A prolific performer internationally in television, theater, film, at nightclubs, and on the radio, one who later had a second career in real estate, Faith Hermany of Montauk died at home on March 2 at the age of 97. The cause was metabolic encephalopathy, a type of brain disorder.
In 1946, she landed a job overseas as a civilian actress technician with a division of the 11th U.S. Army Special Services, headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany. She called it “the best job she ever had,” according to her youngest daughter, Garda Hermany of Montauk.
In that role, as a liaison between the Army and celebrity performers, she recruited talent; produced and directed plays, musicals, variety shows, and revues; booked personal appearance tours for notable people of the time, and hosted groups like the Harlem Globetrotters and musical ensembles from all over the world.
Ms. Hermany also did camp shows with the U.S.O. For six years she toured the world, including time in France, Belgium, Holland, and Italy. She spent two years in Hokkaido, Japan, and came to love the culture. In Sapporo, she rented a ski chalet and skied whenever she had time off.
It was in Germany in 1951 that she met Cpl. Richard Hermany, who was serving in the Army as the assistant to the European chief of chaplains. He was “a magnificent tenor,” Garda Hermany recalled, and they married in Stuttgart in 1952. They honeymooned in Italy and named their three daughters after their favorite places.
When they returned to the States in 1953, they settled in Flushing, Queens, where Ms. Hermany embarked on her second career in real estate. She started as a saleswoman and became a broker, opening her own office. Her marriage ended in divorce, and she moved in 1985 to Montauk to be closer to her youngest daughter.
There she worked in timeshare sales for Gurney’s Inn and was the on-premise broker at the Montauk Manor.
“I’m not sure she knew what she was getting into by moving to Montauk,” Garda Hermany said. “Here she was, a girl brought up in Westchester, who lived in New York City and Europe, and traveled everywhere, and she moves to The End.”
One Thursday she brought her mother a copy of The Star. “The next day she asked me, ‘Where’s today’s paper?’ I explained it doesn’t come out again until next week,” she recalled. Her mother then quipped, “ ‘So nothing happens in this town all week ‘til the paper comes out?’ ”
Faith Louisana Forte Hermany was born in the Bronx on March 29, 1926, to Louis Forte and the former Anita Mosca, who combined their names to give their first daughter her middle name.
She attended Roosevelt High School in Yonkers and went on to study fine and performing arts at the State University at New Paltz. She continued her education at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and was a member of several professional organizations, including Actors’ Equity and the Screen Actors Guild.
A theater and opera enthusiast, Ms. Hermany was also a fan of Dorothy Parker. She made lasting friendships with her bridge partners and went on cruises around the Mediterranean and to Europe, learning to speak Italian along the way. Friends said they will remember her for her sense of humor and generosity.
In addition to Garda Hermany, she leaves two other daughters, Capri O’Hara of Mahwah, N.J., and Roma Latella of Douglaston, Queens, 10 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. She was cremated and wished to have no services upon her death, requesting only that her ashes “be spread at Bloomingdale’s.”
Ms. Hermany’s family said they are grateful for the exceptional care she received from Dawn Mata, Margie Nigro, Dr. Michael Genereux, and Dr. Michael Tenore at the Montauk Medical Center, Susan Lawrence and the nurses at East End Hospice, the Rev. Liam McDonald of St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church, and the volunteers of the Montauk Ambulance Company. They are all “almost like family,” Garda Hermany said.
Memorial donations have been suggested to East End Hospice at eeh.org, or the Montauk Ambulance Company at 12 Flamingo Avenue, Montauk 11954.
