In Memoriam: Remembering those we recently lost

Oct. 4 

Jean White Moseley

Jean White Moseley, a native of Pittsburgh who divided her time between Palm Beach and Ohio, died at 98.

Mrs. Moseley graduated from Hathaway Brown School and Ogontz Junior College. She was a longtime member of the Colonial Dames of America.

She was on the board of the Historical Society of Palm Beach, and Beech Brook in Cleveland. She was also on the board of Rainbow Babies and Children Hospital in Cleveland.

Sept. 27 

Trudy Kneeland Brennan Brekus 

Trudy Kneeland Brennan Brekus, of Palm Beach and Guilford, Conn., died at age 93.

She was born in Worcester, Mass., and graduated from Classical High School and Harvard Radcliffe College, where she met Gordon L. Brekus, to whom she was married for 59 years.

Mrs. Brekus was actively involved as a volunteer in many charitable organizations in Palm Beach. She was a member of the St. Edward Women’s Guild, volunteered for the Arthritis Foundation, the Lourdes-Noreen McKeen Residence, the American Heart Association, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the Palm Beach Symphony, the Boys and Girls Club, and Adopt-A-Family. She also chaired the Schools Committee of the Harvard Club of the Palm Beaches.

She was the recipient of the Grand Volunteer Award from the American Heart Association, the Hiram S. Hunn Memorial Schools and Scholarships Award from Harvard University, and the Caritas Dei Dedication Award from Catholic Charities.

Sept. 17 

Robert Eugene Jackson Jr. 

Robert Eugene Jackson Jr., who rose from family tragedies to become a beloved community leader, died of cancer. He was 73.

Born in Memphis, Mr. Jackson suffered the loss of his father and brother in the Vietnam War, making his a Gold Star family. His mother died soon after, leaving him on his own at 18. He worked multiple jobs to put himself through school. He was a lifelong member of The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea.

He was a choirboy, received one of the first scholarships, led the historical church tour, and served on the scholarship committee. He was a head usher and held the record for participating in the annual Boar’s Head pageant for more than 40 years. He married Dr. Carolyn Agresti there and they christened their son, Robbie, there as well.

Mr. Jackson was an Eagle Scout, graduated from Forest Hill High School, attended Mississippi State and Palm Beach Junior College, and completed his BSBA degree at the University of Florida. He also earned an MBA from Florida Atlantic University and CPA certification.

Sept.15 

Sarah J. Vierck Mettler 

Sally Mettler died at her North End home. She was 88.

Sally and Tom Mettler, a former Town Council member, met at Ohio State University. She was president of Kappa Kappa Gamma and he was president of Sigma Chi. She was the sweetheart of Sigma Chi, president of the Panhellenic Association, and president of Mortar Board, graduating with a bachelor's degree in fine arts education. After Tom Mettler’s death, she married John L. Archibald and they shared six years together until his death in 2020.

Mrs. Mettler was active with a variety of groups, including the PTA, PEO, the Norton Gallery, and as president of the Junior League of the Palm Beaches. Her later years were devoted to church work and ministry.

Aug. 30 

Claire O’Keeffe 

Claire O’Keeffe, a longtime Palm Beach resident, died at her home at the age of 75.

She was born in Boston and attended the Katherine Branson School in San Francisco, Pine Hills Manor in Cambridge, Mass., and graduated from Hollins College in Roanoke, Va. She was the founder/broker of Clare O’Keeffe Realty for 32 years and served as president of the Palm Beach Board of Realtors. Part of her early career she spent as a fact-checker at the National Enquirer.

For many years she had served as executive director of the Esther B. O’Keeffe Charitable Trust in Palm Beach and carried on the legacy of supporting education, medicine, and the arts in the local community and beyond.

She was a member of the Everglades Club and the Palm Beach Yacht Club. She was also a charter member and first president of the Palm Club of Montecito, The Forum Club and the Palm Beach Republican Club.

Aug. 26 

Nikita Zukov 

Architect Nikita Zukov, who had been born to one of the oldest Russian families in Zagreb, Croatia, died at age 88.

Leaving post-war Europe at age 16 with a cardboard suitcase, no high school diploma or knowledge of English, Mr. Zukov began the journey from a Croatian train station to the United States.

In 1950, when Mr. Zukov arrived in New York City, he wasn't accepted to the high school he wanted, so he started working as a draftsman at a construction company.  He went to Queens College on a water polo scholarship and graduated first in his class from the Columbia University School of Architecture.

