Obituaries

Franklin Alexander Russell, a prolific writer of books on nature and animals, died on May 5 at Windmill Village in East Hampton, where he had lived for several years. He had had a stroke some 16 years ago and had been in failing health ever since. He was 92.

Amelia Vilar of Springs, a former manager of Nassau Hospital’s food services division, died on May 8 of complications of pneumonia while on vacation in Portugal. She was 85.

Vivian Roberts Moss, a television writer and producer from the early days of the medium, died at home in Amagansett on April 16. She was 99. 

Ms. Moss worked in radio first, in Washington, D.C., as a writer for the government during World War II. When the war ended, she returned to her native New York City and married George Willard, an announcer for WMCA radio.

Virginia Zabriskie, the founder of the Zabriskie Gallery on East 57th Street in Manhattan, died on May 7 at her home in the city. The part-time resident of East Hampton was 91.

Kenneth Leo Rafferty, a charter boat captain, artist, musician, and mason contractor, died at home in Springs in the early hours of last Thursday. He was 75 and had been diagnosed with cancer last year.

Ernst A. Ebsen of Montauk died at the Westhampton Care Center last Thursday. He was 88. A memorial ser­vice will be announced by his family. An obituary for him will appear in a future issue.

Jacqueline Ann Meacham Lattimer, who was known as Jackie, died at the age of 61 on April 24 while camping, a favorite pursuit, near Carlisle, Pa. Her death was attributed to a heart attack.

Anne Fritts Stewart of Springs and Manhattan died at Mount Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side on May 5, of complications following abdominal surgery. She was 80 and had been ill for one day, her family said.

Warren H. Phillips, who died at the age of 92 in his Bridgehampton home on Friday, was widely known as director emeritus of Dow Jones & Company. He had guided it as it became highly profitable, developed European and Asian editions, and expanded into cable television and book publishing.

Marilyn Jane Kouffman of East Hampton, an actress in Off Broadway productions who appeared on the stage at Guild Hall after moving here in the late 1950s, died of pneumonia at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital on April 12.