Patricia Smyth, 72
Montauk Teacher
Whether it was around her classroom, or walking near her house on Navy Road, or at the annual Montauk Historical Society craft fair she helped organize, or on a visit to Patagonia earlier this year, Patricia M. Smyth always seemed to be on the move.
A teacher to thousands of Montauk School children over the years, she died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on May 12 of complications of brain surgery. She was 72, and had been diagnosed with a tumor two years ago.
She leaves 17 grandchildren, the offspring of her six daughters, Grace Lightcap, Julia Stavola, Elizabeth McCarron, Adrienne DePasquale, Catherine Keogh, and Heather Payne, all of Montauk. She is survived by her sisters, Judith Ceslow and Nancy Neff, also of Montauk.
Patricia Mead was born in Flushing, Queens, on April 29, 1937, a daughter of Joseph R. Mead and Anne S. Shaternik. She attended P.S. 79 in Whitestone and Flushing High School before going on to Queens College and later, Southampton College.
Her father was a New York City fireman who often took his family on camping trips to Ditch Plain in Montauk during the summer months. Montauk was where she met Joseph G. Smyth, a friend of Robert Ceslow, her sister Judith’s husband. They were married in the late 1950s.
The Smyths first lived in a small apartment behind Johnny’s Tackle shop, and then moved into the Montauk Firehouse as caretakers. From there, they took up residence in the lower Shepherd’s Neck section of Montauk, and finally — one day while her husband was out fishing — Ms. Smyth bid on an unfinished house being auctioned. The bid was accepted, Mr. Smyth and friends finished the construction, and the house overlooking Fort Pond Bay became the Smyth family home.
Ms. Smyth began her career at the Montauk School after receiving certification in 1986, but began teaching earlier as an assistant to Peggy Joyce and her kindergarten classes, as well as at the Montauk Community Church’s nursery school program.
Liz McCarron said her mother loved to travel. She visited Ireland on a number of occasions, other parts of Europe, and the southern tip of South America earlier this year after deciding to undergo surgery.
Ms. Smyth retired from teaching in 2003, but continued her work with the Montauk Historical Society, as a Friend of the Montauk Library, and as a lector at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church, where a funeral Mass was celebrated on Saturday. The Rev. Charles M. Ehrhart officiated. Burial followed at Fort Hill Cemetery in Montauk.
Memorial contributions were suggested to the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, 158 Linwood Plaza, Suite 220, Fort Lee, N.J. 07024.
Plumeta Kokis, 83
Friends, family, post office employees, and members of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons looked forward to her Greek pastries at Christmastime. Plumeta Kokis, a resident of Amagansett for 20 years, died of heart disease at Saint Francis Hospital in Roslyn on May 9. She was 83.
Her son, Simon Kokis of Amagansett, remembered his mother as a generous woman and an excellent Greek cook who was loved for her lamb and string beans.
She was born in New York City on April 17, 1926, a daughter of Stephen Thomadis and the former Marika Caviris. Her family was from Chios, Greece, “where the sun rises,” as the expression goes, her son said. The Kokis family thought it appropriate to place her in Montauk’s Fort Hill Cemetery, “where the sun rises on Long Island,” he said.
Friends and family gathered at the O’Connell Funeral Home in Southampton on May 11. The next day a memorial service, officiated by the Rev. Alexander Karloutsos, was held at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons in Southampton. She was buried at Fort Hill beside Stratis Kokis, her husband of 50 years.
In addition to her son, Mrs. Kokis is survived by a daughter, Mary Kokis Steproe of New London, N.H.
Miranda Giambelli
Miranda Giambelli, who was remembered by her family as an elegant woman, died last Thursday at home on David’s Lane in East Hampton. She had a number of medical problems in recent years and had been diagnosed with lung cancer. She was 84.
Nina Giambelli said her mother was “known for her lively personality, warmth, taste, and sense of style.” Whether it was decorating, picking out jewelry, or designing floral arrangements at her husband’s restaurants in Manhattan, she showed great taste, Ms. Giambelli said.
