The Memorial Wall

One of Santa Monica’s best-known philanthropic leaders died recently but her name lives on in the community thanks to a lifetime of community work. 

Susan Barrett, of Barrett’s Appliances died earlier this month from Parkinson’s Disease and while many locals shopped from the store she ran with her husband Pete, others may also recognize her name from her generous community work.  

Born to Julian and Amada Jimenez on December 16, 1938, on the dining room table in Lincoln Heights, Susan was the eldest of three children proceeding her brother Julian Jr. and sister Juanita. She attended Lady Help Of Christian School in Los Angeles, Sacred Heart Academy, and college of the Holy Names in Oakland, California where she majored in education and Spanish. Her deep love of learning drove her to continue her education at St. Joseph College in Orange; Queen of the Holy Rosary College in Mission San Jose; Loyola University; Pepperdine University; and CSU Long Beach.

Friends said Susan will be remembered for her strength of character, her genuine faith in people, and the steadfast manner in which she dedicated herself to recognizing excellence and supporting the journeys of others. As a nun, an educator, philanthropist, friend, and family member, she proceeded always with generosity and meticulous thoughtfulness. 

From childhood, Susan wanted to be a nun and manifested that reality with as much conviction and faith as she went about all aspects of her life. In 1958, she entered Dominican Sisters of San Jose. During the 18 years in the convent, Susan taught in primary schools in San Jose, Los Angeles, and Portland, where she also worked as a principal.

After she left the convent in 1975, Susan moved to Santa Monica and was hired as a first-grade teacher for the Santa Monica School District. 

It was there that she met her husband, Pete Barrett. When Susan’s students wanted to construct a post office for the classroom, Susan went to Barrett’s Appliances on Main Street, where Pete made sure to deliver the necessary materials; mainly, a large refrigerator cardboard box. 

It was the beginning of a lifetime of creative collaboration and 23 wholesome years of marriage.

She has left a legacy that reflects the utmost care she poured into the many communities she served throughout her life.

With Pete, she created and sustained a life consistently driven by humanitarian concern. She volunteered substantially with the YMCA; the Santa Monica College Foundation; the American Heart Association; the National Conference of Christians and Jews; the Santa Monica/Malibu Education Foundation; Family Service of Santa Monica; the Senior Health and Peer Counseling Center; and the Santa Monica Heritage Museum, among many other organizations. 

After Pete’s death, Susan continued her work and was very involved in the establishment of the Cornerstone of Women’s Leadership at Saint Monica’s Parish.

The couple’s name still sits on the Pete and Susan Barrett Art Gallery at SMC. 

A member of the SMC Foundation Board of Directors, Susan was credited for working tirelessly on SMC Foundation’s capital campaign. 

“Each year, the Barrett Gallery at Santa Monica College showcases the work of professional artists as well as blossoming student talent,” said SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn Jeffery. “Gallery attendees enthusiastically come from all across the Los Angeles metropolitan region and beyond, and it is the generosity and vision of Pete & Susan Barrett that made this possible. We are indeed so sorry to hear of Susan’s passing. Here at SMC, Pete and Susan’s light will continue to shine on, for years to come.”

As dedicated as Susan was to her community work, she and Pete found time to enjoy their leisure time. They both played golf regularly as members of Mountain Gate Country Club, forming many close friendships there, while also traveling to the world’s renowned courses to try their skills. They enjoyed seeing the world and built wonderful memories from their journeys. Susan, also a legendary and generous hostess, was known for her delicious as well as beautiful dinner parties.

Susan Barrett is survived by her sister Juanita Jimenez, as well as her nephews Julian, Brian, and Andrew Jimenez.

Diane Margolin and Juanita Jimenez contributed to this story.

Former Louisville public health director, Dr. Adewale Troutman, has died. He was 76. Troutman died in Tampa, Florida, last week from complications from Parkinson's disease. Troutman served as Louisville's public health director from 2004 to 2010.

As health director, he helped implement Louisville's public smoking ban in 2005 and launched the first center for health equity.

During his time as health director, he was also an associate professor in the University of Louisville's School of Public Health and Information Sciences.

