In memoriam: Remembering those who passed away during the 2021-2022 Palm Beach season

April 14

William K. Langfan

William K. Langfan, one of the liberators of the Buchenwald concentration camp, died in Palm Beach at 100.

Mr. Langfan was the first in his family to go to college. He graduated from the University of South Carolina and attended the Sorbonne and Cornell Law School. He was a veteran of World War II, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and was among the liberators of Buchenwald.

Mr. Langfan was a benefactor of many secular and Jewish causes in the United States, Israel, and throughout the world.

March 30

Dr. Robert J. Agresti

Dr. Robert James Agresti, a New Jersey dentist who stayed in practice until age 84, died at his Palm Beach home. He was 92.

Dr. Agresti served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1956-58 as a captain serving in the Medical Corp of the 19th Infantry Regiment.

He graduated from Catholic University in 1952 and University of Maryland Dental School in 1956. His postgraduate studies included residency at New York University Dental School and Albert Einstein Dental School.

March 7

Thorne Barnes Donnelley

Thorne Barnes Donnelley was 88.

Better known as Barney, he was the great-grandson of the founder of the R.R. Donnelley printing company, where he began his business career in sales of the Yellow Pages. He would later go on to serve on corporate boards and participate in seed money investing.

Better known as Barney, Mr. Donnelley was born in Kentucky, but primarily lived in Lake Forrest, Illinois and New Canaan, Connecticut, before settling in Palm Beach.

He graduated from the Hill School, and Tulane University, where he was part of both schools’ tennis teams. He was inducted into the Hill School Athletics Hall of Fame for the class of 49-50.

Mr. Donnelley was also a member of the All-American National Skeet Shooting Team in 1965 and 1966.

March 4

Michael S. Fawcett

Michael S. Fawcett, a polo-playing attorney and businessman, died in Savannah, Georgia. He was 77.

A former resident of Palm Beach, Mr. Fawcett graduated from Hamilton College in 1966. He earned his legal degree in 1969 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and worked for law firms in Pittsburgh and Boston.

He then started a career in new business development, including a Pepsi bottling business that began in Argentina and soon spread throughout South America. He developed other successful business ventures, such as Braxton Associates, Health Dialog Services and others through his firm, Meacham Woodfield LLC.

He launched a world-class polo team and breeding operation with his Cold Comfort Farm in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and Argentina.

Feb. 21

Emily A. DiMaggio

Emily Alberta (Frederick) DiMaggio, widow of Red Sox star Dominic DiMaggio, died at home. She was 99.

Born Nov. 10, 1922 in Boston, Mrs. DiMaggio attended Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts, graduating in 1941. After completing her course of study at Catherine Gibbs, she was hired as an assistant to a bank executive.

In 1943, she met DiMaggio, the Red Sox centerfielder and the youngest of the baseball-playing DiMaggio brothers. The couple married at St. Paul's Church in Wellesley in October 1948.

Mrs. DiMaggio was active in several charities, including the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 1990, she co-founded, with Polly Davidson, DFCI's Discovery Ball in Palm Beach.

Feb. 21

J. Ira Harris

J. Ira Harris, a former senior partner of Salomon Brothers, died of an apparent heart attack at his home in Palm Beach. He was 83.

He entered the University of Michigan early to fulfill his dying mother’s wish, and graduated at 20.

Harris left Salomon at the start of 1988 to open a Chicago branch of its competitor, Lazard Freres & Co. He left in 1998 and formed a consulting firm, J.I. Harris & Associates.

Mr. Harris was a life member of the board of directors for the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and a member of the executive committee of the Town of Palm Beach United Way.

Feb. 15

Arthur Lewis

Arthur Lewis, a former Palm Beach resident who, with his wife, Evelyn, started the Evelyn and Arthur clothing chain, died in Boca Raton. He was 94.

They opened their first women's apparel store in Palm Beach in 1985 at Royal Poinciana Way and North County Road. The store was a fixture on the island until it closed in 2018 after its lease expired. The business reopened briefly at 239 S. County Road in 2019 before closing.

Born in Bronx, New York, Mr. Lewis began his career in manufacturing in the city's garment district.

Feb. 10

Lidia Goldner

Lidia Goldner, a former co-owner of Cafe L'Europe who was among the Pan Am flight crew members held hostage in Tehran in 1979, died after an extended illness. She was 79.

Mrs. Goldner was born in 1943 in Rio de Janeiro and attended international schools there. She was fluent in five languages. In 1966, she joined Pan American Airlines.

For the next 16 years, she flew worldwide with Pan Am as a purser. In 1979, she and the Pan Am flight crew were held hostage for weeks in Tehran at the InterContinental Hotel by the militia during the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Mrs. Goldner studied interior design at Parsons School of Design in New York City. She used her design talents when together with her husband, Norbert Goldner, they created Cafe L'Europe.