A postgraduate grant led to working at the construction of the Hadassah Medical Organization Hospital where he was assigned to work closely with artist Marc Chagall on the installation of Chagall’s stained-glass windows in the hospital’s Abbell Synagogue.

After a long architectural career, he retired and moved from New York City to Palm Beach in 1994; he supported several charities, chairing The Cancer Ball and the Salvation Army Ball.

Aug. 24 

Albert "Bert" Sokol 

Nightclub owner Albert Sokol died Aug. 24, 2022. He was 82.

Originally from North Versailles, Pa., he was the co-owner of the Holiday House in Monroeville just outside Pittsburgh. The Holiday House was the top nightclub in the area for many years and hosted stars such as Frank Sinatra, The Temptations, the Three Stooges and more.

Mr. Sokol and his family moved to Florida in 1983, where he became a partner of the Crazy Horse Tavern and the Colonnades Beach Club.

He continued his passion for the entertainment industry by producing shows at the Eden Roc and Diplomat hotels in Miami.

Aug. 9 

Letitia Hughey Lundeen 

Letitia Lundeen, owner of Letitia Lundeen Porcelain and Antiques, died after a brief illness at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Mass. She was 75.

She was born in Youngstown, Ohio. After attending Abbott Academy in Andover, Mass., she graduated from Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Conn. A graduate of Smith College, she later received a doctorate in psychology from Yale University.

A collector and student of antiquities, Mrs. Lundeen decided to pursue her passion for antique porcelain, studying at the Tate Gallery in London and L’Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. After moving to Palm Beach, she opened Letitia Lundeen Porcelain and Antiques and later a store by the same name in Nantucket.

The shop on Via Parigi was filled with porcelain treasures and became a stop for customers the world over. Mrs. Lundeen’s knowledge of the provenances of 18th-century English porcelain and Chinese export made her a frequently sought-after lecturer on this subject.

Aug. 7 

Joyce Mandel Wolf 

Joyce Wolf, who with her husband, Erving, amassed one of the most comprehensive private collections of American art, died in New York City. She was 95.

In the 1960s, Mr. and Mrs. Wolf began collecting American Indian rugs, pottery, and jewelry from trading posts in the Four Corners area in the Southwest. Over time, they broadened their collection to include American paintings, works on paper, sculpture, and furniture. Mrs. Wolf’s passion was early American furniture from the 1700s.

The couple donated works of American art to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Mrs. Wolf was a founding member of the William Cullen Bryant Fellows, and the couple gave The Erving and Joyce Wolf Gallery in the museum’s American Wing. They also gave American artworks to the Denver Art Museum and loaned bronzes to the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Aug. 2 

Elaine M. Schuster 

Elaine Schuster, a Palm Beach resident for more than 20 years, died of complications from pneumonia. She was 90.

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her to serve as public delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, serving as the representative to the United Nations on general policy matters of public diplomacy. She focused her work on promoting awareness and combating human trafficking.

In 2004, she founded The Elaine and Gerald Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University. For almost 20 years, it served as the nation’s leading university-based investigative reporting center.

She established the News Innovation Series at Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, and a professorship at Harvard University’s School of Business. She also led the Schuster Family Foundation’s efforts to establish a transplant center and surgical suite at The Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston and served as president of the New England Kidney Foundation.

July 29 

Arlene Kaufman 

Arlene Kaufman, a philanthropist and community leader, died at her home. She was 78.

A native of Takoma Park, Md., Mrs. Kaufman served as board chair of the nJewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

She was among the first leaders of Taglit-Birthright Israel and Masa Israel Journey, a program of The Jewish Agency, where she served as international co-chair. She served as chair and other leadership roles with Project Interchange, a program by the American Jewish Committee.

In 2016, she helped launch the Kaufman-Baklor Challenge Grant in the Palm Beaches.

July 15 

Ivana Trump 

Ivana Trump, ex-wife of former President Donald Trump, died of blunt impact injuries suffered during a fall down the stairs at her New York City home. She was 73.

Ivana Marie Zelnickova was born in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia, now known as Zlin, Czech Republic. It was while working at a reception in New York that she met Mr. Trump, then 29. The two were married less than a year later by Norman Vincent Peale, the author and Protestant clergyman.

Mrs. Trump competed with the Czech junior national ski team. She attended Charles University in Prague and received a master’s degree in physical education.

