In Memoriam: Remembering the Palm Beachers who left us in 2023-2024 season

April 19, Carroll Donahue Swan

Carroll Donahue Swan died at her Palm Beach home after a four-year battle with four different cancers. She was 80.

A native of Boston, her family had direct ties to Boston Mayor John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. Mrs. Swan attended Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Newton, Massachusetts, and Trinity College in Washington, D.C.

From an early age Mrs. Swan was a talented and avid golfer and swimmer and later channeled her inner competitive spirit into a passion for duplicate bridge.

In addition to her son Tom, Mrs. Swan leaves six grandchildren, who delighted in calling her “Moo Moo.” She was a member of the Bath and Tennis Club, the Everglades Club and the Society of Four Arts in Palm Beach.

April 18, George Larry Wilson

George Larry Wilson, a devoted family man, technology entrepreneur and lover of boats and antique cars, died in Palm Beach. He was 77.

As a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, Mr. Wilson began an internship at an insurance company that changed his life. The experience left him obsessed with technology and its impact on the insurance industry. He went on to write software programs on mainframe COBOL systems for the company that included methods of automating policy administration, claims processing, premium calculations, and billing procedures. Following that, Mr. Wilson devoted himself to investing in, mentoring, and supporting young entrepreneurs building technology for the insurance industry, earning him the reputation as “The Father of InsurTech.”

Outside work, he had a passion for vintage cars with a fondness for Porsches from the ‘50s until 1974. He was an avid vintage car racer into his 70s, winning many awards and holding track records at Palm Beach International Raceway and Virginia International Raceway.

Additionally, he held a private pilot's certificate and relished piloting his own plane for his weekly commute to New York City. He enjoyed exploring the world with his family, including trips to New Guinea and Russia, and annual trips to Europe.

April 16, Jacqueline Goldman

Jacqueline Goldman, a longtime board member of and a prolific fundraiser for the American Friends of Magen David Adom, died at age 96.

The organization is Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. Goldman is credited with turning it from a small fundraising organization into the largest provider of philanthropic funds for Israel’s emergency medical services.

During her tenure, Goldman helped build two blood centers for Israel, raised funds for thousands of ambulances, and played a role in making MDA a leader in mass-casualty response and EMS dispatch technology, saving countless lives.

Goldman grew up in France as World War II approached and moved to Palm Beach in 1963. At age 95 in 2023, she celebrated her bat mitzvah at Palm Beach Synagogue.

April 15, John Rinker

John Rinker, the president of the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Foundation and a leading benefactor of Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach and other colleges across Florida, died at age 80.

A 1962 graduate of Palm Beach High School, Rinker attended Stetson University and worked for Rinker Building Materials after his graduation, becoming president of quarry operations.

In his role as foundation president, Rinker orchestrated the gifts that led to the construction of the Vera Lea Rinker Music Hall, named for his mother; the development of the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Field, named for his parents; and the John and Sheila Rinker Sports complex, named for himself and his wife.

Rinker for years was a leader at Royal Poinciana Chapel and was instrumental in selecting Dr. Robert Norris as its minister in 2004. He also was known for his photography, and he traveled the world to take photos. One exhibit he hosted in 2012 raised $90,000 for Palm Beach Atlantic in two days.

April 13, Lorraine Malasky

Lorraine Malasky, the widow of the late homebuilder Donald Malasky of Malasky Homes, died at age 77.

A Philadelphia native, she was a longtime Palm Beach resident and had many friends on the island. A graveside service was held April 17 at Star of David Cemetery of the Palm Beaches in Palm Beach Gardens.

April 12 , Carlos A. Arredondo

Innovator and investor Carlos Arredondo died in Palm Beach at the age of 89.

Born in New York City, he spent his elementary school years in Santander, Spain. A high school valedictorian, he graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering. He went on to become a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Airforce Base in New Mexico.

With his brother Caesar, he established Arredondo & Co., a 50-year real estate investment partnership. Together they financed, developed, and leased commercial buildings for Fortune 500 companies and founded Westy Self- Storage. In 2013, he sold a portion of his Westy portfolio to Sovran Self Storage,, now Extra Space Storage, the nation's largest self-storage REIT.

