Skip to main content

June Paler, 83

Thu, 07/09/2020 - 12:47

June Paler of Wainscott died of cardiac failure last month at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. She was 83.

Ms. Paler came to this country from Scotland in quite an original way: She had accompanied a friend to Glasgow in 1960 who was to be interviewed by TWA for a job in the United States. The friend was not offered the job, but Ms. Paler was. According to her husband, Irving Paler, his wife's friend was not upset and they remained close.

She and her husband, who survives, met on a blind date while she was working for TWA in this country and he was working as a pilot. They married in November 1964 and had two children, David Paler of Saratoga, N.Y., and Michael Paler of San Francisco, who both survive.

Ms. Paler was born in Gourock, Scotland, on April 18, 1937, one of four children of Duncan Robertson and Mary Hutchison Robertson. She grew up there, attending university for about a year and a half before becoming a librarian in her hometown for about a year.

She worked out of New York for about five years for TWA and after that, because of her gift for interior design, she and her husband started a business renovating houses on the South Fork and apartments in Manhattan. Mr. Paler had retired from flying planes to start a screen printing and embroidery business and he assisted her with ideas. In 1992 they began living in Wainscott full time, where Ms. Paler did a bit of gardening.

In addition to her sons and husband, four grandchildren and two nieces survive. Her two sisters and one brother in the U.K. died before her.

The family had a private service and scattered some of her ashes in the ocean and placed the rest in an urn at Wainscott Cemetery.

Her family has suggested memorial donations to the Salvation Army at 268 West 96th Street, New York City 10025.

Villages

Shades of Wild East in Popular Fishing Tourney

The Mr. Poseidon Montauk Striper Challenge, a fierce competition with a large cash prize, brought hundreds of competitors to the hamlet for a catch-and-release striped bass contest that is touted by its organizer as the “biggest surf fishing tournament on the East Coast.” Critics say it left a trail of problems.

Oct 29, 2026

Whalemen, Shipwrecks, Coded Messages

Atlantic Avenue, which terminates in one of the most seasonally popular beaches in town, was from 1870 to 1918 a working man’s hub focused on the capture of whales. The historical preservationist Robert Hefner detailed this era along with tales of shipwrecks, Nazi saboteurs, and more in a talk last weekend.

Oct 29, 2026

History Still Under Threat

In an increasingly homogenized world, preservation “is what makes places distinct,” Michael Devonshire told the Ladies Village Improvement Society during its 33rd annual Landmarks Luncheon, pointing to “some wonderful local examples of absolute gems that you should all be proud of.”

Oct 29, 2026

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.