Lewis L. Edson of Cutchogue died on June 20. He was 72 years old.
Mr. Edson and his family are the owners of Santa’s Christmas Tree Farm in Cutchogue.
The family will receive friends Sunday, June 23 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. Graveside services, with U.S. Marine Corps honors, will be held Monday, June 24 at 1 p.m. at Cutchogue Cemetery, with the Rev. Richard Boyer of the First Presbyterian Church in Southampton officiating.
William H. Milner of Cutchogue died June 19. He was 56.
The family will receive visitors Sunday, June 23 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue. A funeral procession will leave the funeral home Monday, June 24 at 10 a.m. and proceed to Calverton National Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.
A complete obituary will appear in a future edition of The Suffolk Times.
William H. Milner of Cutchogue died June 19. He was 56 years old.
He was born Oct. 27, 1956, in Freeport to William and Alberta Milner, and he most recently worked for the Levien family in Cutchogue.
He served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1974 to 1978. He was an outdoorsman who loved hunting and spending time on the water boating and fishing, according to his family.
Mr. Milner is survived by his children, Alyssa, of Manorville, and Allison, of Riverhead; his parents, Alberta and Bill Jacobs of Cutchogue; his brother, Fred, of Laurel, and sisters, Bonnie Doroski of Southold and Kacy Burkhardt and Lisa Jacobs, both of Cutchogue. He was predeceased by his father, William Milner, in 1969.
The family received visitors June 23 at Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue, where a service was held. Interment was June 24 at Calverton National Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Florence Mercedes Kenney of Cutchogue and Lebanon, Tenn., passed away June 9, 2013, after a long illness. She was 87 years old.
She was born Sept. 24, 1925, to Charles and Lucy (Murphy) Fried of the Bronx, N.Y.
Florence M. Kenney
Florence attended Fordham University (accounting) and worked for top New York City companies in the fashion, radio production, public relations and financial services industries.
In her retirement to Cutchogue with her husband, Raymond, she kept busy by taking long walks with her schnauzer, Kelly, and enjoyed feeding the swans and ducks. She was also a bookkeeper at North Fork Country Club in Cutchogue and volunteered at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Mattituck.
She moved to Lebanon on Jan. 7, 2009, to reside with her nephew, Robert (Pat) O’Brien. She attended St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church there.
Ms. Kenney was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond, and her sister, Genevieve O’Brien. In addition to her nephew, Robert O’Brien, she is survived by her great-nieces, Ann Marie (John) Najeway of Mogadore, Ohio, and Kelly (Matt) Pramik of Munroe Falls, Ohio; her three great-great nieces, Alison, Emma and Madison; and her great-great nephew, AJ.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated Monday, July 1, 2013, at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Mattituck.
Arrangements are being handled by Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue.
This is a paid notice.
Helen Richmond of Cutchogue passed away at San Simeon by the Sound in Greenport on June 20, 2013, at the age of 85.
She was born Feb. 23, 1928, in White Plains, N.Y. After her marriage, Helen contracted polio in September 1949 and, for a time, was a patient of Sister Kenney, an Australian nurse who pioneered new approaches in the rehabilitation of polio victims.
Although she never walked again, Helen valued her independence and obtained her driver’s license in the late 1970s and drove for some time. She took great satisfaction from her job at the Southold Town Information Center in Laurel for almost 20 years.
Helen is survived by her husband, Robert W. Richmond; her daughters, Barbara Kaelin, Patricia Richmond, Carole Dunn and Elaine Richmond; her grandchildren, Michelle Radigan, Dawn Vaughan and Melissa Gabel; and her great-grandchildren, Kiajah and DaCosta Vaughan. She was predeceased by her son, Robert G. Richmond.
Family and friends gathered for services at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. Burial was at the family plot at Cutchogue Cemetery.
Memorial donations to San Simeon by the Sound nursing home in Greenport would be appreciated.
This is a paid notice.
Joan T. Kowalchuk of Peconic died June 23, 2013. She was 84 years old.
She was born June 3, 1929, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Alexander and Veronica Doyle.
After graduating from Garden City High School, she married Benjamin Kowalchuk on April 26, 1950, in Garden City.
A resident of Hicksville for over 30 years, she had lived on the North Fork for the past 31 years.
