Lloyd B. Filer

    Lloyd B. Filer’s fascination with radios began early. He hung a sign from his family’s house in East Hampton that advertised radio repairs even before he had honed his skills with tubes and wires at radio school in Chicago and later with the United States Maritime Service.

    Mr. Filer died at Southampton Hospital last Thursday after a prolonged illness. He was 89.

    Generations of Mr. Filer’s ancestors had been East Hampton farmers and fishermen. His father was an all-around bayman who as a young man took part in one of the last whale chases off the coast of East Hampton.

    Mr. Filer was born on April 27, 1919, the second child of Hugh C. Filer and the former Bertha Latham. He grew up on Sherrill Road, where his parents had a dairy farm. As a boy he milked cows, tended livestock, cut firewood, and sold corn and fish to village residents and visitors. He graduated from East Hampton High School before heading off to radio school, and was working for the Westinghouse company in New Jersey when the sea beckoned.

    In May of 1944, Mr. Filer joined the Maritime Service. He served as a radio operator on ships that sailed to Central and South America, the Caribbean, up and down the East Coast, and into the Pacific during World War II.

    From February to April of 1945, he was the radio officer aboard the S.S. Great Meadows, a tanker, on three voyages to foreign ports. Many of his colleagues were lost when German U-boats targeted the oil tankers they served on. From May of 1945 to August of that year, he served as radioman on S.S. Esso Utica in the Pacific Theater.

    After the war, Mr. Filer returned to East Hampton to marry Jane Hadder, also of Sherrill Road, in July of 1950. Mrs. Filer died in 1985.

    Mr. Filer worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory while his wife taught music in Smithtown, where the couple lived for two years. They returned to East Hampton in 1952 and built a house on Osborne Lane. Mr. Filer worked at ITT World Communications (formerly Mackay Radio) in Southampton for the remainder of his working years. 

    The Filers had three children, who survive, Cathy Filer Marny of Chesterfield, Va., Ann Filer Bennett of La Plata, Md., and David Lloyd Filer of Brooklyn and East Hampton. Mr. Filer also leaves five grandchildren. Mr. Filer’s sister, Jean Filer Symer, lives on Sherrill Road in the house where she and her two siblings were raised.

    Mr. Filer’s children remembered him this week as a frugal man who “discouraged pretension.” He enjoyed the outdoors. He worked in his garden, fished, walked, and loved to visit the beach. He was a lifelong member of the East Hampton Presbyterian Church, also serving on the church’s board of trustees.

    A funeral service was held at Presbyterian Church on Monday, the Rev. John T. Ames, pastor emeritus, and the Rev. Steven E. Howarth, pastor of the Amagansett Presbyterian Church, officiating. Burial followed at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton.

    Memorial contributions have been suggested to the church, 120 Main Street, East Hampton 11937, or to National Public Radio, 635 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.

Teda Balasses, 85

    Teda Matilda Balasses, who opened Balasses House Antiques in 1962, died of congestive heart failure on Tuesday at home on Fresh Pond Road in Amagansett, with her husband at her side. She was 85.

    “We really don’t need to take vacations because we get to travel all over, and we are so into buying that work is fun,” Mrs. Balasses told The Star in a 2002 interview.

    She met her husband, George Balasses, on the beach at Cape Cod, Mass., where he was studying art on the G.I. Bill and she was taking a vacation. “We had a very long getting-acquainted period,” he said this week, and the couple eventually married on Sept. 4, 1957.

    From that point on, “everything we did, we did together,” Mr. Balasses said. “One fed off of the other.”

    After brainstorming for a way to make money while living near the ocean, the two embarked upon a half-century-long antiques odyssey, buying and selling bentwood furniture they had found in remote villages of the Yucatan.

    Later there were trips to Morocco and also to England. They opened the antiques store in Amagansett with a small loan from Mrs. Balasses’ mother, who helped run it.

