Natalie ‘Pat’ O’Brien Conklin, Formerly of Westhampton Beach, Dies October 9

Natalie “Pat” O’Brien Conklin died peacefully on October 9 in Sarasota, Florida. She was 96.

She was born in 1926 in New York City. She graduated in 1944 from Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut, where an endowed scholarship was established in her name.

She was predeceased in 2009 by Theodore B. Conklin Jr., whom she married in 1946 in New York City. Her late husband served as president of Quantuck Beach Club and was also elected Mayor of Westhampton Beach.

The couple had homes over the years in Manhasset, Westhampton Beach, and Boca Grande, Florida. They attended St. Mark’s Church in Westhampton Beach and St. Andrews Church in Boca Grande. As president of the Henry L. O’Brien Foundation, she helped to support many organizations in these communities for which she had a special fondness.

While raising five children, she was active in the Junior League of the North Shore of Long Island, as a Girl Scout leader and an active mom in all her children’s activities, carting numerous kids back and forth to the beach every summer. She was the “unofficial first mate” on her husband’s numerous “fixer-upper” boats over the years, enjoying the time on deck while he did repairs below.

She loved the beach and swimming in Westhampton and in Florida, and many remember joining her ice skating on Quantuck Bay in winter. All her family and friends could attest to the fact that she was a great letter writer as well as an enthusiastic reader. She also derived a great deal of joy from compiling and sharing photo books of all the family.

He family shares fond memories of how she could coax eight to 10 box turtles out from under her rose garden. With just a bowl of melon, they would all come running to her. In recent years, she loved to drive around Boca Grande on her golf cart, stopping to admire the beautiful sunsets, and watching the Fourth of July golf cart parade, while enjoying visits from her 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, with another on the way.

Following her death, many friends and family have expressed that they have fond memories of spending time with the Conklin family over the years, on their boats, at the beach, or in their homes. She represented the last of a generation and her passing represents the end of an era that held fond memories for many.

In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her brothers, William J. O’Brien and Henry L. O’Brien Jr. (“Bobbin”). She is survived by her children, Theodore B. Conklin III, owner of the American Hotel in Sag Harbor, Natalie, Louise (“Lee”), Susan and Kimberly.

In her honor, please send a handwritten note or letter to someone special.