Norman L. Leavitt, formerly of Remsenburg, died January 1, 2017, of prostate cancer. He was 94.
Born in Revere, Massachusetts, on May 21, 1922, he was the middle child of Anna and Maurice Leavitt. He graduated from the Boston Latin School and attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Mr. Leavitt enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent two years as a radar analyst in England and France. After his discharge, he worked at the MIT Radiation Lab.
Mr. Leavitt settled in New York City where he was a fashion photographer and traveled the world. He later ventured into retail and opened an antiques shop on the East Side of Manhattan, which is where he met his partner, Frank Smith, the lead designer at Evan Piccone.
Around 1970, Mr. Leavitt and Mr. Smith decided to purchase a home in Remsenburg. Mr. Leavitt eventually settled there full time and opened the East End’s first cookware shop called the Batterie de Cuisine. He was also the president of the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce and one of the founders of East End Hospice, as well as the Remsenburg Academy. He concluded his career in retail with the Quogue Emporium, which he built into a thriving business. Mr. Smith eventually joined him in retirement and the couple often traveled to Boca Raton and Palm Beach.
Mr. Leavitt moved to Vero Beach, where he fell ill with prostate cancer and was under hospice care.
Mr. Leavitt will be buried at the memorial garden at the Westhampton Presbyterian Church, alongside his longtime partner, Mr. Smith. No funeral is planned, according to Mr. Leavitt’s wishes.
on Jan 18, 2017