He served as a trustee at Greenwich Academy and led the parish finance council at Saint Mary Church in Greenwich, Connecticut. A Roman Catholic, he was a longtime patron and benefactor of the Salesians of St. John Bosco as well as several schools, giving his time, funding scholarships, and designing and instituting educational programs.

April 8 , David Richard Herwitz

David Richard Herwitz, the son of a candy factory operator who went on to become a Harvard Law School professor, draftsman of the corporation law still used by the State of Israel, a champion bridge player and devoted golfer, died at 98.

Mr. Herwitz taught at the Harvard Law School for more than a half-century and was the longest tenured professor there. His specialty was business planning and taxation.

Among his students over the years were Barack Obama as well as Martin and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Among his colleagues were Laurence Tribe and Alan Dershowitz, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and former Harvard president Derek Bok.

A graduate of Swampscott High School, Mr. Herwitz began his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin before going to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a top-ranked graduate of the Class of 1946. He then graduated, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law in 1949.

March 22, Agnes Ash

Former Palm Beach Daily News publisher and lifelong reporter Agnes Ash died at 99.

Mrs. Ash, known as "Aggie," was a voracious reader and prolific writer whose passion for journalism took her from the Dayton Daily News to the Washington Times-Herald, Atlanta Constitution, The New York Times, The Miami News, and, finally, to Palm Beach. She was known for being precise and fair, dedicating more than four decades of her life to journalism.

Mrs. Ash was born in New York City. She grew up on a New Jersey farm owned by her parents, and in Indiana. After high school, her family moved to Dayton, Ohio, and Mrs. Ash in 1948 became first a city desk clerk and then a reporter for the Dayton Daily News after a brief stint at Sinclair College. While in Dayton, she also found the man who would become her husband: Clarke Ash, a World War II fighter pilot and graduate of the University of Dayton.

She and Clarke Ash married in 1956. In 1959, Mr. Ash was named the associate editor of The Miami News, and Mrs. Ash joined him there, where she became the first female business editor of a major newspaper. The family made their way to Palm Beach County in 1976, when Clarke Ash became the editor of The Palm Beach Post's editorial page and Mrs. Ash became the publisher of the Palm Beach Daily News and Palm Beach Life. Mrs. Ash was credited with turning the Shiny Sheet from a society newspaper to one that covered hard news and took a newsier approach to the social pages.

March 11, Ann Webb

Ann Clark Webb, a world traveler, teacher, and member of the Mayflower Society, died in Palm Beach at the age of 95.

She was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and was a direct descendent of Alexander McDonald from Scotland, who colonized Georgia in 1736, making her a seventh-generation Georgian. She was a member of the Mayflower Society and was very proud of her heritage.

She graduated from Girls High School in Atlanta, and the University of Georgia, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. She also attended Emory University graduate school. She was a teacher in Atlanta, and for two years taught for the armed forces in Germany.

Ann and her husband, Baxter Webb, spent many of their years traveling and circumnavigated the globe five times. Upon retirement, Ann and Baxter moved to Palm Beach, where they resided for 28 years. They were active in social and civic affairs and The Royal Poinciana Chapel.

March 8 , Grace B. Martin

Longtime Palm Beach resident Gracie B. Martin died of heart failure. She was 96.

Born in New York's Brooklyn borough and a graduate of Adelphi University, she served as president of Louis Beer Sons, the family’s real estate and insurance firm. Mrs. Martin was a proud grandmother to seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

She kept homes in Manhattan, Islip, New York, and Palm Beach and enjoyed a busy charitable and social life in New York. and Palm Beach. In Palm Beach, she was a member of the Society of the Four Arts, The Beach Club, Old Guard Society of Palm Beach Golfers, and The English-Speaking Union’s Palm Beach branch. In New York, she was a member of The Metropolitan Club, Metropolitan Opera and South Shore of Long Island Garden Club in Islip.

Mrs. Martin was a member of Bethesda-by-the-Sea Church in Palm Beach and St. Peter’s Church in Brightwaters, New York.

March 1, Heather McNulty Wyser-Pratte

Lifelong Palm Beach resident Heather McNulty Wyser-Pratte, who broke the world record for distance waterskiing, going from Miami to Bimini as a teen, died at 80.

