BULLETIN | WINTER 2015 55
’53 C
Henry M. Doebler, 80, a utility company executive, died August 5, 2014 in Easton, Md. Born in Sea Cliff, N.Y., Henry came to Choate in 1948. He played varsity soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, and was lacrosse captain his sixth form year, winning a school lacrosse award. He also was Sports Editor of the News, Vice President of the Athletic Association, on the Student Council, and in the Altar Guild and the Chess Club. He then earned degrees from Cornell and Brooklyn Law School. Henry worked for Con Edison as a lobbyist in Albany, N.Y. and Washington, D.C., and was the senior utility representative of the Energy Association of New York State. Active in the community, he worked for the Maryland Hall of the Creative Arts and the Chesapeake Maritime Museum, and was a track and field official for the U.S. Naval Academy. He leaves his wife, Joyce Doebler, 29568 Kent Ave., Easton, MD 21601; three children; and four grandchildren.
’55 RH Mary Elizabeth “Betsy” Quayle Robinson, 77, a horsewoman, died September 28, 2014. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Betsy came to Rosemary Hall in 1952. She was a Marshal; was on the Year Committee and Fire Squad; and was Philomel and Mistress of the Robes. She later graduated from Smith. Mary was a passionate horsewoman from childhood, competing in hunter/ jumper class and riding in the National Horse Show Maclay finals at Madison Square Garden. She and her family lived in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Paris, and in every location she pursued her love of equestrian events. Betsy also enjoyed gardening and reading. She leaves her husband, Malcolm Robinson Jr.; three sons; seven grandchildren; a sister; and a brother.
’56 C
Edward J. Brady, 76, a retired data processing executive, died July 31, 2014 in Paramus, N.J. Born in Darien, Conn., Ed came to Choate in 1951. He was Associate Editor of the Brief, and in the Press Club, the French Club, and the Dramatic Club. After graduating from Rollins College, he worked for the McBee Systems Division of Litton Industries in New York City as a data processing sales executive. He leaves
his wife, Ethel Brady, 66 Mulberry Court, Paramus, NJ 07652; two children; four grandchildren; and a sister.
’57 RH Ann McNeer McLeod, 73, a retired art and psychology professor, died December 25, 2012 in Auburndale, Fla. Born in New York City, Micki, as she was known at School, was at Rosemary Hall for one year. She earned degrees from Lindenwood University, Washington University, and the State University of New York, then was named Vice President of the Villa Mercede in Florence, Italy. When the Arno River flooded in 1966, she helped rescue rare books. She then returned to the United States and for 35 years was a professor of art history and psychology at Polk State College in Florida. Micki also painted portraits professionally. After retirement in 2005, she was on the board of the Ridge Art Association in Winter Haven, Fla., and worked on the Art in Public Places campaign. She leaves a brother, Gordon McNeer, P.O. Box 1729, Clayton, GA 30525; and several cousins. ’58 C Donald C. Schwartz¸73, a retired insurance company systems programmer, died October 4, 2014 in West Hartford, Conn. Born in Middletown, Conn., Don came to Choate in 1954; he sang in the Glee Club and the Maiyeros and rowed crew. After graduating from Tufts, he worked for the Aetna and Cigna insurance companies in Connecticut. Active in community life, Don was a longtime volunteer at the University of Connecticut Health Center and also worked in a soup kitchen and was a reading tutor. He was active in several choirs. He leaves his wife, Julie Schwartz, 94 Craigmoor Road, West Hartford, CT 06107; a daughter; three grandchildren; and two sisters. ’65 C Vincent D. Farrell Jr., 68, an investment executive, died November 16, 2014 in South Salem, N.Y. of cancer. Born in the Bronx, N. Y., Vin was at Choate for one year; he had hoped to play varsity football, but a knee injury sidelined him for the season. He later managed varsity basketball and was on the track team. After Choate, he graduated from Princeton and earned an M.B.A. from Iona College. While working on his graduate degree, he
taught high school history and coached varsity football at Iona Prep. He then spent nine years at Smith Barney, becoming vice president of sales. Vin was a founding partner of Spears, Benzak, Saloman & Farrell in New York. Starting in 1995, he was a consultant for other investment firms, frequently appearing on the cable TV networks CNBC and Bloomberg. He was a technical adviser on the 2010 sequel to the film “Wall Street.” Vin enjoyed skiing, vacations on Nantucket, biking for Special Olympics, and reading detective novels. He leaves his wife, Clotilde Farrell, 62 Hoyt St., South Salem, NY 10590-1320; four children; two granddaughters; and a sister. Stephen P. Kramer, 66, a lawyer, died August 8, 2014 in New York City of multiple myeloma. Born in Washington, D.C., Steve came to Choate in 1962; he played soccer and tennis, wrestled, and was in the Cum Laude Society. After earning degrees from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, he worked for George McGovern’s presidential campaign, then joined the office of the New York City Corporation Counsel, eventually becoming chief of the General Litigation division. He was appointed by then-Mayor Ed Koch as a judge of the civil court; he later opened a private practice dealing with New York City agencies. His last position was that of Chief of Staff and Special Counsel to the Commissioner of the New York Department of Buildings. Steve enjoyed everything about New York. Bicycling to all five boroughs and frequently visiting museums, attending the theater, and strolling through the Bronx and Brooklyn botanical gardens. He leaves his wife, Bonnie Franklin, 16 Hudson St., Apt. 2-D, New York, NY 10013; three children; and two sisters.
’66 RH Marjorie Stowell Foster, 67, a chef and caterer, died October 5, 2014 in Norwalk, Conn. Born in Greenwich, Marge came to Rosemary Hall in 1961, then traveled the world as a cruise ship waitress. Settling in Connecticut, she was a food stylist for Pleasures of Cooking magazine, owned As You Like It catering in Greenwich, and later ran Marge Foster Catering in New Canaan, Conn. She also prepared the
seminarians’ meals at St. John Fisher Seminary in Stamford, Conn. She leaves three children; two grandchildren; and two sisters.
’71 RH Belinda Donner, 61, a philanthropist, died August 22, 2014 in Salt Lake City. The daughter of a foreign service officer, Belinda was born in Athens, Greece, and came to Rosemary Hall in 1968. She was the head of the dance club, on the staff of the Wild Boar, and in the Choir. After Rosemary Hall, she graduated from Mount Vernon Junior College. She devoted much of her time to animal rescue philanthropy, with a particular interest in horses and cats. Classically trained in music and ballet, she played piano and was an improvisational dancer. ’75 C Aram C. “Chris” Abajian, 56, a programmer, died July 28, 2012 in an accident while hiking in Washington’s North Cascades. Born in New York City, Chris came to Choate in 1972; he was in the Military History Club and the Literary Club. After graduating from Wesleyan, he moved to Washington, where he was a programmer for the Allen Institute for Brain Science. According to his co-workers, he was a “talented programmer who wrote elegant code.” He was an accomplished musician who built his own instruments and enjoyed transcribing music by ear. He leaves a son, two brothers, and a sister. ’77
Margaret Majeski Lyons, 55, an attorney, died September 29, 2014 of cancer. Born in Wallingford, Margaret was in the School Chorus. She then earned a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a law degree from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. She practiced law in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., before recently moving to Braintree, Mass. She leaves three sons and three brothers, including Stephen Majeski ’68 and Kenneth Majeski ’81.