Born on Feb. 28, 1925, in Sapri, Italy, she lived in Tortona and the Lombardy region. Her work in accounting led her to meet her husband, Albert Giambelli, in 1954.
Also a native of Italy, he had already moved to the United States but had returned to visit relatives. She worked for a company that needed something translated into English, and he came to help. Ms. Giambelli said it was raining one day when her mother left the office and her father offered an umbrella and accompanied her home.
The couple were married in Italy on March 13, 1955. For immigration reasons, Mrs. Giambelli had to wait a year before she could join him in the United States. She was scheduled to sail on the S.S. Andrea Doria, an Italian ocean liner, but had an allergic reactions to vaccines and had to postpone her trip. The Andrea Doria ultimately collided with another ship on July 25, 1956, in one of the most famous maritime disasters.
Once in New York City, Mrs. Giambelli became “an invaluable presence” in her husband’s restaurant business. He had opened one of the first Northern Italian restaurants in Manhattan, Giambelli’s on 37th Street and Madison Avenue. He later bought a restaurant called Brussels and the town house it was in.
Mrs. Giambelli, who was passionate about flowers, made the floral arrangements for the restaurants and the banquet parties held in them. She liked lilacs, peonies, and roses, her daughter said, and enjoyed tending to her garden in East Hampton and cooking.
The Giambellis first came to East Hampton to enroll their children in summer camp. They bought the house on David’s Lane in 1970 and spent weekends and summers there. Ms. Giambelli said her parents chose the location because her mother didn’t have a driver’s license, and she wanted to be close enough to bike to town and the beach. The family is fond of an old photograph from The East Hampton Star that shows Mr. Giambelli, his son, and a family friend biking to the beach.
After she and her husband retired in 1982, they split their time among East Hampton, New York City, and an apartment in Milan.
In addition to her husband and Ms. Giambelli, who lives in New York City, Mrs. Giambelli is survived by a son, Allessandro Giambelli of Edenton, N.C. Three grandchildren and three nieces in Italy also survive. Two sisters, Carmen and Palmira, predeceased her.
A family service was held at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in East Hampton on Saturday, followed by burial in the church’s cemetery on Cedar Street.
Cecile Kalfin
Cecile Kalfin of New York City and East Hampton died on May 1 at Lenox Hill Hospital after a two-year illness. She was 82.
Mrs. Kalfin was born in New York City on Dec. 17, 1926, a daughter of Bernard Shapiro and the former Henrietta Amdur. She grew up in the Bronx and graduated from Evander Childs High School. At different times in her life, Mrs. Kalfin also lived in Long Beach, Roslyn, and Brookville.
Donald Kalfin, whom Mrs. Kalfin married in January 1946, survives her, as do her daughter, Leslie Feldman of Shelter Island, a son, Ken Kalfin of Santa Fe, three grandchildren, a niece, and a nephew. A sister, Marilyn Kessler of Manhattan, also survives. Another son, Gary Kalfin of Amagansett, died last year.
Among Mrs. Kalfin’s longtime interests were art, music, opera, traveling, fashion, and animals. She was a homemaker, according to Ms. Feldman, and was also “extremely philanthropic and charitable with her time in helping others.” Her daughter added that Mrs. Kalfin “was a woman who touched many lives and was adored by both friends and family.”
A service was conducted on May 4 by Rabbi Abraham Exstein at Mount Ararat Cemetery in Farmingdale, where other members of her family are buried.
Contributions can be made in her name to the Smile Train, 28th Floor, 41 Madison Avenue, New York 10010, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York 10023, and Housing Works, an organization whose mission is to help people living with or affected by H.I.V.-AIDS, 57 Willoughby Street, second floor, Brooklyn 11201. I.C
Stanley Gellers Memorial
A resident of New York and Amagansett, Mr. Gellers died on March 21. Family and friends can R.S.V.P. to stangellersmemorial@gmail.com.
A memorial service will be held for Stanley E. Gellers at 6 p.m. next Thursday at the Rooftop Theater at Lord and Taylor, 428 Fifth Avenue, New York City.