Feb. 9

Mary Montgomery

Mary Montgomery, a patroness of the arts during her 60-plus years as a Palm Beach resident, died after a long battle with dementia. She was 91 years old and the widow of powerhouse attorney Robert Montgomery.

Born in Mobile, Alabama, Mary Le Merle McKenzie was a student at the University of Alabama when she met her husband. After Mr. Montgomery's post-college military service was up, he decided to use his GI Bill to go to law school full time. Mrs. Montgomery worked as a secretary in a psychiatric hospital.

The couple moved to Palm Beach in the early 1960s and became active in charity, particularly those relating to arts and culture. Mrs. Montgomery joined the board of the Palm Beach Opera Guild in 1984. The Montgomerys also provided support to the Armory Art Center.

Feb. 6

Carol Wright

Former Daily News business editor and reporter Carol Easterling Wright was killed in a fall from the Royal Park Bridge. She was 79.

Ms. Wright was killed when the bridge started to rise as she was walking with her bike toward downtown West Palm Beach.

She graduated from the University of Miami in 1964 and worked as a production assistant at WTVJ in Miami and WPEC in West Palm Beach.

She moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s and worked for Hanna-Barbera and Bon Appetit, among others, before moving back to Palm Beach County in the early 1980s, where she began working for the Daily News.

Jan. 31

Thomas Albert Hoadley

Attorney Thomas Albert Hoadley died at home. He was 99.

Mr. Hoadley was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana. His family owned and operated limestone quarries in the area for four generations.

Mr. Hoadley studied law at Indiana and Oxford universities. After serving in the JAG Corps of the United States Air Force, he held high-profile positions in Indiana. He became attorney for the secretary of state and deputy attorney general and was then elected prosecuting attorney. After completing his term, he moved to Palm Beach in 1964, where he owned a law firm for more than 30 years.

Jan. 22

Diane Belfer

Philanthropist Diane Belfer died at home in Palm Beach on her 94th birthday.

Mrs. Belfer attended The Calhoun School while also attending the Preparatory Division of Julliard. She left New York University after one year to marry textile executive Edward Endelson. They settled in New England until his death in 1960. She resettled in New York where she met and married businessman and philanthropist, Arthur Belfer. They were married for 28 years until his death in 1993.

Mrs. Belfer was a supporter of higher education, medical research and the arts.

She was a supporter of the Kravis Center and the Norton Museum as well as the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

Jan. 9

Robert M. Grace

Former Town Council member Robert M. Grace, one of the founders of the Preservation Foundation and a leader in the effort to write the town's zoning code, died at his Palm Beach home. He was 97.

He grew up in Great Neck, New York and graduated from Yale cum laude. While an undergraduate at Yale University, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Upon completion of his degrees at Yale, he moved to Palm Beach to teach, eventually becoming assistant principal of Graham Eckes School. Later, he taught economics to ninth-graders at Palm Beach Day Academy.

He served on the Town Council for 14 years and served as council president. Mr. Grace was involved with starting the Preservation Foundation, orchestrating the town’s ownership of the Phipps Ocean Park and the Par 3 Golf Course and starting the Architectural Commission.

Dec. 17

George M. Moffett, II

George M. Moffett, II, known to his friends as Chip, died at his home in Palm Beach. He was 83.

He was born during the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, in New York City and grew up on Glen Head, Long Island. He was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania-Wharton School of Finance in Philadelphia.

He served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and was a member of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, the oldest active military organization in the country. For 25 years, he worked in banking in Philadelphia where he eventually oversaw asset and liability management at CoreStates Financial Corporation as a senior vice president.

In 1984, he was elected president of the Whitehall Foundation, a charitable organization founded in part by his grandfather George M. Moffett in 1939 to support research in neurobiology. He served as president until his death.

Nov. 30

Paul Van der Grift

Paul Joseph Van der Grift, a mentor to hundreds of young people, died from complications of encephalitis. He was 63.

Born Winter Garden, his father was a soil conservation specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and moved his family frequently around the state..

He was a 1981 graduate of Florida State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in international affairs with a minor in social work. In 1990, he graduated from New York University’s Film Intensive Program. He founded Thunderhead Productions, Inc., and produced, directed and wrote documentaries on Muhammed Ali, Mikhail Gorbachev, Desmond Tutu, Maya Angelou, Althea Gibson and Billie Jean King.

He was president of the board at First Serve. First Serve is a nonprofit that trains high school students to mentor children in their communities.

Nov. 29

Arlene Dahl

Arlene Dahl, actress and mother of actor Lorenzo Lamas, died in New York. She was 96.

A native of Minneapolis, Ms. Dahl began her career as a model and worked in theater until 1946, when she moved to Hollywood and was placed under contract first by Warner Bros., then MGM.