    When they first moved to Amagansett, the couple bought and rented a cluster of cottages adjacent to their house on Fresh Pond Road. They began to buy other properties around that time, fixing up buildings and selling them.

    One was the Eelpot, a long, narrow structure next to the East Hampton Methodist Church that had once been used as a schoolhouse. The couple bought the 1825 building for $1,275.90 and spent $800 to move it to the area that became known as Beach Hampton.

    “We always did a lot of the work ourselves — tiling, painting, sanding —- and we were very good at making things out of bits and pieces,” Mrs. Balasses said in 2002.

    About 30 years ago, the couple turned their full attention to the antiques business, adding barns for storage at the Amagansett shop and taking annual trips to England, where Mrs. Balasses’ favorite purchases were big, sturdy tables. “A good table is the center of the house,” she had said.

    “We were very lucky because there were very interesting people settling out in the East End at that time,” Mr. Balasses said. “Edward Albee got very fond of my wife’s mother. And there were a lot of show people around, whether we knew them or not.”

    Mrs. Balasses continued to work at the store until a few years ago when her health would no longer allow it. Ultimately, her husband said, many of their customers were a new generation seeking to sell back antiques that their parents had purchased from the Balasseses.

    Tom Bergmann, who worked for them for 30 years, became a partner and now runs the store. “She was inviting; everyone looked for her when they came in there,” Mr. Bergmann said, adding that she and her husband “could barely walk across the street without shopping.”

    Mrs. Balasses was a reader, an “intellectual” who enjoyed stories about antiques and fine food in The New York Times, Mr. Balasses said. She lived for 62 years in the house where she died. It was at least 30 years older than she was; East Hampton Town historians called it “Uncle Jason Sherman’s.”

    Six years ago, the couple bought a “summer home” on Outlook Avenue in Springs, which Mrs. Balasses enjoyed decorating and from which she liked to watch the sun set over Gardiner’s Bay. Her husband said her ashes would be spread there. “That was her getaway house. She was hooked on spending more time there,” he said.

    An only child, Mrs. Balasses was born in the Bronx on July 20, 1923, to Louis Kramer and the former Rose Kremenko. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from New York University. When she met her husband she was working as a field director for Alfred Politz, a market research company in Manhattan, and living at Patchen Place in Greenwich Village next door to the writer Djuna Barnes.

    Besides her husband and Mr. Bergmann, she is survived by Sam, a cat she adopted after he had been injured in a hunting trap. She adored Sam, her husband said, and it was his job to feed the cat steaks cut into little pieces.

    Mrs. Balasses was cremated and a memorial service will be held at a later date.     K.M.

William M. Havlik

    William M. Havlik of Montauk died last Thursday at the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook of complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 86.

    Mr. Havlik was serving in the Army in France toward the end of World War II when he was taken prisoner. His son Jeff Havlik said his father’s platoon was on patrol, looking for the enemy, when “they found them. Two or three were killed.”

    The platoon took refuge in a bunker, the younger Mr. Havlik said, and a tank came along. The barrel of the tank’s canon was thrust into the bunker. “My father had a white handkerchief. He waved it. They surrendered. It was a no-win situation.”

    Mr. Havlik said his father wound up in a German prisoner-of-war camp. “It was close to the end of the war. The Germans were not bad to them. They knew it was the end,” Mr. Havlik said.

    William M. Havlik was born in Floral Park on March 6, 1922, a son of William Havlik and the former May Heitmanich. After the war, he got a job with the New York Racing Association at Belmont Race Track. He moved to Montauk in 1973 with his wife, the former Ruth Hamill, who died in 1999.

    He is survived by two sons, Jeff and Thomas Havlik, both of Montauk. His brother, Joseph Havlik, and three sisters, Rose Zeiser, Margaret Campagne, and Veronica Gibbons, all live in Port Charlotte, Fla. Mr. Havlik also leaves three grandchildren.

    Visiting was on Tuesday at the Yardley and Funeral Home in East Hampton. Mr. Havlik was cremated.

