Audrey Raebeck, an educator with a specialty in early childhood reading and a founder of the Group for America’s South Fork (now Group for the East End), died on Jan. 31 at Peconic Landing in Greenport. Formerly of Amagansett, she had lived at Peconic Landing for over 20 years. She was 93.
Ms. Raebeck earned her undergraduate degree at the State University at New Paltz. She married Donald Kelley in 1956 and had two sons with him, Christopher and David. She initially taught primary school, specializing in reading education, then supervised student teachers in public schools in the Northport School District. After she and Mr. Kelley divorced, she earned a master’s degree in education from Adelphi University while working as a single mother.
It was in graduate school that she met Charles Raebeck, a widower with six children. Dr. Raebeck was chairman of the education department at Adelphi’s Suffolk campus, which ultimately became Dowling College. She, too, joined the faculty there as a professor of education.
They were married on July 4, 1970, in a costume wedding at Dr. Raebeck’s Amagansett house. He was dressed as Uncle Sam and the bride was the Statue of Liberty.
The Raebecks were early organic farmers at their property on Atlantic Avenue, and became environmental activists. In addition to helping found the Group for America’s South Fork, they were instrumental in East Hampton Town’s adoption of anti-grouper laws meant to limit house rentals to no more than four unrelated people.
“They were involved in numerous environmental battles over the years opposing development and supporting open space preservation and large-lot zoning,” their family wrote. They also initiated the Halt the Highway movement opposing the extension of Route 27 as a four-lane highway on the South Fork, and “were anti-nuclear activists who were arrested in civil disobedience protests at the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant.”
“As much as she loved to spend time in her garden and enjoy the fruits of her labor in the kitchen, Audrey loved the sun and the beach and was known to take her daily walks — year round — along the beach from Atlantic Avenue to the Napeague towers,” her family wrote. “These walks were typically topped off with a dip in the ocean, regardless of the month or the water temp. Audrey also loved to cook and was renowned for throwing together, single-handedly, feasts for all eight children and their offspring each holiday.”
Later in life, Ms. Raebeck took up landscape painting, having trained under the local artist Ralph Carpentier, and also trained in and practiced a spiritual type of healing in the reiki style.
The Raebecks retired from teaching in the late 1970s, began a second career in education consulting, and opened a bed-and-breakfast at their 19th-century house in Amagansett. They developed long-lasting friendships with their guests.
The couple threw themselves into organic gardening, ocean kayaking, tennis, and civic causes. They led a spirituality group and enjoyed entertaining their close friends. They eventually moved to Northwest Woods and then to Peconic Landing.
Ms. Raebeck was born in Brooklyn on Dec. 5, 1931, to Anthony Wuestman and the former Helen Simpson. She grew up in Huntington.
She is survived by her two sons, David Kelley and Christopher Kelley of Springs, and by her husband’s children, Wendy Raebeck of Hawaii, Barry Raebeck of Wainscott, Terry Patterson and Heidi Raebeck of Maryland, and Shelby (Skip) Raebeck of Springs. She also leaves 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Her husband died before her, as did her brother and three sisters, and her stepdaughter, Leslie Raebeck.
Her family has suggested donations to the Group for the East End, online at thegroup.org.