Mrs. Trump was the vice president for interior design for Donald Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, and managed one of his most prized properties, the Plaza Hotel.

July 14 

Carleton Varney 

Interior designer Carleton Varney, who wrote the popular “Your Family Decorator” column for the Palm Beach Daily News for more than 40 years, died in a Palm Beach Gardens hospital. He was 85.

Known by many as Mr. Color, he earned a reputation for his deft use of vibrant colors and attracted an A-list group of clients that included Joan Crawford, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Ethel Merman and Judy Garland.

Mr. Varney was a graduate of Oberlin College and received a master’s degree in education from New York University.

He taught at private schools in New Rochelle, N.Y., and in Manhattan before working briefly in fashion, then embarking on his design career. He originally had hoped to be a theatrical set designer. He hosted the show “Live Vividly” on the Home Shopping Network and wrote more than three dozen books.

July 1 

Sumner L. Feldberg 

Sumner L. Feldberg, founder of Zayre and former chief executive officer of TJX, died at 98.

Mr. Feldberg, known to his friends as “Sonny,” grew up in Newton, Mass., and graduated from Newton High School. He studied at Harvard and during his freshman year, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He was trained as a meteorologist.

Once back from his service in the military, he re-entered Harvard and finished his studies, graduating cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He then enrolled in the first class of Harvard Business School when it reopened after World War II. After graduation, Mr. Feldberg joined his father, and uncle and cousin at the Bell Shops.

After observing the model of another discount merchandizing operation, Mr. Feldberg created his own, which he named Zayre. The first store opened in Hyannis, Mass. Zayre went public in 1962. Other chains followed, such as Chadwicks of Boston, Hit or Miss, BJ’s Wholesale Club and TJ Maxx.

June 30 

Charles B. Simmons 

Charles B. Simmons, the longest-serving director of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, died at his home in Simsbury, Conn. He was 90.

Born in Bristol, Conn., Mr. Simmons grew up in Hartford. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Yale University in architecture and following graduate work in the Yale School of Architecture, Mr. Simmons served in the U.S. Army Security Agency. In 1965, he received a fellowship from the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum to study in its Early American Culture program, after which he served for three years as a curator at the Historical Society of York County in York, Pa., where he oversaw four restored historic homes.

Mr. Simmons was appointed the Flagler Museum’s second executive director in 1969. For the next decade he worked with the museum’s founder, Jean Flagler Matthews, to restore Whitehall until her death in 1979.

He received the Florida Association of Museums Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994.

June 9 

Andrew Lyons Smith Jr. 

Andrew Lyons Smith Jr., who spent more than 50 years as an investment manager, died at 83.

Mr. Smith was a graduate of the New York City public schools, and received a B.A. in history from Houghton College in New York. He attended graduate schools of business and finance at Fordham University and New York University.

Mr. Smith began his investment management career at U.S. Trust Company in New York City, and became a senior vice president and director of the Florida division. He also opened the Palm Beach office of Sheets Smith Wealth Management. In addition, he served as a New York State secondary school teacher of history and economics.

He was a member of the executive committee and board member of Gulfstream Goodwill, and served as an advisory board member and chairman of the board of the Salvation Army for Palm Beach County for 10 years. He was a member of the English-Speaking Union, the Society of the Four Arts, and the Old Guard.

June 5 

Elizabeth Ann Locke Schuler 

Elizabeth Ann Locke Schuler, a Palm Beach resident for more than 40 years, died in Birmingham, Ala. She was 91.

Mrs. Schuler was born in Birmingham and was a graduate of Ramsay High School, in Birmingham and Stratford Junior College. She established a long real estate career with Sotheby's International Realty in Palm Beach.

She was involved with the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, where she and husband John established the Elizabeth L. and John H. Schuler Architectural Award.

May 24 

Miles Coon 

Attorney, writer and poet Miles Coon, founder of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, died at 84.

After graduating with highest honors from the University of Virginia and Harvard Law School, Mr. Coon practiced law for several years and then took over running a manufacturing business founded by his father. After 30 years, he sold the business and turned his attention toward poetry.

He earned an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College in 2003 and afterward, his poems appeared in many poetry journals and magazines. In 2005, he founded the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, which has become an institution over the past 18 years.

His debut book of poetry, The Quotient of My Self Divided by Myself, was published shortly after his death.

May 19 

Richard J. Schmeelk 

Richard J. Schmeelk died at his Palm Beach home. He was 97.