Angelo Hatgistavrou

    Before opening the Wainscott Inn in 1986, Angelo Hatgistavrou, his wife, and their three grown sons spent 14 months living in a two-room unit at the Dutch Motel in East Hampton. “We had no money and no business connections,” Dimitrios (Jim) Hatgistavrou, a son, said.

    On July 13, Angelo Hatgistavrou died of cancer at home, surrounded by family. He was 79.

    His son further explained that his father was “a tough guy,” having served in the Greek Navy and Greek merchant marines. After living through World War II and the Greek Civil War, his father, he said, could survive almost anything, including the tight family quarters at the motel.

    Angelo Hatgistavrou was born in Kavala, Greece, on Sept. 15, 1929, to Stelios and Stella Hatgistavrou. The family moved in 1953 to New York City, where Mr. Hatgistavrou met his first wife, the former Irene Plousiades, who died before him. They had three sons together. After living in the Bronx and Fort Lee, N.J., the family moved to the East End, pursuing their hopes of becoming successful builders.

    Eventually, the father, with his sons, Dimitrios (Jim), Steve, and John Hatgistavrou, all of whom survive, opened the Wainscott Inn and the Ionian Construction Company in East Hampton.

    When remembering his father, Jim Hatgistavrou recounted how “nobody ever forgot him,” adding that he was “some character.”

    He recalled an incident when his father received a court summons for making too much smoke, literally. Honoring the Greek Easter tradition of roasting a lamb on a spit, Mr. Hatgistavrou added leaves to his charcoal mixture, creating so much smoke that neighbors called the fire department. At his court hearing, Mr. Hatgistavrou showed photos of the roasted lamb to the judge.

    Mr. Hatgistavrou is also survived by his second wife of 19 years, the former Sousana Tsipouras of East Hampton, and seven grandchildren.

    Mr. Hatgistavrou was one of the founding members of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons, where his funeral was held on July 16. Memorial donations have been suggested to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons Building Fund, 111 St. Andrew’s Road, Southampton 11968, or to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York 10065.

Donald Francis Empson

    Donald Francis Empson was both an enthusiastic baseball fan and a lover of animals, his sister, Jodi Walker of Wainscott, said. As a dedicated follower of the Mets, he enjoyed spending free time watching games with a cold beer.

    On the other hand, his soft spot for animals was so well known that people would drop off strays at his house for him to take care of.

    Mr. Empson, who lived on Hog Creek Road in Springs for 35 years, died of heart failure on Friday at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Far Rockaway, Queens. He was 53 and had heart and lung problems related to a long illness, his sister said.

    The son of Rodney Empson and the former Margaret Collins, Mr. Empson was born in Southampton on May 5, 1955. He grew up primarily in East Hampton Town, and graduated from East Hampton High School.

    He went on to become an electrician and worked for most of his career with Bates Electric in Springs.

    He and his future wife, Mary Jane De Cristofaro, who survives, eloped to Orlando, Fla., where they were married in February of 1985.

    Funeral services were held on Tuesday at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton. A Mass was said yesterday at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, also in East Hampton.

    Memorial donations have been suggested to the Springs Fire Department at 179 Fort Pond Boulevard. Many of Mr. Empson’s friends worked there.

Jerry Kellman

    Jerry Kellman, who bought a house on Harbor Boulevard in Springs in 1999 after many years of visiting East Hampton during the summers, died on May 17 at the Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton, Fla. He had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for 16 years and had become very ill over the last five years, his family said. He was 76.

    Mr. Kellman was born on May 8, 1932, in New York City to Isadore Kellman and the former Goldie Horn. He grew up in the Bronx and served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Korean War.

    After the war, Mr. Kellman received a bachelor’s degree from Queens College and a master’s degree in social work from Hunter College in New York City. For 15 years he had a private practice as a therapist in Great Neck and was also a school social worker in Queens.

