Beverly Shilhan Deichert, a member of the Ladies Village Improvement Society of East Hampton for many years, died of cardiac arrest at home in Bronxville, N.Y., on Nov. 19. She was less than a week shy of her 81st birthday.
Mrs. Deichert, known as Bev to her family and friends, spent her whole life summering on the South Fork, first camping with her family at Hither Hills State Park in Montauk, then later at Sammy’s Beach in East Hampton, where she loved to swim.
Born Beverly Joan Shilhan on Nov. 25, 1938, in Manhattan, a daughter of Edward Shilhan and the former Julia Sucsy, she grew up in Corona, Queens, with her two sisters. She attended Blessed Sacrament School in Jackson Heights, Bayside High School, and the Grace Institute in Manhattan.
She graduated from Pace University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. From 1965 to 1974, she worked as an executive assistant at the corporate office of the North American Philips Company in Manhattan, where she met her future husband, Robert
Deichert. The couple, who married in 1973, lived in Bronxville and East Hampton.
After leaving Philips in 1974 to raise her son, Robert Deichert Jr., she became an active member of the Bronxville community, serving as chairwoman of the Eliza Frost Child Center, as a board member of the League of Women Voters, and assisting at the Yonkers Family Court.
Mrs. Deichert, whose family had a house at Sammy’s Beach, had a house built on nearby Old House Landing Road in 1968. She continued to spend her summers in East Hampton, close to her sister Sharon, her high school friend Nora Callahan, and another friend, Kathy Ianuzzi, who all had summer homes within a block of hers. She could often be found enjoying Sammy’s Beach.
After the Deicherts retired to East Hampton in 1994, she became active in the L.V.I.S., helping to raise money for scholarships by volunteering at the thrift store and at the annual fair. She also volunteered at the Retreat and at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where she was a member.
In March of 2018, her husband died following a long illness, and she again immersed herself in the Bronxville community after selling her house in East Hampton. She traveled to the Holy Land with a church group and took an interest in the Middle East peace process. She most recently volunteered as a reading tutor for students in Mount Vernon, N.Y.
Mrs. Deichert enjoyed watching her grandchildren grow up and getting them interested in the arts, often taking them to museums in Manhattan. She was looking forward to volunteering during the 2020 presidential election, her son said.
She loved her family and friends and was extremely active, playing tennis and paddle tennis.
In addition to her son, who lives in Bronxville, she is survived by a stepdaughter, Wendy Deichert Tyra of Wayland, Mass., and six grandchildren, who brought her immense pride. Her sisters, Sharon Statucki of The Villages, Fla., and Dorothy Lauterbach of Houston, also survive.
The Deichert family wished to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and kind words. A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Christ Church in Bronxville, the Rev. Michael A. Bird officiating. Memorial donations have been suggested to the Ladies Village Improvement Society Scholarship Fund, 95 Main Street, East Hampton 11937.