Joan was a homemaker, a volunteer with AHRC in Nassau County for 15 years, a Girl Scout leader and a member of the Peconic Homemakers.
She is survived by her husband, Benjamin; four children, Richard Kowalchuk of Midlothian, Va., Susan Kowalchuk of Emmaus, Pa., Patricia Kowalchuk of Melville and William Kowalchuk of Southampton; two sisters, Carole Power and Faith Corcoran, both of Jupiter, Fla.; and six grandchildren: Alyssa, Ariel, Adria, Morgan, William and Brandon.
The family will receive friends Tuesday, June 25, from 4 to 8 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. Graveside services and interment will take place Wednesday, June 26, at 11:30 a.m. at Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury.
This is a paid notice.
Clair Lewis (Lew) Johnson, died June 12 in Greenport. He was 88 years old.
C. Lewis “Lew” Johnson
Born Aug. 7, 1924, in Jackson Heights to Inez and Clair V. Johnson, he was raised in Larchmont. He joined the U.S. Navy as a radio technician during World War II, returning to finish his degree in electrical engineering and business at the University of Michigan.
In 1947, Mr. Johnson married his high school sweetheart, Mary E. Martin of Larchmont. Married for over 60 years, they raised their children in Hackensack, N.J., where Mr. Johnson participated in local government and school issues, serving as president of the Board of Education. He was active in the New Jersey Naval Museum in Hackensack and was instrumental in the acquisition and restoration of the submarine USS Ling 297. He worked for the Otis Elevator Company for four decades, retiring from the international sales division.
Upon retirement, he and his wife moved to Barnes Landing, Amagansett, living in a home they had designed and participating in the Barnes Landing Association, of which he was president for a time. He also worked part-time at Village Hardware in East Hampton.
Mr. Johnson spent much of his life on or near Long Island Sound, family members recalled, sailing out of Larchmont Yacht Club and later, Wilson Cove Yacht Club in Rowayton, Conn., on his beloved boat, Truant, and later, Truant Too. He also enjoyed clamming and fishing in the waters of Gardiners Bay and, according to his family, is remembered by friends and neighbors as always being willing and eager to help with any handyman repairs.
After nearly 20 years on the South Fork, the Johnsons moved to Peconic Landing in Greenport.
Predeceased by his wife in 2008, Mr. Johnson is survived by three children, Catherine and Bruce, both of Medford, Mass., and Deb Bicher of Encinitas, Calif.; a sister, Barbara Rugg of Santa Fe, N.M.; and four grandchildren. His youngest daughter, Amy Elizabeth, predeceased him in 1964.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 10, at 2 p.m. at Orient Congregational Church. Interment will be in the family plot at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, N.J. Arrangements are being handled by Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport.
Memorial donations may be made to Barnes Landing Association, Lew Johnson Memorial, P.O. Box 756, Amagansett, NY 11930 or Peconic Landing, c/o the Employee Appreciation Fund, 1500 Brecknock Road, Greenport, NY 11944.
Lewis L. Edson of Cutchogue died June 20, 2013, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 72 years old.
He was born in New York City Jan. 17, 1941, to Lefferts P. and Grace (Riley) Edson and attended Southold High School and Syracuse University.
Lew served in the United States Marine Corps and for the past 25 years had owned and operated Santa’s Christmas Tree Farm with his family. Prior to that, he ran First Towne Realty for 30 years.
He was a member of the New York State Christmas Tree Growers Association and North Fork Country Club.
Left to mourn his passing are his wife, Sheila McCarthy-Edson, whom he married May 24, 2013; three children: Lisa Christine Edson, Evans Munro Edson and Channing Virginia Edson; and five grandchildren: Hawke Edson, Sloane Edson, Oliver Edson, Grayson Harrinan and Liv Harrinan.
The family received friends June 23 at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. Graveside services were conducted June 24 by the Rev. Richard Boyer at Cutchogue Cemetery. Military honors were rendered by the U.S. Marine Corps.
]Memorial donations to Island Gift of Life Foundation, P.O. Box 532, Shelter Island Heights, NY 11965 would be appreciated. The Island Gift of Life Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides a wide range of services to the people on the East End who are struggling both financially and emotionally with serious illnesses.
This is a paid notice.
