U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Anna Ruscica
Anna Ruscica, a resident of Shelter Island since 1985, died on September 1, 2002 after an extended illness.
A memorial service will be held at a future date.
Shirley Hunt Neurohr Schumacher
Shirley Hunt Neurohr Schumacher, formerly of Shelter Island, died on Tuesday, August 22, 2000 at her home in Stuart, Florida. She was 82.
A member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church and a volunteer at Martin Memorial Hospital South, both in Port Salerno, Florida, Mrs. Schumacher was born in Brooklyn, New York. With her husband, the late Richard Schumacher Jr., she moved from Shelter Island to Stuart seven years ago. She was predeceased by a brother, George F.C. Neurohr.
Mrs. Schumacher is survived by three sons, Richard Schumacher III of Millbrook, New York, Robert H. Schumacher of Mountain View, California and William N. Schumacher of Key Largo, Florida; daughter Jane S. Hammond of Colorado Springs, Colorado; 13 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and brother Dr. Ferdinand G. Neurohr Jr. of Homosassa Springs, Florida.
A memorial service was held on August 23, 2000 at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Port Salerno. Inurnment will follow the 10 a.m. service on October 1, 2000 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church on Shelter Island.
Donations in Mrs. Shumacher's memory may be made to St. Mary's Episcopal Church on Shelter Island, or to the Hospice of Martin and St. Lucie, Inc., 2030 SE Ocean Blvd., Stuart, Florida 34996
Betty L. Meringer
Betty L. Meringer of Shelter Island died after a long illness on Monday, August 20 at Eastern Long Island Hospital. She was 84 years old.
She was born in Brooklyn on May 18, 1917 to Kathryn (nee Boscawen) and Theodore Fitch and was raised in Rutherford, New Jersey. She graduated from Glassboro State (now Rowan) College. Prior to her marriage, Mrs. Meringer was a schoolteacher and then worked in New London, Connecticut during World War II. She and her husband lived in Riverdale, New York for several years, moving to Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey in 1951. Frequent visitors to Shelter Island since 1955, the Meringers moved to Shelter Island in 1972.
Predeceased by her husband, Bill, and her sister, Eileen Brightman, she leaves three daughters -- Betsyanne Peterson of Ho-Ho-Kus, Judy Meringer and Nancy Saetta of Shelter Island -- and one son, Bill, of Sunrise, Florida; five grandchildren, one great-grandson, four nieces and six nephews.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to the Shelter Island Funeral Home. A graveside service was held on Wednesday, August 22 with Pastor Bill Grimbol officiating.
Those wishing to remember Mrs. Meringer in a special way may forward donations to the American Red Cross Shelter Island Chapter, Post Office Box 830, Shelter Island, New York 11964.
David Herbert Otis Lawson
David Herbert Otis Lawson, 67, who was raised on Shelter Island, died of cancer at his home in Alexandria, Virginia on August 17, 2002.
The son of Dr. George and Gladys Lawson, and raised as well by Justice H. Otis and Ida Neil Dickerson, Dr. Lawson was a clinical psychologist, a civil rights advocate and the retired director of the Northern Virginia Training Center, a 200-bed state residential facility for the developmentally disabled.
During his 28-year tenure as head of the center, from 1972 to 2000, Dr. Lawson instituted a patient advocacy program that was credited with providing dignity and independence for people with difficulty understanding or responding. It was widely copied and Dr. Lawson was often consulted as an expert in the management of state facilities.
He served as president of the Association of Public Developmental Disabilities Administrators, a national organization, from 1984 to 1986.
Dr. Lawson was a civil rights activist in the 1960s, picketing against discrimination of African-Americans, and in 1970 he managed the successful campaign of Ira Robinson, the first African-American on the Alexandria city council since Reconstruction.
A 1958 graduate of Dartmouth College, he received a doctorate from George Washington University in clinical psychology in 1968. In 1963, he was a deputy director of the Peace Corps. From the early 1970s until his death, he had a private practice in clinical psychology in Alexandria.
