Obituaries

Harry Kamen, former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of MetLife, died at home in New York City on Dec. 20. A summertime resident of Wainscott, he was 89.

Stephen James Gauger, who worked at the late Gerson and Judith Leiber’s estate in Springs for 41 years, died on Dec. 21 at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital of complications of Stage 4 lung cancer. He was 63.

Ernest Cecil Greene Jr., who served in the Marines from 1970 to 1974, died last Thursday at Windmill Village in East Hampton. He was 72.

Rita Foster, who owned and operated Rita’s Stable in Montauk until 2020, died on Dec. 4 at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead.

Thomas Lindsley, formerly of East Hampton and Springs, a world traveler, an amateur historian, and a cook, died in Schenectady, N.Y., of Covid-19 complications on Nov. 8. He was 71.

William J. Hayes, an artist who became a design-builder on the South Fork in the early 1970s, died on Dec. 14 at the Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Quiogue after a long illness. He was 89.

Catherine V. Babcock of East Hampton died on Monday at the age of 98. A graveside service was to be held today at 10 a.m. at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery on Cedar Street in East Hampton.

Geraldine Cronin-Soszynski, who traced her roots here back many generations, died on Nov. 13 at the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Southampton. She was 96 and had dementia.

Heidi Ann Kulp, known as a “neighborhood mother” in East Hampton, died on Dec. 5. She had been in failing health for the past few years and living in East Patchogue.

Susan Gullia, a travel agent who specialized in customized trips for culturally oriented individuals, families, and groups, died of an apparent heart attack on Nov. 13 at home on Hawks Nest Lane in Amagansett.

Edward Kenneth Simons, who was known as Kenny, died of complications of Parkinson’s disease on Nov. 20 in Naples, Fla. Formerly of Springs, he was 80 and had been diagnosed two years ago.

Richard Bender, an architect and professor of architecture and engineering who lived part time in Amagansett from 1961 to 1990, died on Oct. 8 of metastatic cancer at home in Oakland, Calif. He was 92.

Elizabeth Fasolino, 61, The Star’s arts editor for nearly two years, died of a heart attack on Nov. 5 in Gulfport, Fla., eight months after being diagnosed with a glioblastoma, for which she was being treated. 

Jim Arceri of Amagansett died of heart failure in the care of East End Hospice in Quiogue on Nov. 19. He was 60.

Janet Marian Van Sickle, who had lifelong passions for the seashore and horticulture, died at home in Montauk on Nov. 8. She was 86.

Marijane Meaker, the author of more than 60 books and the founder of the Ashawagh Hall Writers Workshop, died of cardiopulmonary arrest at home on Deep Six Drive in Springs on Nov. 21. She was 95.

Mitchell Rosenthal, who lived in East Hampton and Manhattan, died of complications of pneumonia on Nov. 14 at Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. An influential psychiatrist in the field of addiction treatment, he was 87.     

Janet Van Sickle, 86, died at home in Montauk on Nov. 8. A celebration of her life will be planned next year.

Joseph Dragotta, a star of the East Hampton High School football team who went on to be a California golf pro, died at home in Pleasanton in that state on Nov. 16. He was 63.

Norma Mae Edwards, a 10th-generation member of the Edwards family in Springs, died at home on Nov. 21. She was 98.

Alice J. McKay and Joseph T. McKay, former residents of Surf Drive in Amagansett, both died one month after their 64th wedding anniversary, Mrs. McKay on Oct. 23 and Mr. McKay on Oct. 14.

Elizabeth Fasolino, a writer and former arts editor at The East Hampton Star, died on Nov. 5 in Gulfport, Fla. She was 61 and had been receiving treatment for a glioblastoma, diagnosed in March.

A memorial service for Rose Pizzorno, a former Springs resident who died on Sept. 20 at the age of 100, will be held on Nov. 26 at 3 p.m. at the Springs Presbyterian Church.

Annie S. Loris of East Hampton, who could trace her family back to the Mayflower, died on Oct. 31 of sudden unexplained heart failure. She was 80.

A memorial service for Rose Pizzorno, a former Springs resident who died on Sept. 20 at the age of 100, will be held Nov. 26 at 3 p.m. at the Springs Presbyterian Church. Read her obituary here.

Jennifer Hartig of Noyac, a stage actress who formed a comedy team with her husband, died on Aug. 16 at the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Southampton.

A funeral service for Jennifer Mary Hartig, an English-born stage actress who lived in Noyac, will take place on Saturday at noon at the Shelter Island Funeral Home on West Neck Road. Her ashes will be dispersed into the bay.

A celebration of Joe O’Connell’s life will be held on Nov. 12 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Old Stove Pub in Sagaponack. Mr. O’Connell, a retired educator, died on Oct. 10.

A graveside service for Wallace Smith, general manager of WPPB, WLIU, and WPBX radio in Southampton for 25 years and a familiar voice on the FM airwaves, will be on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Shelter Island Cemetery. Mr. Smith died on Oct. 27.

Ronald John Hansen of Amagansett, an employee of the McCoy fuel company for many years, died on Oct. 23 at the Hospice House in East Northport. He was 79.