Dr. James Bartley Given III, 86, a resident of West Hartford, Conn., and New Suffolk, husband of Sarah (Sather) Given, died peacefully on Tuesday, June 18, at Seabury Health Center in Bloomfield, Conn.
Born in Brooklyn, he was the son of James B. Given Jr., M.D. and Marie (Tyrell) Given.
Bart was a graduate of The Choate School in Wallingford, Conn., Cornell University and Princeton University. He received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in New York, N.Y.
Following a surgical internship at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, Bart served in the Korean War for the United States Army Medical Corps and was honorably discharged in 1953 as a first lieutenant. He was a resident in anesthesiology at Hartford Hospital from 1953 to 1955 and served on the staff there until his retirement in 1990. Bart was a member of several anesthesiology societies and was president of the New England Society in 1968 and 1969.
Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons, James B. Given IV and his wife, Susan, of New Suffolk and Peter B. Given of Greenport; his stepsons, Dr. William G. Pinney and his wife, Sandy, of Alexandria, Va., and D. Rees Pinney and his wife, Maggie, of Hartford, Conn; his grandchildren, Sarah Given Ellis, Grayson and Lucas Pinney and Cole and Emma Pinney; and his great-grandchildren, Asher and Grayson Ellis.
Bart was predeceased by his first wife, Shirley (Baxter) Given; his son Douglas F. Given; his daughter, Elisabeth Given; and his sister, Joan Kirsch.
Bart was an avid golfer and also enjoyed sailing and hiking. He was a voracious reader and a friend to all dogs. Above all, Bart will be remembered by his friends and family, and by all who knew him, as a perfect gentleman.
His family would like to warmly acknowledge the exceptional and loving care he received from the staff at Seabury Retirement Community during the last months of his life, especially by Dr. Coll, Marina Soloveychik and Chlake Raineau.
A memorial service was held in Connecticut and burial services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that memorial contributions be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 679 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119 or the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund, P.O. Box 146, New Suffolk, NY 11956.
The James T. Pratt Funeral Service, Wethersfield, Conn., was entrusted with arrangements.
This is a paid notice.
Glenda Gail Radich of Southold died at home June 21, 2013, from complications of pneumonia. She was 76 years old and had been in ill health for the past three years.
She was born in Greenport March 22, 1937, to George G. and Jane (Vaughn) DeLong. After graduating from Southold High School, she married Joseph Francis Radich at St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport on November 10, 1957.
A lifelong North Fork resident, Gail was a chauffeur at Brookhaven National Laboratory for 20 years and had the distinction of being the first female to hold that position.
In the community, she was a founder of the Southold Dance Group during the 1970s, choreographed several Southold school and North Fork Community Theatre plays during the seventies and early eighties and was also involved with the Southold PTA Founders Follies during this time. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Southold, where she was a deacon and active in the sewing club, choir and various church events.
She is survived by her husband, Joseph F. Radich; three children, Keith Allen Radich of Mattituck and Robin Michele Klotz and Jolyn Marie Radich, both of Southold; her siblings George DeLong of Southold, Sheila Constantine, Barbara Osarczuk and Cheryl Cavello, all of Florida, and David, Gregory and Alan DeLong, all of Center Moriches; two grandchildren, Robert Willard Klotz Jr. and Stephen Klotz, both of Massachusetts; and two great-grandchildren, Lauren Rae Hapcook and Jacob Michael John Stevens, both also of Massachusetts. She was predeceased by her sister Judith Dawson and a stepsister, Marjorie Volinski.
The family received friends June 24 at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. The Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated June 25 at St. Patrick R.C. Church, Father Peter Garry and the Rev. Peter Kelley officiating. Interment was at St. Patrick R.C. Cemetery.
Memorial donations to East End Hospice or S.A.V.E.S. would be appreciated.
This is a paid notice.
Former Southold resident Nicholas J. Chick died June 30 at Normandie Ridge Senior Living Community in York, Pa. He was 96 years old.
He was born March 7, 1917, in Peekskill, N.Y., to Joseph and Mary (Lasorsa) Chick. A U.S. Navy veteran, he served in World War II and was later employed as an elementary school administrator with the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District until his retirement in 1979. He was a member of the New York State Retired Teachers Association, American Legion, Knights of Columbus and St. Joseph R.C. Church in Dallastown, Pa. Family members said he was an avid golfer and Penn State football fan.