Dr. Lawson is survived by his wife of 43 years, former Alexandria city manager Vola Therrell Lawson; two sons, David and Peter; adopted son McArthur Myers; three sisters, Kathryn Dickerson Reinhardt, Jane Dickerson Fowler and Jean Dickerson; two brothers, Neil Dickerson and Ted Dickerson; two grandchildren, Rachel and David Lawson; five nephews, Clifford Springer, Arthur Springer, Eric Springer, Larry Dickerson and Matt Fowler; two nieces, Lynn Greatsinger and Barb Degnan.
Richard A. Cappola
Richard A. Cappola died on Monday, August 11, 2003 at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after an extended illness.
Mr. Cappola had lived on Shelter Island in the summers since 1981.
Born in Brooklyn, he was a graduate of Brooklyn College and a successful businessman who initiated the Ford fleet leasing program. He went on to become owner of one of the largest Ford dealerships on Long Island.
He was a past member of Gardiner's Bay Country Club and a member of Coral Ridge Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale.
He is survived by his wife Ann Marie and his four children and eight grandchildren. A private ceremony was held in Fort Lauderdale.
Konstant T. Kowall
Konstant T. Kowall, 79, died in Bellevue, Washington on Friday, August 22, 2003 after suffering two massive heart attacks. He and his wife Bonnie had moved there from Shelter Island in late June to be near family. They had been Shelter Island residents since 1989.
Mr. Kowall was born January 8, 1925 in Glen Arm, Maryland. He attended Johns Hopkins University. He retired from the CIA in 1983 after 28 years of service. He was a major in the Air Force Reserve and served in World War II and the Korean conflict.
His widow, Bonnie (Crenshaw), called him "the master gardener, who loved his life on that beautiful Island"
Frustrated by the deer problem, he was a founder of the so-called "Gulag" of fenced-in gardens on Barney Ryan's Hampshire Farm tended by refugees from more exposed deer territory. Dr. Ryan offered them the use of a small plot to grow their vegetables and flowers safe from the deer.
"Kon was the inspiration behind the whole idea," said Islander Charlie Williams. "Under his direction, we cut down locust for poles and covered them with chicken wire. To confuse the deer, Kon cut short lengths of thick white wire and interspersed them at odd angles on the chicken wire. That was 10 years ago and it's still working."
He harvested early and late from his garden space, often propagating his own seeds. Every inch was filled with not only the best tomatoes and lettuces but with vegetables like okra and black-eyed peas not found at local farm stands.
Besides his wife, he leaves a daughter, Christina Edwards of Carnation, Washington; a sister, Olga Bylen of Baltimore, Maryland; a granddaughter and a great-granddaughter.
Cremation was private.
Mary Katherine Devlin
Mary Katherine Devlin, 49, of North Midway Road, former clerk of the Shelter Island School District and an elder in the Presbyterian Church, died at University Hospital in Stony Brook on Thursday, August 15, 2002. The cause was heart failure as a result of end-stage lupus.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Ms. Devlin spent her childhood in New Jersey, Ohio and other locations as her father, a government agent whose resume included service with the FBI, changed bases.
A graduate of Mt. Saint Dominic's Academy in Caldwell, New Jersey, Ms. Devlin moved to Shelter Island with her children in 1984 after a divorce. For a time, she worked as a florist in Greenport but moved on to the Suffolk Times, where she eventually became classified advertising manager. She began working for the Shelter Island School District in 1994 and remained district clerk until she stepped down for health reasons in May, 2001.
Her resignation was accepted with "sincere regret" by the School Board. Ms. Devlin at the time described her work as the job she had liked most of all.
At her funeral service on Monday, the Rev. William Grimbol of the First Presbyterian Church said that Ms. Devlin "would do anything to be a part and participate."
Ms. Devlin is survived by her parents, Patricia and James Devlin of Shelter Island; her children, Reverend Justin I. Schlesinger-Devlin of Trinidad, Colorado and Rhiannon D. Devlin of Shelter Island; two brothers, Christopher Devlin of Shelter Island and Andrew Devlin of Estero, Florida, and a grandchild, Delaney Frances Schlesinger-Devlin of Trinidad, Colorado.
