Elaine Kirshenbaum, who retired from a long health-care career in 1982 as director of nursing of the Psychiatric Department of Coney Island Hospital and later owned Elaine’s Room Antiques on Pantigo Road in East Hampton, died in hospice care on May 6 in Delray Beach, Fla., of causes related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ms. Kirshenbaum, who lived in Amagansett and Lake Worth, Fla., had been ill for six months. She was 92.
She was born in the Bronx on May 16, 1930, to Abraham Sandlofer and the former Sylvia Fisher, and grew up there, graduating from high school on the Evander Childs Educational Campus. She earned two degrees in nursing: a bachelor’s from Brooklyn Jewish Hospital and a master’s from Adelphi University.
On June 25, 1951, Elaine Sandlofer married Mike Kirshenbaum. They settled in Valley Stream and summered in Amagansett, renting first before buying a house on Leeton Road in 1984. They lived there full time for about a decade, starting in 2005. The couple enjoyed 63 years of marriage before Mr. Kirshenbaum died in 2015; Ms. Kirshenbaum relocated to Lake Worth afterward.
She was always interested in the arts and took classes at the Art Barge, near her house. She also stayed abreast of current affairs and was a member of the Amagansett Library’s book club. In retirement, she maintained an active lifestyle, often taking water aerobics classes at Gurney’s with friends and playing mah-jongg with her neighbors.
A member of the East End Residents Association on Napeague, Ms. Kirshenbaum loved taking her dog, Pepi, for walks on the beach. She was also a fan of fresh local scallops when they were in season.
She was cremated. She is survived by two daughters, Joan England of Chevy Chase, Md., and Susan Kaye of Manhattan Beach, Calif. She also leaves three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A celebration of her life will be held at her Amagansett residence on July 23, with a brunch beginning at 11 a.m.