Mr. Chick is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Ruth (née Gettel); a daughter, Mary Lou Rohrbaugh; a son, Joseph; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by a sister and two brothers.
The family received visitors July 3 at Heffner Funeral Chapel and Crematory, the Rev. David Brinker, chaplain of Normandie Ridge, officiating. Burial with military honors by the York County Veterans Honor Guard followed at Susquehanna Memorial Gardens. All services took place in York, Pa.
Memorial donations may be made to Normandie Ridge, 1700 Normandie Dr., York, PA 17408.
Russell A. Hall, born in Brooklyn Oct. 9, 1924, passed away June 27, 2013, at Eastern Long Island Hospital after a brief illness. He had recently moved to Southold from his residence in Sag Harbor.
Russ was a beloved fixture on the East End, having lived and worked in Sag Harbor for over 30 years. He was a friend to the community as an active member of several organizations, including service in the U.S. Navy. He served as president of the Noyac Civic Council, Lions Club, Knights of Columbus and St. James Little League, and was president and founder of Pop Warner football in Bergen County, N.J.
Russ also was active in St. James R.C. Church in Springfield, N.J., and St. Andrew R.C. Church in Sag Harbor and gave of his time in many ways, including as an usher at Sunday mass.
For over 30 years, Russ was an insurance broker for Brisotti & Silkworth. He was always available to lend a helping hand or a kind word.
Russ is survived by his wife, Ann; daughter Angela (son-in-law Pat); son, Chris (future daughter-in-law MaryAnn); and grandchildren Jennifer, Matthew and Jay. He will be remembered for his smile and willingness to help those in need.
The family received visitors June 30 at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport. Services were held July 1 at St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport. Burial with Navy Honor Guard followed at St. Andrew’s Cemetery in Sag Harbor.
Donations for the Children’s Catholic School Scholarship Fund can be made to St. Agnes Church, 523 Front St., Greenport, NY 11944.
This is a paid notice.
Grace Pauline “Polly” (Meyers) Lellman, 97, beloved wife of the late Charles Lellman, died Thursday morning June 27, 2013, at Brooksby Village, Peabody, Mass. She was comforted by the loving presence of her family and supported by the expert and kind staff of Renaissance Gardens.
Polly was born in Greencastle, Pa. She was the daughter of Elmer and Zelda Meyers. She grew up in Chambersburg, Pa., graduating from Chambersburg High School in 1933.
Following her graduation, Polly moved to Greenport, where she raised her family. She owned and operated the Sterlington Hotel with her husband for 35 years. Many will remember the food she served and the hospitality they offered to all who entered its doors. After selling the hotel, she worked as a reservationist at Cross Sound Ferry in Orient Point for 15 years. She retired after her 80th birthday.
Polly continued to be active in her community after retirement, volunteering for the Dominican Sisters. She loved counted cross-stitch, reading, gardening and playing cards with her friends. She loved to travel and was grateful to have visited Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Turkey, Europe and the Holy Land.
She moved to Brooksby Village to be closer to her children and lived there for the last 10 years. She enjoyed these years and the friendships she made. She will always be remembered for her devotion to her family, friends and her faith. She delighted in the lives of her children and grandchildren.
Polly is survived by two daughters, Laraine Lellman Woo and her husband, Frank, of Andover, Mass., and Eileen Getches and her husband, Jim, of Fort Collins, Colo.; two sons, John Lellman and his wife, Margaret, of Northboro, Mass., and Joseph Lellman and his wife, Martha, of Florence, Mass. Also surviving are 13 grandchildren: Charles Lellman and his wife, Michelle; Meghan Woo and her husband, Mat; Caitlin Woo Pierce and her husband, Richard; Lauren Woo; Michael Getches; Carolyn Getches; and Molly, Grace, Timothy, Charlotte, Sophie, Georgie and Gus Lellman; two sisters, Vera Rohrer and Mildred Miller, both of Pennsylvania; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband; her son Charles Lawrence Lellman Jr.; two sisters, Gertrude Hissong and Leoda Baer; and brothers Arthur and Bryce Meyers.
A graveside funeral service was held at St. Agnes Cemetery in Greenport. A memorial service was held July 8, 2013, at Brooksby Village Chapel, Peabody, Mass.