Born in Rockaway Beach, N.Y., he graduated from Far Rockaway High School and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served through World War II aboard the USS Blackfin.

After his discharge, he joined Salomon Brothers, where he worked for 40 years and was a general partner and member of the executive committee. During the first 30 years of his finance career, he was instrumental in opening the investment borders between the United States and Canada. He became an adviser to business leaders and government entities. After retiring from Salomon Brothers, Mr. Schmeelk co-founded CAI Managers, where he served as founding partner.

He established the Richard J. Schmeelk Canada Fellowship. In 2018, he became the ninth American to be awarded honorary membership in the Order of Canada. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI bestowed upon him the Knighthood in the Order of St. Gregory the Great, for his work on behalf of the Catholic Church. He also was a Knight of Malta.

May 15 

Marion Casey Donahue 

Marion Casey Donahue, whose wide-ranging interests included horses, horse racing, gardening and the arts, died in West Palm Beach. She was 95.

Mrs. Donahue attended the Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Newton, Mass. and graduated from Trinity College in Washington D.C.

Mrs. Donahue and her late husband pursued a lifelong interest in thoroughbred horse racing with a stud farm in Ireland and horse racing in America and Europe. Her filly, Sutton Place, won the 1978 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in England. Mrs. Donahue’s racing colors were inherited from her grand uncle, trainer Samuel Clay Hildreth, who was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. Her godfather was the jockey and trainer Earl H. Sande.

Mrs. Donahue was a member of the Society of the Four Arts and the Everglades Club, the Colony Club in New York City and the Reading Room in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

May 9 

Joseph James Traybar 

Joseph James Traybar of Princeton, N.J., Atlantic City; and Palm Beach, died at 93.

Mr. Traybar was born in Bethlehem, Pa. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and was the first pilot to land a fighter jet at John F. Kennedy Airport.

He completed a dual master's degree in aeronautical engineering from Princeton and Penn State. After graduation, he accepted a job at Princeton teaching aeronautical engineering. He also received a second master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.

After retirement from Princeton, he was a flight test aeronautical engineer and Federal Aviation Administration  aircraft safety research program manager. While at the FAA, he worked on the space shuttle as part of the pilot safety review board.

April 26 

Dr. Michael C. Gelfand

Dr. Michael Gelfand, who founded Israel’s first non-hospital outpatient dialysis center, died at 80.

Dr. Gelfand grew up in Manhattan and was a student and athlete at the Horace Mann School. He graduated from Yale University and received his M.D. degree from SUNY-Downstate Medical Center. Following internship and residency, he served in the U.S. Army stationed at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

His fellowships in nephrology and immunology yielded ground-breaking research, but he opted for clinical medicine practicing dialysis and transplantation medicine in the Maryland-D.C. area. He was on the faculty of Georgetown University Medical Center.

April 26 

George Dana Gould 

George Dana Gould, a key figure in New York City’s 1970s bailout and undersecretary of the Treasury during the Reagan Administration, died at home in Palm Beach. He was 94.

Mr. Gould was born in Boston. After graduating from Phillips Academy, Andover, he went on to Yale, where he received a B.A. in economics, with distinction. From there he went to the Harvard Business School, earning an MBA with high distinction.

Mr. Gould’s career spanned private and public sectors. In 1974, he became chairman of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, the investment bank he joined in 1961 after entering his profession at private investment firm Jeremiah Milbank. In 1977, he became chairman of Madison Fund, a publicly traded closed-end investment company, and general partner of Wertheim & Co.

In 1975, when New York City faced financial ruin, Mayor Abe Beame phoned Mr. Gould and sought help with the banks. In 1985, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury James Baker appointed Mr. Gould undersecretary of the Treasury for finance, a post he held until 1988. For his service, he received the Alexander Hamilton Award, the Treasury Department’s highest honor.

April 15 

Florence Lainhart Thiele 

Florence Lainhart Thiele died in Stuart of congestive heart failure. She was 94.

She graduated from Graham-Eckes School in Palm Beach and attended Ogontz Junior College in Philadelphia.

Mrs. Thiele volunteered at the Crippled Children Society in Palm Beach and at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.

She spent 10 years as a young adult modeling in the Palm Beaches. She wore the Empress Josephine diamond tiara the first time it was shown in Palm Beach by Van Cleef & Arpels. She also did modeling work for Saks Fifth Avenue, Holiday magazine, Palm Beach Life, and The Social Spectator.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: In Memoriam: Remembering those in Palm Beach we recently lost