Hortense A. Sarot, a former college professor and longtime supporter of the arts, died on May 26, at the Kanas Center for Hospice Care on Quiogue. She was 93.
Ms. Sarot was born in 1923 in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in Maplewood, where she attended Columbia High School. In 1942, she married Jack Kramon, with whom she had three children.
After the death of her husband in 1957, she began attending Columbia University in New York, where she earned a bachelor’s degree, as well as Master of Education and Master of Arts degrees. She eventually taught at Hunter College, then at Southampton University.
Throughout her life, Ms. Sarot was a strong proponent of the arts, collecting paintings and developing friendships with artists such as Larry Rivers and Robert Andrew Parker, studying and teaching literature, and attending opera. “Her passion for the arts exposed all of her children and grandchildren to creative expression through art and literature, passions many of us have pursued in our own lives,” said grandson Noah Harlan.
In 1962, she married Irving Sarot, a thoracic surgeon. They lived first in Manhattan, then on Quiogue, until Mr. Sarot died of a heart attack in 1990.
Among family and friends Ms. Sarot was known for her progressive views, playful humor and personal style. “She always seemed to be ahead of her time, whether in her views about equality, her love of sashimi, or her deep understanding of the importance of education. She managed to look elegant and graceful even when laughing so hard she would snort,” said granddaughter Annie Kramon,
“She was truly a person without prejudices, who believed her children and grandchildren could do anything,” said son James Kramon.
Ms. Sarot is survived by a brother, Norman Schachtel; sisters-in-law Judy and Lana Schachtel; a son, James Kramon; two daughters, Elizabeth Harlan and Patricia Pincus; a stepdaughter, Ellin Sarot; a daughter-in-law, Fredda Sarot; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and one great-grandchild due in July.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Follett & Werner Funeral Home in Westhampton Beach.
Memorial donations may be made to East End Hospice, eeh.org.
on Jun 2, 2016