Memorial donations may be made to Polycystic Kidney Disease, c/o National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd St., New York, NY 10016.
This is paid notice.
East Marion resident Joan Beletsis died July 10 at Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport. She was 82 years old.
The family will receive visitors Friday, July 12, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport. A funeral service will be held Saturday, July 13, at approximately 11 a.m. at Saints Anargyroi, Taxiarchis and Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church in Greenport.
A complete obituary will appear in a future edition of The Suffolk Times.
After years of valiant effort, Joan Beletsis succumbed to cancer July 10 at Eastern Long Island Hospital. Joan was predeceased by her husband, Spiro, only three months earlier.
In her final days Joan took comfort in the knowledge that her Spiro would be there to welcome her into eternity. More than at peace, Joan is happy to be home, in Spiro’s loving embrace once again.
In life, Joan was an avid gardener and many of her most special moments were spent in the solitude of her garden, among the living things she helped to nurture. Here on earth, many of her most special moments were also spent with living beings she helped nurture as sister, wife, mother, an aunt, a grandmother, neighbor and friend.
While those of us left behind are, of course, saddened by Joan’s passing, we take comfort in the knowledge that she is beyond suffering and pain now and that she made it to her final rest in time to share her 62nd wedding anniversary on July 22 with her Spiro.
Final services for Joan Beletsis took place Saturday, July 13, in Greenport at Sts. Anargyroi, Taxiarchis & Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church. On that day Joan’s life was celebrated by family and friends who will remember her forever.
Joan was defined by her love of family, friends, books, the culinary arts and her status as a Master Gardener. Joan so loved the wonders and tranquility of her seaside garden in Pebble Beach, East Marion, where she shepherded her plantings through each season’s beautiful transition. If she wasn’t in her garden, she could be found in the greenhouse reading or quickly solving the most challenging crossword puzzle in her daily New York Times. Born in Manhattan on Oct. 20, 1930, Joan received her Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College and a Master of Arts in Library Science from Queens College. She made her career as an acquisitions librarian at the New York Society Library in Manhattan.
Joan is survived by her children: her son John and his wife, Andrea; her daughter Cleo; her daughter Stamy and her, husband, Robert Coscia; and her son Spiro C. Joan leaves two granddaughters, Nicole and Jeanette; her sister Euterpe Kalantjakos of Athens, Greece; and many wonderful neighbors, friends and loving relatives.
Her family will be ever grateful to cousins Anthea, Danny, George, Joan and Nik and, most of all, to Bill, Steve, Ken, Paul, Christine, Anna and George — all honorary Beletsi. Additionally, the family is indebted to Maureen Ringold, Pastor Bob and all the other wonderful and caring professionals at Eastern Long Island Hospital, East End Hospice and PBMC visiting nurse service.
While Joan may have left this earth, she will be with all of us in spirit and we will see her in every flower that grows.
This is a paid notice.
Lifelong Greenport resident Alice Ann Ewell Raynor died July 2 at Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport. She was 69 years old.
She was born Feb. 21, 1944, to Rosalie (Gagen) and Edward Ewell and attended St. Agnes Catholic and Greenport schools. She married Gilbert W. Raynor in Mattituck on June 2, 1972.
Family members said Ms. Raynor loved gardening, cooking and crafts and was a devoted mother, wife and grandmother.
She is survived by her husband; her daughter, Dawn Conway of Greenport; her sisters, Loretta Bondarchuck of Southold and Mary Lane and Judy Quarty, both of Greenport; her brother, Edward Ewell II of Maryland; and five grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son, Darin Raynor, in 2004 and a sister, Nancy Ewell, in 1996.
Arrangements were handled by Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue. Cremation was private.
Memorial donations may be made to the Greenport Fire Department Rescue Squad.
Gladys I. Jacobsen of Southold died July 11 at San Simeon by the Sound nursing home in Greenport. She was 84 years old.
She was born in Brooklyn Sept. 3, 1928, to Alfred and Thora (Jakobsen) Hansen. After graduating from Ft. Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, she worked for several years for the Royal London Liverpool Insurance Company in Manhattan.