    Mr. Kellman married his second wife, the former Donna Grobstein, on June 15, 1979. Twenty years later they came to Springs to live full time. For the past five years, they divided their time between Springs and Delray Beach, Fla.

    In retirement, Mr. Kellman enjoyed painting. He painted portraits, mostly in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he and his wife would regularly travel.  

    In addition to his wife, Mr. Kellman is survived by two daughters, Sara Kellman of Heidelberg, Germany, and Alex Marin of Albuquerque, as well as two grandchildren.

    He was cremated and buried at the South Florida V.A. National Cemetery in Lake Worth. A memorial service will take place at his house in East Hampton on Sept. 6 at a time still to be determined. Memorial contributions have been suggested to the National Parkinson Foundation, 1501 N.W. Nineth Avenue, Miami 33136-1494.

Carol DePersia, 54

    A warm woman with a bright smile, Carol DePersia had a sweet disposition that drew people to her, according to friends. Considerate and kind, she had a quick willingness to go out of her way for those close to her, said her co-workers at Town and Country Real Estate, where she had been a sales associate for a year and a half.  

    Ms. DePersia died at her Cedar Trails house in East Hampton last Thursday.

    Judy Desiderio, the president of Town and Country, said the East Hampton and Bridgehampton offices gathered at the ocean on Monday to remember their colleague.

    “We took turns saying something to Carol about Carol,” Ms. Desiderio said, and then tossed roses into the ocean. “She touched more lives than I think she’ll ever know.”

    Ms. DePersia was born on Feb. 19, 1954, on the North Shore of Long Island and grew up in Glen Cove. Her parents were the former Marilyn Goldberg and Jerome DePersia. Her parents predeceased her.

    She graduated from the State University at Stony Brook with a double major in French and music, specifically classical guitar, and a minor in Spanish. She taught French and Spanish in Suffolk County before moving to France in 1984. She also obtained a master’s degree for teaching English as a second language.

    She lived in a suburb of Paris, where she raised her two daughters, Joanna Quatrain and Laura Quatrain. She started a language school there and taught for 15 years. Her daughters now live in East Hampton.

    Ms. DePersia, who took her own life, moved back to the United States, making a home for herself and her daughters in East Hampton, not far from her brother, Gary DePersia, who also survives. As a French teacher at the Ross School, where she worked until about four years ago, she was known as Carol Quatrain.

    After 28 years of teaching, she started a new career in real estate, a field many of her family members had been involved in.

    When not working, Ms. DePersia loved to cook, read, and play guitar. She was also a travel enthusiast, helping set up tour groups from the Ross School to France, and, when she was living in France, she helped set up tour groups to the United States.

    In January, Ms. DePersia married Phillip Kouffman, seven years after they were set up on a blind date through a mutual friend. The couple lived on Cedar Trails in East Hampton.

    Susan Kouffman, her sister-in-law, said she was “very vivacious” and was always interested in many things and talking to many people.

    As a volunteer at the Retreat, a shelter and support organization for victims of domestic abuse, she and other women  working in real estate helped stage a benefit last year. Ms. DePersia was also concerned about the lack of services for young adults with developmental disabilities. She sat on a focus group for East End Disability Associates, formed just a few months ago, of parents, educators, and human services professionals.

    Ms. DePersia was cremated, and her family held a private memorial service. Her family has suggested that donations be made to the Retreat, 13 Goodfriend Drive, East Hampton 11937, or East End Disability Associates, 107 Roanoke Avenue, Riverhead 11901.

Marion O. Porter

    Marion O. Porter died at home in Sagaponack on Tuesday. She was 96. A full obituary will appear in a future issue.

A Clarification

    Charles Sollecito, whose obituary appeared in last week’s Star, moved with his wife to Montauk in 1988; his father-in-law had built a house on South Dewey Place in the 1950s. A portion of Mr. Sollecito’s ashes were interred at Calverton National Cemetery and the remainder will ultimately be scattered at sea along with a portion of those of his wife, Dorothy Sollecito, who survives, and those of the couple’s pets.