,” Patty Proferes said of her mother and grandmother.
The family enjoyed vacationing in Florida every year. Mrs. Proferes and her husband loved boating and fishing on the East End and liked to dine at places like Baron’s Cove, the Seaside, Gosman’s, and, when it was still around, John Duck Jr.’s restaurant.
Mrs. Proferes loved going to the beach and enjoyed helping the customers at the liquor store, her family said. She cherished her dog, Winston, and her grandchildren’s pet bird, Sunny Day. She loved music and attended the concerts of Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, and, with front-row seats, Boz Scaggs.
Ms. Proferes was a deeply religious woman and was a member of the St. Andrew Catholic Church in Sag Harbor.
She was buried on July 9, alongside her husband and son, in the St. Andrew cemetery. Her family has suggested memorial donations to the Sag Harbor Volunteer Ambulance Corps., P.O. Box 2725, Sag Harbor 11963.
