Elizabeth Spitz, Formerly of East Hampton, Dies October 15

Elizabeth Spitz, affectionately known to her close friends and family as “Betty,” peacefully passed away in her sleep on October 15 in Los Angeles. Betty was 79 years old. Betty was born in Southampton, New York, on January 3, 1946, but grew up in East Hampton, New York. Betty was a graduate of East Hampton High School, where she was active in the French Club, Senior Band, Marching Band, Chorus, Modern Dance, Dance Committee, Cheerleading and Yearbook.

Upon meeting her late husband, Richard Spitz, a Sag Harborite, she married and settled in Sag Harbor for the next 58 years. Betty was a homemaker and proudly raised her two children, Steven Spitz of Los Angeles, and Yvette Curran of Sag Harbor. In addition to her responsibilities as a wife and mother, she assisted her husband for 11 years in his management of the family business, Spitz’s Furniture & Appliance Store on Main Street, in Sag Harbor; a business founded by Richard’s grandfather, Herman Spitz, in 1903.

Throughout her life, Betty enjoyed decorating her home, and had a passion for seeking out the hidden treasures to be found at the various yard and estate sales throughout the Hamptons. She loved the sand and sea and delighted in spending time at the beaches of the East End. After raising her children, Betty discovered Naples, Florida, where she and her late husband would spend winters, often inviting friends to stay with them at their second home near the Gulf Coast. A trip to Naples for any out-of-town guest not being complete until Betty brought them to the beach adjacent to the Naples Pier to watch the sun set upon the skyline and fall into the sea.

Betty was an avid cook and baker known for her beach plum jelly which she made from local beach plums hand-picked with the help of friends, and jars of which she would reserve as holiday gifts to friends and extended family. She was also well known for her banana bread, which she baked and sold for several summers at The Seafood Shop in Wainscott — to the delight of many of the patrons.

Betty and her husband moved to Los Angeles in 2022 to be closer to their son Steven, and their granddaughter, Sharda Spitz. Richard predeceased her after 59 years of marriage in March of 2023. Betty enjoyed her remaining days in Los Angeles discovering what the “big city” had to offer in the way of museums, restaurants, and thrift stores — the West Coast equivalent to yard and estate sales.

She will be dearly missed by her surviving family and will remain in the hearts and thoughts of her lifelong friends on the East Coast as well as the new friends she made during her brief time living on the West Coast.