One of the films she starred in was “Jamaica Run,” with Fernando Lamas, who she later married. During her acting career, she founded Arlene Dahl Enterprises, selling cosmetics and lingerie. She also found time to write beauty columns, founded a perfume company and worked as an advertising executive for Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Nov. 27

Gerry Goldsmith

Former Town Council member C. Gerald "Gerry" Goldsmith died in West Palm Beach. He was 93.

Mr. Goldsmith attended The Culver Military Academy and graduated from the University of Michigan and Harvard Business School. His career included Wall Street, real estate and banking. He formerly was chairman of the First Bank of the Palm Beaches and served on the board of Cypress Trust.

In addition to the Town Council, he served on the Police Retirement Board and several review boards. In 2009, he lost the mayoral race to Jack McDonald by one vote in a runoff election. After the loss to Mr. McDonald — 1,590 to 1,589 votes — Mr. Goldsmith filed a lawsuit alleging then-Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher had improperly excluded 13 absentee ballots and one provisional ballot from her election count. He eventually lost all his legal challenges.

Nov. 24

John Henry Kessler

John Henry Kessler died in Palm Beach after a long battle with cancer. He was 76.

Born in Newark, Mr. Kessler was an exceptional athlete on the West Orange High school varsity swim, baseball and football teams. In 1969, after graduating from Monmouth College and concluding service in the U.S. Army, he joined J.B. Hanauer & Co. as a financial adviser, rising to the position of chairman and principal stockholder.

Mr. Kessler served on the board of trustees for the Kravis Center. When the Kravis Center embarked on a capital campaign, Mr. Kessler, as its board chair, raised many millions of dollars for the center working with fellow board members, volunteers, and staff.

Nov. 1

Ralph C. Guild

Ralph C. Guild, a legendary radio broadcaster known as “Mr. Radio,” died at his home. He was 93.

Born in Oakland, Calif., Mr. Guild knew he wanted to devote his life to radio. In the 1950s, he joined McGavern Radio, a radio advertising firm based in San Francisco. Shortly after joining the firm, he opened the company's first east coast office in New York.

He supported Palm Beach DramaWorks and was a board member of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation.

Mr. Guild was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and the Radio Hall of Fame.

Oct. 24

Marion Hugh Antonini

Marion Hugh Antonini died at his Palm Beach home at the age of 91.

Born in Clinton, Indiana, Mr. Antonini graduated second in his class at the University of Toledo in 1952, with a bachelor's in mechanical engineering. He started his career at Willys Motors (which became Kaiser Jeep) and quickly rose to vice president and managing director, in charge of managing world-wide automotive operations.

Fluent in five languages, Mr. Antonini developed into an international business expert while at Jeep. In 1967, he was recruited to be the president of Prestolite International and within six years became president of Eltra International Co. and group vice president of Eltra Corporation. He went on to lead other multinational companies including Xerox and Kohlberg & Co., Welbilt Corp.

In 2016, he and his wife, Penny, were awarded the Ballinger Award by the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.

Joyce Lanier Milner Sterling died in West Palm Beach. She was 91. She was raised in Atlanta and attended the University of Georgia.

She moved to Palm Beach in the early 1980s, where she donated time and resources to many Palm Beach charities, especially The Society of the Four Arts, where she served as a trustee, and the Preservation Society for which she volunteered and chaired its annual ball.

Oct. 9

Linda Donahue

Linda Donahue, an expert on vintage and celebrity couture, died from multiple sclerosis. She was 73.

Born Linda Palermo in Westfield, New Jersey, she was educated at the Newport School for Girls and at Lindenwood College in St. Charles, Missouri. Her interest in fashion and design manifested itself as a young age and led her to a career that spanned 35 years.

Mrs. Donahue got her start in New York at Vogue magazine, and later opened Trouvé, the first vintage couture shop in New York City. Eventually, at what was then called the William Doyle Gallery, she launched the first specialist department focusing on vintage and celebrity couture. Her expertise eventually led to years as a senior appraiser on "Antiques Roadshow" and as a Hollywood costume designer.

Mrs. Donahue was active in charity, particularly the Lighthouse Guild for the Blind's outreach in Palm Beach.

Sept. 3

Robert Carl Wetenhall

Robert Carl Wetenhall, who was credited with revitalizing the Montreal Alouettes football team and leading the expansion of Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, died at his Palm Beach home. He was 86.

He was born in Rye, New York and spent his formative years in Milwaukee, Chicago and New York. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Princeton University.

Mr. Wetenhall co-founded the investment banking firm McConnell, Wetenhall & Co. in 1963. He was primarily active in professional sports, commercial real estate, and venture capital investing. In the late 1960s, Mr. Wetenhall became a part owner of the Boston Patriots. In 1970, he purchased The Colony, where he maintained a residence for 50 years.

In 1997, he purchased the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. During the next 14 years, the Alouettes played in eight Grey Cups, winning three championships.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach 2021-2022 season: Remembering those who died this year