Gladys married Roy Jacobsen Nov. 15, 1947, and within a few years moved to Smithtown, where they raised their three children. She worked for the Smithtown School District in the media center for 21 years, retiring in 1990. Once retired, she and Roy moved to Idaho, where their son lived, and spent several years there. After her husband’s death in 1997, Gladys returned to Long Island to be near her daughters, settling in Southold in 1998.
She is survived by her daughters, Diane (Frank) Arnold of Southold and Arlene (Tom) Harkins of Ridge, and her son, James (Elia) Jacobsen of Nampa, Idaho; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Cremation was handled by DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. A private family gathering is planned for a later date.
This is a public notice.
Earl Vorhees led a full and varied life. Always curious and with a keen intellect, he loved the journey of exploring new things. His friends half-jokingly called him “the most interesting man in the world.” Husband, father, thespian, teacher, writer, factory manager, labor organizer, timber-framer, yacht and barn restorationist, skier and sailor — he was passionate about them all.
Earl Burdette Vorhees Jr.
Earl Vorhees Jr. was born Dec. 3, 1934, in Wewoka, Okla., to Earl B. Vorhees Sr., a foreman laying the Standard Oil pipeline network, and Stella Hancock Vorhees, a formidable horsewoman. An only child, Earl Jr., known as “Sonny-Earl” to his family, was influenced by the fierce independence and courage of his parents, who endured the hardships of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. From this, and from his childhood memories of World War II American solidarity, his character was imbued early on with a pragmatic can-do self-reliance.
Earl took pride in telling people he was from the same hometown as Neil Armstrong, Wapakeneta, Ohio, where his family moved in the late 1930s. With equal interests in music and sports, young Earl took trumpet lessons from a music teacher in nearby Celina, which stood on the shore of Grand Lake St. Marys. The era of touring big bands brought exciting swing musicians to Celina’s waterfront dance pavilions and formed Earl’s lifelong appreciation of dance and music, particularly swing, bebop, and later the Afro-Brazilian style. Earl was proud to say he shook hands with Louis Armstrong. What a wonderful world indeed.
Earl married Connie K. Richardson in 1953 and, before the marriage ended, they had two sons: Kirk A. Reed, 60, of New Corydon, Ind., and Sean M. Reed, 56, of Oxnard, Calif. Earl leaves four surviving grandsons; Kerry, Kristopher, Kevyn and Kelly Reed and seven great-grandchildren. Connie Vorhees predeceased Earl.
Earl Vorhees studied acting in Cleveland. He received an associate degree from Orange County College in Santa Cruz, Calif., which he attended on a football scholarship. But New York City was his real education. He arrived in 1959 and took up residence in Greenwich Village, where he pursued his stage acting career. He was a regular in the White Horse and the Cedar Bar with like-minded actors, writers, musicians, painters, seamen and dock-workers. In the Village, his shared concern for racial equality and social fairness forged his lifelong Democratic principals.
In the mid-1960s he met and married a Brazilian dancer and actress named Maria De Oliveira, and because neither wanted to pursue a film career, they moved upstate to Chichester, N.Y. Earl was hired on in a local manufacturing plant that produced custom hardwood library furniture for large architectural firms. The plant fueled its steam boilers with its own sawdust, which in turn powered its machinery with leather belts. Fascinated by the green energy model, aware of the decline of small American shops, and motivated to preserve the craftsmen’s jobs, he became the factory’s manager until it closed in the early 1970s.
Earl and Maria moved to her native Rio De Janeiro and lived the Carioca lifestyle together until the marriage dissolved. She later predeceased him. An ex-pat bachelor’s life agreed with Earl. The country was in great political strife then and Earl sympathized with the displaced poor and under-represented indigenous peoples. In the late 1970s, he taught at a language institute, where his fellow teachers described him as a labor organizer. During his Brazilian residency, Earl became a connoisseur of Brazilian music, culture and dance. Earl spoke Portuguese well.