She grew up splitting her time between Palm Beach and New York City. She attended the then-Palm Beach Day School during her time on the island. Heather graduated from Marymount School in New York and Rome and attended Finch College in New York.

She was active in the Palm Beach social scene and enjoyed supporting her favorite charities, focusing on the arts, children, health, world affairs, non-partisan politics and first responders. She was especially proud of helping numerous orphans born around the world with birth defects.

Additionally, she was an avid athlete, a standout in tennis and waterskiing. She was a member of the Circumnavigators Club and twice completed the Mille Miglia as a co-driver/navigator in a royal blue Bugatti. She loved exotic travel as much as she relished coming home to Palm Beach.

March 1, Iris Apfel

Iris Barrel Apfel, the designer whose oversize eyeglasses and eclectic style helped make her a fashion icon, died at her home in Palm Beach. The "geriatric starlet," as she once described herself, was 102.

Born in Queens, New York, Mrs. Apfel inherited her fashion sense from her mother, who ran a clothing boutique and had a penchant for flowing caftans and oversized accessories.

Mrs. Apfel’s fashion adventures began when she was old enough to ride the subway. She would venture into Manhattan to explore the thrift shops, antique stores and flea markets. She graduated with a degree in art history from New York University and later got a degree in art education from the University of Wisconsin.

Mrs. Apfel loved fashion, and got her first job as a copy girl at Women's Wear Daily. With her husband Carl, she entered the decorating business, starting Old World Weavers in the early 1970s. Mrs. Apfel also worked on decorating the White House through the terms of nine presidents, starting with Harry Truman. She became a celebrity in her 80s after a 2005 exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute celebrated her personal style.

Feb. 29, Brian Mulroney

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, 84, a longtime seasonal resident of Palm Beach, died of complications from a fall.

Born Martin Brian Mulroney in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, he was one of the six children of Canadian-Irish Catholic parents. After attending a Catholic boarding school, Brian entered St. Francis University in Nova Scotia at 16. There, the seeds of his political career were sown.

He earned a law degree from Université Laval in Québec City and joined a Montreal law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright. He rose from local, to provincial to national office, and served as prime minister from 1984 to 1993. He formed close friendships with President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush. He eulogized both former presidents at their funerals.

Mr. Mulroney was crucial in securing the release of South African freedom fighter and president Nelson Mandela, which ultimately led to the end of apartheid.

Feb. 25, Sydell L. Miller

Sydell L. Miller, who co-founded the Matrix Essentials hair-and-beauty empire in Ohio and for many years owned an ocean-to-lake estate in Palm Beach, died at her Cleveland home. She was 86.

Her primary home for the last few years was a double-penthouse at The Bristol in downtown West Palm Beach. She sold her custom-built Palm Beach mansion, known as La Reverie, on South Ocean Boulevard in 2019.

Mrs. Miller established Matrix Essentials — the brand of professional hair-care products — with her late husband, Arnold, in 1980, a dozen years before he died. The company became the largest manufacturer of professional hair and beauty products in the country.

The Millers were married 34 years. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Miller became president and CEO of Matrix Essentials and more than doubled its sales before selling the business to Bristol-Myers Squibb in 1994. Matrix today is a division of L’Oreal USA.

In 2008, Mrs. Miller was honored as a “Woman of Distinction” in the annual ceremony sponsored by Palm Beach Atlantic University. Her philanthropy included support for health care, women’s mentorship programs, the arts and Jewish-focused charities in America and Israel.

Feb. 14, Alan Lindsay

Alan Lindsay, father of Town Council member Bobbie Lindsay and co-founding partner of the Palm Beach law firm Alley, Maass, Rogers & Lindsay, died at 96.

Mr. Lindsay was born in New York City and graduated from Trinity School. He served in the U.S. Navy before entering Harvard University, where he graduated cum laude in 1949. He spent a short time teaching school in South Florida before marrying and returning to Harvard for law school. He received his J.D. in 1953.

Mr. Lindsay had a lifelong affection for Palm Beach, having visited as a child with his father on numerous fishing and golf trips. He moved to Palm Beach after passing the New York and Florida bars, and ultimately joined Alley, Maass, Rogers & Lindsay as a co-founding partner in 1957. Mr. Lindsay later served as president of the Tax Section of the Florida Bar. In 1961, Mr. Lindsay moved his family to the North End, where they lived for 53 years. Mr. Lindsay loved the ocean, and he, his family and friends spent much of their time boating, diving and fishing in the Bahamas.

