Jeanne Macfarlane Of Water Mill Dies October 28

Jeanne Macfarlane died peacefully of natural causes in her sleep on October 28 at the age of 96. A resident of Water Mill for 55 years, she spent her last days surrounded by her books, looking out on the skies over Meyer’s Pond, a quiet arm of Mecox Bay—a scene that filled her heart every day of every season.

Jeanne loved the East End and her life was a reminder of all that was good about the place she chose to live. She spent hours fishing at the water’s edge, not caring really if she caught anything, just at peace with sea and sky. She let her land along the bay grow wild as natural shelter for waterfowl and wildlife—to the dismay of neighbors with manicured lawns. And to her delight at their dismay. A competitive horsewoman when young, her great joy, before arthritis and injury kept her out of the saddle, was riding along the surf at Flying Point.

Her Hamptons were quiet villages, where friends and shopkeepers alike were greeted by name. She treated everyone with equal respect and courtesy. And she received it in return. Her era was a time when artists and writers could afford to live in the East End and many had a place at her dinner table, where laughter and ease set the tone.

In later years deafness set in, but conversation and laughter continued in a flurry of handwritten notes. The real measure of character is how we deal with adversity. And Jeanne had a fall in her old age that took her to the emergency room. The attending physician advised the family that X-rays revealed the worst case of spinal arthritis he had ever seen. No one had known, because Jeanne had never uttered a word of complaint and had borne acute chronic pain in gracious silence. Her inner strength, her humane values and her straight-shooting honesty are a legacy that inspire all who knew her. Her kids will always hear the echo of her words: “now don’t put on airs, dear.”

Jeanne was the daughter of the late Joseph Kaufman, founder of The American Safety Razor Corporation, and Josephine Kaufman Reader. She was predeceased by her two husbands, Jack R. Hanna and A. Blair Macfarlane and by her brother Joseph Kaufman Jr. of Bridgehampton. She is survived by her five children John Hanna (Mary Jane Braide,) Joseph Hanna (Aimee,) Joanne Hanna (Renato Santicioli,) Jeannette Francey (Peter,) James Hanna (Rose); by her grandchildren Joseph Hanna Jr. (Jenetia,) Elisa Caiani, Blair Francey (Brandon Smith,) Russell Francey, Liam Francey; and by her great-grandchildren Jameson and Julia Hanna and Ivy Lundy-Westoll.

She would have wanted public acknowledgement of the kindness and devotion given by her caregivers Ethel and Gilda Riddick, Lorraine Allston, Lenore Davis, Shumani Davis and Anne Stahler. The late Willie Smith is remembered with affection for over fifty years of friendship and attention to Jeanne’s safety and comfort in home and garden.

Robert Siegel of Easthampton shared with Jeanne not only professional advice but a deep friendship that endured for many decades, proof of which is a drawerful of unworn Christmas sweaters.

The family will commemorate her life privately. And they would like to commend the East End Hospice for attentive care that gave immeasurable comfort in Jeanne’s last days. They encourage donations to the East End Hospice, 481 Westhampton-Riverhead Road, PO Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978-7048, Tel 631-288-8400, www.eeh.org