After returning to New York in 1980, Earl met his soul mate and 32-year partner, Pat Mundus, in SoHo’s Fanelli’s Café. Pat introduced Earl to the East End’s natural environment and the serenity of exploring intertidal estuaries by small boat. They fell in love while hanging over the side of a small rowboat wearing diving masks in Northwest Creek (East Hampton), watching the blue-eyed scallops dance in the eelgrass. The two eventually bought a piece of land on the east side of the Creek. With the goal of re-creating an old Northwest settlement, the couple dismantled five antique barns from Chenango County, N.Y., documenting and labeling them to be restored and re-erected on the Creek. With Earl’s carpentry skills and Pat’s seaman’s rigging skills, they formed a synergistic couple beyond compare, and conducted the timber framing project the “old-fashioned way” — without the use of cranes or mechanical assistance. Their relationship and joy in planning and performing honest — and heavy — work with gin poles, come-alongs and block-and-tackles was as artful as the project itself. The couple fondly described each other as “the one on the other end of the beam.”
Earl gained his appreciation of the marine environment in East End waters, sailing an engineless 28-foot Rozinante ketch for over a decade. They named the boat Pearl, a contraction of Pat and Earl combined. Earl and Pat shared a mutual love for self-reliance in the wild, catching their own food en route and propelled solely by the wind. Twice they sailed their 17-foot custom-rigged sailing kayak through the length of the Exuma chain of the Bahamas, diving up conch and lobsters and camping on the beach without much more supplies than a few onions, some olive oil, rice, and a bottle of Mount Gay rum. Later, having restored a 57-foot wood-cruising ketch, the couple returned several times to spend winters in the Bahamas and southern U.S. waters. During the last third of his life, Earl became an experienced offshore sailor. He completed a transatlantic voyage in 2000 and sailed on oil tankers with Pat, a seagoing ship’s officer. However, his real love remained the simplicity of a good small boat. Paddling his kayak out into the liquid gold of Northwest Creek’s sunset, just to sit immersed in the moment — solitary and timeless — was Earl’s daily ritual every summer evening for two decades.
After 25 years of living on Northwest Creek, Earl and Pat sold their barns and moved to Greenport, where Earl hiked the entire waterfront every morning. Earl was a self-taught student of yacht design and classic yacht history. He possessed a razor-sharp memory and could discuss yachting history with ease. Dinner party conversations often involved friendly challenges about yachting esoterica and design details, resolved by delving into Earl’s extensive library. Earl was an integral part of his wife’s crewed yacht business, East End Charters LLC.
After a five-month chemotherapy battle against acute myeloid leukemia, Earl Vorhees passed away July 10, 2013, surrounded by love and with his wife at his side, at home in Greenport. He directed his family and friends to celebrate life, not mourn death. He asked that no funeral or memorial service be held. His remains were cremated. A celebration of his life is being planned for the fall.
Memorial donations may be made to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978-7048.
This is a paid notice.
Former Southold resident Frederick J. Cardinal died July 7 at Arrowhead Regional Hospital in Colton, Calif. He was 79 years old.
He was born May 18, 1934, in Southold to Frederick L. and Helen (Dapsis) Cardinal. He attended Southold schools, where family and friends say he excelled in playing baseball and basketball. Following his high school graduation in 1952, Mr. Cardinal enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving as a ship machinist. He later moved to California, where he married Patricia Bradbury of Chula Vista.
Family members say Mr. Cardinal’s ambition and interest in industrial arts, which he developed in high school, stayed with him throughout his life. As a high school student, he worked summers farming and carpentering. He attended San Diego State University and begin a career teaching industrial arts at Big Bear Lake High School in California, as well as teaching part-time at the junior college level. After earning a master’s degree, he continued working for the school as a guidance counselor. Family members said he had a reputation for his vast knowledge and ability to fix most things.
Mr. Cardinal enjoyed spending time in nature, clamming and small game hunting while living in Southold and bow-hunting in California, where he established a wood business, cutting and supplying firewood to vacationers in the Big Bear Lake area.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia; daughters Tracy Enden and Shawn; sons Fred, Tom and Steve; a sister, Dorothy Cardinal of Southold; and 10 grandchildren.
Funeral services were held July 12 at St. Joseph’s R.C. Church in Big Bear Lake, Calif.
Memorial donations may be made to Community Action Southold Town, P.O. Box 159, Greenport, NY 11944, at the C.A.S.T. office, 314 Front St., Greenport, or by calling 477-1717.
Marilyn Lois Grumet of Cutchogue and New York City died July 12 at her Cutchogue home. She was 72 years old.
Funeral arrangements, incomplete at presstime, are in the care of DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold.
A complete obituary will appear in a future edition of The Suffolk Times.