Mr. Lindsay loved playing golf, and served as an early president of Myacoo Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach. Spearfishing and skiing were other passions as was flying.

Feb. 5, Joseph P. Flanagan Sr.

Joe Flanagan died surrounded by the family he loved dearly. He was 86.

Born in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, he was the youngest of six boys. He went on to St. Philip Neri School, Mount Carmel High School, St. Joseph’s College, then graduated from Michigan State University. He received his MBA from the University of Chicago.

Upon graduation he pursued a career in advertising. The pinnacle of his career was taking Impact, a fledgling sales promotion business, and turning it into a powerhouse in its field. Impact had an impressive roster of clients: Coca-Cola; Wendy’s; AT&T; Pepsi; Citibank and Kraft.

He was the proud father of five children, grandfather to 22 and had one great-grandchild. Mr. Flanagan also was passionate about his love for Chicago and classical music and served as chairman of the music committee at the Society of the Four Arts for many years.

Feb. 4, Edward J. Robinson

Businessman and entrepreneur Edward J. Robinson died at 83 in Palm Beach, the place he most loved to call home. He was born in Mamaroneck, New York. A first-generation American, he was raised in a warm, traditional Irish-Catholic family.

He worked many jobs as a teenager, including at a local hardware store and farm, and sold evergreen wreaths at Christmas. His business sense served him well as he began his career as a certified public accountant. He worked at Standard Brands with Ross Johnson. The pair eventually acquired Nabisco Brands and RJR. Mr. Robinson become the chief financial officer of RJR Nabisco. In 1988, RJR Nabisco was acquired by KKR in one of the largest leveraged buyouts in U.S. history, and the basis for the book and HBO movie “Barbarians at the Gate.” He also was named among the top 100 Irish Americans by Irish America Magazine.

Golf was his passion. He was a member of several golf clubs, including Winged Foot, Blind Brook, The Bears Club, The Loxahatchee Club and The Breakers. He was also a member of the Metropolitan Club in New York City as well as several social clubs in Palm Beach.

In addition to his family, Mr. Robinson was devoted to his dogs, ranging from rescue dogs to purebreds. He heaped love and adulation on each dog through the years, including his last, Jackson J., an English chocolate Lab.

Jan. 12, Clive Oatley

Businessman, sportsman and proud husband and father, Clive Oatley, a former Palm Beach resident, died at 85.

Born in London, Mr. Oatley studied at St. Paul’s School, followed by Cambridge University. However, before Cambridge he had a two-year hiatus in the British National Service. He was commissioned with the 5th Royal Dragoon Guards and served in Germany.

In 1958, Mr. Oatley entered Cambridge and excelled in all his endeavors, and in 1961 he was awarded a master of arts degree with honors in economics and law. He was an outstanding boxer and rugby player, becoming a lifetime member of the Hawks Club, a Cambridge sports organization.

Mr. Oatley’s career in the oil industry spanned 40 years, several companies and many nations. He was the father of two children and had four grandchildren, whom he deeply loved.

Sept. 29, Patricia L. Cook

Patricia L. Cook, whose singing career extended from Moscow to Memphis and Mississippi, died in Palm Beach at 83.

Born in Tupelo Mississippi, Mrs. Cook was the eldest of three siblings. Music was always central to her life. At Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, she performed in a production of Lerner and Loewe's "Paint Your Wagon."

In addition to music, she passionately loved art, family, and her late husband Edward W. "Ned" Cook, who died in 2021. Her singing career saw her performing for (now) King Charles III, the Duke of Edinburgh, King Juan Carlos of Spain, U.S. presidents Reagan and Bill Clinton as well as justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. She also sang with Tony Bennett and other stars.

Her life took another turn when she and her husband began spending time in Gloucestershire, England. There, she met lyricist Don Black, which led to work with conductor, arranger, jazz pianist and performer Laurence Holloway. Mrs. Cook’s work with Holloway began with a concert for The English Ballet School and its patron, Diana, Princess of Wales, then to a series of concerts throughout Europe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: In Memoriam: Palm Beach residents who left us in 2023-2024 season