A funeral service was conducted on Monday, August 19 at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Grimbol, assisted by Father Charles Dougherty, officiating. Interment was at Our Lady of the Isle Roman Catholic cemetery.
Viola Adele Southwood
Former Shelter Island resident Viola Adele Southwood, wife of the late Arnold Southwood, died on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She was 87 years of age.
Born in Brooklyn, the future Mrs. Southwood was crowned Miss Whitestone while in her 20s. She always loved life and lived to see the building of the Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges as well as the Long Island Expressway when Long Island was more farms than residential housing. From her youth, she loved boating and was a member of the New York Yacht Club, the Freeport Yacht Club and later the Shelter Island Yacht Club.
She and her late husband, Arnold, were insurance brokers in West Hempstead, where they lived for 35 years. There she served as past worthy matron of the Masonic Eastern Star and as past patron of the Masonic Lodge.
They moved to Shelter Island and sold their boat for golf clubs. She was an active member of the Gardiner's Bay Country Club, where she boasted of having golfed 365 days of the year when rain, snow or storm would not stop her. At each residence, Viola and her husband enjoyed serving as volunteers at local hospitals.
After her husband's death, Viola moved to Tidepoint on Hilton Head, South Carolina where she continued to enjoy her water views and golf. At 87, her electric scooter could be seen everywhere. She was often reprimanded for speeding.
She will be missed by her daughters and sons-in-law: Hope and Walter Hagen of Hauppauge; Gail and Andy Twisdale of Hilton Head; Lynn and Burnell Hohl of New Canaan, Connecticut; as well as nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of the Lowcountry, 20 Palmetto Parkway, Suite 104, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 29926 or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 2800 Meeting Street, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 29926.
The Island Funeral Home and Crematory on Hilton Head Island is in charge of arrangements.
Henry Morgan Wilson
Henry "Hank" Morgan Wilson died on July 30, 2002 at Tisch Hospital, New York University Medical Center in Manhattan. He was 69 years old.
Mr. Wilson was born in Wantagh, New York in July 1933. After serving as a Navy Seabee assigned to French Morocco, he completed his engineering education and worked for the Hewlett-Packard Company both in New York and California. Later he developed his own business, which he operated for 25 years.
A resident of Shelter Island for 20 years, his retirement allowed him more time to enjoy his home here and golfing at the Gardiner's Bay Country Club.
He leaves his loving family: Marge, his wife of 48 years; two daughters, Margaret Ellen Hart of East Meadow and Jennifer Donovan and husband Steven of Oakdale; and three grandchildren, Michael, Christine and Steven.
The Lutheran Service of Burial was held at St. John's Lutheran Church in Merrick on August 4, 2002. The family received friends following the service at his home in Merrick.
Robert W. McClean
Former resident Robert W. McClean died on Saturday, August 17, 2002.
A memorial visitation will be held between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday, August 23, 2002 at the O.B. Davis Funeral Home, 4839 Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Burn Unit, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York 11794-7441.
Gerard J. Gilrain
Gerard J. Gilrain died on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at his home in Montville, New Jersey following a brief illness. He was 74. Mr. Gilrain had a home on Shelter Island for a number of years and was a member of the Gardiner's Bay Country Club.
Born in Brooklyn, he was vice president of sales for Lenz & Riecker Printing Co. in Totawa, New Jersey before retiring two years ago. He continued to work in the same capacity for Command Web Offset Co. in Secaucus until his death.
He attended St. John's University in Queens and was a first lieutenant with the Seventh Regiment of the New York National Guard for 10 years. He was a former member of the Upper Montclair Country Club and the New York Athletic Club in addition to Gardiner's Bay.
He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Sally L. (nee Murff); a son, John R. Gilrain of Wayne; a daughter, Joanne C. Gilrain of Montville; and four grandchildren.
Private services were held Saturday, August 16 with interment at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Memorial contributions in his name may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 23 Pocono Road, Denville, New Jersey 07834. Arrangements were made by Mackey Funeral Home in Boonton, New Jersey.
