Obituaries

Ruth Margaret Johnston, who took her “love of family gatherings, baking, traveling, and playing games” wherever she lived, whether Springs or Florida, died on Jan. 7 at the age of 92.

Charles W. Gallanti, who started his own HVAC company in Bridgehampton, died on Dec. 22 at the Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Quiogue. He was 77 and had Lewy body dementia.

A celebration of Frazer Dougherty’s life will take place at LTV Studios, the public-access television station of which he was a founder, on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.

Anna Elizabeth Gorton Palmer, a nurse who worked for two decades at the East Hampton office of the Suffolk County Health Department, died on Dec. 7 in Beverly Hills, Fla. She was 94.

Robert (Christian) Anton Johnson, an actor and musical theater performer who later was a D.J. and program director for WLNG Radio, died in his sleep on Dec. 13 at the Westhampton Care Center. He was 85.

Barbara Randazzo, a retired fashion stylist who had traveled extensively in her career, died in hospice care in Manhasset on Nov. 2. Formerly of Montauk, she was 84.

Eileen M. Grubb of Springs, a “beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, colleague, mentor, and dedicated professional,” died at home last Thursday of Stage 4 small-cell lung cancer. She was 73.

The time of a graveside service for David Marshall, who died on Dec. 12, has been changed. The service will take place at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery in East Hampton on Friday at 11 a.m.

Walter Schwab, who for 50 years ran a uniform company in New York City that his father had founded, died at home in Sagaponack on Dec. 15. He was 94.

Andrew Strong, described by his family as “a father who found his greatest contentment raising his three children, a husband married to his best friend and soulmate, a beloved friend, and a lawyer who fought for justice, human rights, and freedom,” died of a heart attack on Dec. 11 in The Hague. Formerly of East Hampton, he was 43.

David Marshall, who had served as the assistant basketball coach at the Ross School under Kelly McKee in his retirement, died of cancer on Dec. 12 in Southampton. He was 69 and had first been diagnosed about 20 years ago.

Grace McTurk of Montauk, “the last of the old guard,” her family said, died in her sleep on Dec. 11 in Viera, Fla. She was 104 and had not been ill.

Pat Mansir, who served three terms on the East Hampton Town Board and had a reputation reflecting her “willingness to think for herself,” died on Dec. 10 of complications of heart disease. She was 77.

Visiting hours for Andrew Strong, formerly of East Hampton, will be held at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in Sag Harbor on Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A celebration of his life will take place Friday at 10 a.m. at the St. Luke's Episcopal Church parish hall in East Hampton.

Paid Announcement: Deborah L. Thompson, 73, peacefully passed away at her home in Montauk while surrounded by family on Dec. 6, 2023.

Visiting hours for John Benedict, 72, of Springs will be held at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton on Saturday from 4:30 to 7 p.m., with a short service to be held at 6:30. Mr. Benedict died on Dec. 5.

Joseph Thomas Newman, a chemical engineer from Sag Harbor, died of complications of pulmonary fibrosis on Nov. 17 in Napa, Calif., where he had lived for 44 years. He was 84.

Mary Ann Whitehead, a New York City schoolteacher for many years, died at home in Sag Harbor on Nov. 3 after a short illness. She was 85. 

Thomas Paul Darenberg, a voice-over professional who owned and operated his own electrical contracting business, died on Nov. 28 at the Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Quiogue at the age of 62.

Jeffrey Bay Miltenberger, an early information technology specialist who spent summers in East Hampton, died of Parkinson’s disease on Friday in Wisconsin at the age of 81.

Marc Peros Brugnoni, a director and television producer who won five Emmy Awards for his work, died in his sleep on Nov. 5 at Stony Brook University Hospital. He was 87.

Thomas Paul Darenberg of Montauk and Lake Suzy, Fla., died at the Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Quiogue on Nov. 28. He was 62.

John Cronopulos of Springs, who had a long and fruitful career as a TV advertising executive, died on Nov. 7 at Newport Hospital in Rhode Island. He was 83.

As a landscape artist and the owner of a landscaping business called Cottage Gardens for 25 years, Kenneth Keyser of East Hampton had an "incredible green thumb," his family wrote. "His love of the natural world prompted frequent trips to New England where he especially savored the waterfalls, fall foliage, and early snowfall."

Richard Dreyfus Kahn of Montauk, a corporate attorney, environmental advocate, and gardener, died on Nov. 17 in Calvary Hospice at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He was 92.

William F. Eggert, an attorney, veteran, and onetime candidate for the House of Representatives who spent summers in Springs in his youth, died at home in Hampton Bays on Oct. 16 after a brief illness. He was 73.

Randie Wasserman, a freelance designer and illustrator in New York City for many years, died at home in East Hampton on Oct. 27 from complications of a stroke.

Richard Kahn of Montauk died at Calvary Hospice at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Friday. He was 92. An obituary will appear in a future issue.

Sally Bernard, an elementary school teacher for over 40 years who retired to East Hampton in the 1990s, volunteered here for the John Drew Theater at Guild Hall and redevoted herself to pursuing her interests in swimming, yoga, literature, classical music, and opera. She died on Nov. 14 in Boca Raton, Fla.

Eleanor Whitmore of Amagansett, a beloved community volunteer, Sunday school teacher, philanthropist, and education advocate, created “a legacy of an unwavering commitment to countless causes and people close to her heart,” her family wrote. “I don’t feel as if I’ve done anything so wonderful,” Mrs. Whitmore told The Star in a 2005 interview. “I do it because I love to, and I can’t say no.”