Sag Harbor Express

Sonia ‘Sony’ M. Schotland of Sag Harbor Dies March 14

icon 1 Photo
Sonia ‘Sony’ M. Schotland

Sonia ‘Sony’ M. Schotland

authorStaff Writer on Mar 20, 2023

Sonia (“Sony”) M., 94. Beloved wife of Maurice, sculptor, jeweler and essayist of blessed memory, treasured aunt of Ronald L. Hoffman MD, cherished friend of many and noted animal rescuer passed away peacefully at home March 14, 2023. Born in Strasbourg, France, Sony trained in fashion design at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris. She worked with Maggy Rouff in Paris where she created innovative couture for some of the world’s most prominent women, including Princess Grace of Monaco. She designed with Branell in New York, before joining Adolphe Zelinka in 1964. Sony was the winner of the 1969 American Designers Award, and later designed for Golet. Moving permanently to Sag Harbor in the 1980s, she was the owner of Do Your Own Thing, a fabric store on Main Street. Co-founder of the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, ARF, in 1974 and Honorary Board Member of the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation since 2010, Sony was a lifelong advocate for and generous benefactor of the adoption of strays and abandoned pets. Her own home has been a sanctuary for generations of “unadoptable” animals. Contributions in Sony’s memory may be sent to The Sony & Maurice Schotland Foundation Inc. P.O. Box 1062 Sag Harbor NY 11963-0031. Memorial service to be announced.

You May Also Like:

Sag Harbor Village Police Reports for the Week of December 11

SAG HARBOR VILLAGE — An officer responded to a call from a Rysam Street address a little after midnight on Saturday. The caller told the officer that a man wearing a black ski mask had walked onto her porch and banged on the front door then ran off. The woman provided the officer with surveillance video from her Ring camera, which visually confirmed what the woman said had happened. Police described the man as white, “approximately 6 feet tall, wearing a black ski mask, black hoodie with a red logo on the back, and wording on the left chest, a ... 12 Dec 2025 by Staff Writer

Harmony for the Holidays

Let’s be real: As jolly as the holidays can be, they can also be overwhelming. ... by Jessie Kenny

A Little Time, a Big Impact: Pierson's Interact Club Brings Joy to Seniors and Revives Blood Drive

Isabella Carmona DeSousa didn’t know much about Pierson’s Interact Club when she joined two years ... 11 Dec 2025 by Cailin Riley

Dear Neighbor

Congratulations on your new windows. They certainly are big. They certainly are see-through. You must be thrilled with the way they removed even more of that wall and replaced it with glass. It must make it easier to see what is going on in your house even when the internet is down. And security is everything. Which explains the windows. Nothing will make you feel more secure than imagining yourself looking over the rear-yard setback from these massive sheets of structural glass. Staring at the wall has well-known deleterious impact, and windows the size of movie screens are the bold ... by Marilee Foster

I Can Dish It Out

Our basement looks like the final scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” where the (found) ark is crated and wheeled into the middle of a government warehouse with stacked crates going on for miles. In other words, we have a lot of stuff. This tracks. Mr. Hockey and I have been married for 36 (according to my calculator) years. We’ve had four (no calculator needed) pucks. We’ve lived in seven (according to my fingers) different homes in three (no calculator or fingers needed) countries. In 2010, we moved back to East Hampton full time. We brought everything we had ... by Tracy Grathwohl

The Urgency of Real

The Hamptons International Film Festival typically takes up a lot of oxygen in the fall on the South Fork, but it’s worth celebrating a slightly smaller but just as vital event in late autumn: the Hamptons Doc Fest. Running this week for its 18th year, the festival of documentaries was founded by Jacqui Lofaro and has become an essential part of the region’s arts scene every year. It’s a 12-month undertaking for Lofaro and her staff, and the result is always a tantalizing buffet of outstanding filmmaking, not to mention unforgettable stories. The arrival of the era of streaming services ... 10 Dec 2025 by Editorial Board

Hitting Pause

East Hampton’s housing shortage is real; the town can’t afford to ignore any potential long-term solutions. But the recent — and now scrapped — plan for a large employer-run complex on Three Mile Harbor Road raises too many questions that haven’t been fully answered. The proposal, put forward by Kirby Marcantonio and an unnamed partner, would have created 79 units of employer-controlled housing, comparable to a project he has pitched on Pantigo Road. To make it happen, the East Hampton Town Board would have had to allow the project to sidestep the town’s 60-unit limit on affordable developments, and rezone ... by Editorial Board

Proceed With Caution

Overlay districts are a common zoning tool used by many municipalities. Southampton Town has used them to varying degrees of success — the aquifer protection overlay district has been a winner; a downtown overlay district in Hampton Bays less so — in various parts of the town. They essentially look at the existing zoning, then allow those rules governing what can be done on properties to be reconsidered if there’s a newer concern to be addressed. In a bid to clean up the process for creating more affordable housing, the Town Board is looking at a new overlay district that ... by Editorial Board

The Whole Picture

When it comes to evaluating a complex development proposal, splitting up the application into separate parts may seem tempting, especially when environmental uncertainties loom. But in the case of Adam Potter’s plan for 7 and 11 Bridge Street, the Sag Harbor Village Planning Board should resist any temptation to segment the project for review. Potter’s attorney has asked the board to consider the gas ball property at 5 Bridge Street — a site that could provide the 93 parking spaces required for Potter’s 48 residential units and commercial spaces nearby — separate from the main development. The reason is understandable: ... by Editorial Board

New Law Requires Owners of Historic Buildings in Sag Harbor To Document Historic Features Before Renovation Work

The stories are almost commonplace: People seeing dumpsters full of old windows, doors and trim outside historic houses in Sag Harbor that are being renovated. On Tuesday, the Village Board adopted a proposal that it hopes will help put an end to that practice. It will require the owner of a historic house to complete a construction protocol and preservation plan before undertaking any major renovation. That document could be a few sentences or several pages long, depending on the type of work being considered. The amendment requires that the plan outlines “with specificity the detailed preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and/or ... by Stephen J. Kotz