Beverley Mountain Galban, an amateur artist who was inspired by the beauty of the East End, died on April 9 at home in Summit, N.J., after a long illness. A resident of Sagaponack for several months each year, she was 85.
Mrs. Galban, known as Muffie, was born in Summit on Jan. 16, 1938, to Worrall Frederick Mountain and Ruth Pond Mills, and grew up in the Morristown area. After graduating from the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pa., she attended Bennington College, majoring in art and architecture. She was later awarded a master’s degree in art history from Hunter College, and went on to earn a second master’s at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts.
Leandro (Pedro) Galban and Muffie Mountain were married in 1960 and began spending summers on the East End soon after. They fell in love with the region. Mrs. Galban, a talented artist, found the beauty of the area to be an endless source of inspiration, her family said. The Victor D’Amico Institute of Art on Napeague became a favorite place to take classes, and she spent many years painting and drawing the Napeague scenery from the Art Barge there.
Cats were another favorite subject. Her cat cartoons were well-loved additions, the family said, to the birthday and holiday cards she sent.
When not at her easel, Mrs. Galban, a longtime member of the Bridgehampton Club, could be found at the beach, often busy with a crossword puzzle. After her husband’s death in July 2009, she is said to have found great consolation in the ocean.
She is survived by the couple’s three sons, Anthony S. Galban of Summit, Leandro S. Galban III of Redding, Conn., and Father Clemens Timothy S. Galban of Klosterneuburg, Austria. Five grandchildren survive as well. A brother, John Anthony Mountain, died before her.
A funeral Mass will be said at Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Bridgehampton on Monday at 11 a.m. The family has suggested memorial donations to the Victor D’Amico Institute of Art, P.O. Box 1266, Amagansett 11930.