Mayor Greg Fischer released a statement saying he was saddened by Troutman's death:

"I am very sad to hear of the death of Dr. Adewale Troutman, former director of our Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Troutman was an internationally known champion of better health for all, committed to the value of using equity as a lens for every decision and every policy. He once said he chose public health as a career field because he knew it would allow him the opportunity “to have the biggest impact on the greatest number of people. … (to) make a difference in thousands of lives every day, rather than one at a time.” That was certainly true of his time in Louisville, where he helped launch our city’s Center for Health Equity, and used his skills, experience and expertise to improve the health of all, especially those who’ve historically been underserved. He will be missed. Our sincere condolences to his wife, Denise Vasquez Troutman – a community leader in her own right – and their children. “ 

On Tuesday, July 21, 2022, The Troutman family announced the passing of Adewale Troutman, MD, MPH, MA, CPH. Dr. Troutman was a bright star in the universe. He was a brilliant, warm, and loving man whose passion for life and for public health was matched only by devotion to his family, his community, and his friends. 

With humble beginnings in the South Bronx, NY, it was his immense love for Black people that brought him to medicine; however, it was his belief in his own ability to shape the future that brought him to public health and where his legacy came to life. A trailblazer in the field, Dr. Troutman earned a medical degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a Master’s in Public Health degree from Columbia University. His work, grounded in his research and writing on social determinants of health, led to groundbreaking innovations that transformed the modern public health landscape across the United States. Dr. Troutman opened and led the development of a first of its kind, center for health equity at the local health department level, was the first to change the name of local health departments in Atlanta and Louisville to Departments of Health and Wellness, was the first to institute a public smoking ban in the state of Kentucky, authored a cornerstone study with former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher on excess death among African Americans, was appointed to Barack Obama’s Committee on Infant Mortality, and starred in the nationally televised PBS/California NewsReel series, “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” These are only a few of Dr. Troutman’s innovative contributions to the field of public health.

In an interview with the University of South Florida Public Health News, Dr. Troutman once said, “I’ve led my life around the principle of ‘How do I make the biggest difference?’” There is no greater evidence of this sentiment than his willingness to step in and lead. His leadership and influence over local health departments in Newark, NJ, Atlanta, GA, and Louisville, KY, as well as in national and international organizations including: The Student National Medical Association, The American Public Health Association, The National Association of City and County Health Organizations, The World Health Organization, and 100 Black Men of America, transformed what is possible for the health and wellness of Black communities and impoverished people around the world. The countless student and public health professionals that he taught and mentored at academic institutions such as Morehouse College of Medicine, University of Louisville, and University of South Florida, and at innumerable conferences, symposiums, and lectures ensure that his influence on the world will be felt for generations to come.

David Moberg, 78, one of the nation’s most respected labor journalists for more than 40 years, died at his Hyde Park home in Chicago on Sunday, July 17, following a decade-plus battle with Parkinson’s disease. His death was announced by his wife of 41 years, Jo Patton, a retired public employee union official.

David had worked for the Chicago-based progressive publication In These Times from its inception in 1976 through 2016, covering the labor beat and a broad range of contemporary social and political issues. Most recently, he served as a senior editor at the magazine.

On the publication’s 40th anniversary, David wrote, ​“The major themes of the labor movement over the past four decades recur throughout our archives: not only the pursuit of union democracy but the arc of labor’s long decline, as it was slowly choked by corporate capitalism, and the strategies workers used to fight back.”

He published widely beyond In These Times, including in The Nation, The American Prospect, The Progressive, Salon, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune Magazine, the Chicago Reader, Chicago magazine, The New Republic, Dissent, L.A. Weekly, World Policy Journal, Newsday, the Boston Globe, Utne Reader, Mother Jones and others. He also contributed chapters and essays to numerous books.

Before joining In These Times, he completed work on a doctorate in anthropology at the University of Chicago. Born on Sept. 27, 1943 to a farm family in Galesburg, Illinois, he attended Carleton College where he did stints editing two literary magazines, worked briefly for Newsweek, then set off for extended travels through Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

In 1968 he moved to Chicago for graduate school and shortly after formed a collective house on Blackstone Ave. in Hyde Park, where for over 50 years he hosted activists, journalists, artists, academics and organizers. He met Jo in 1974 and they married in 1981.

As a labor writer he was known to be a thorough reporter with a keen style that was strongly supportive of the labor movement, persuasive but intellectually honest and objective, critical where he found it necessary — qualities respected and appreciated by supporters and opponents alike. His longtime friend and colleague at In These Times, author John Judis, said he often tried to talk David into moving to New York and getting to be better known as a writer, but ​“stubborn” David wanted to stay in Chicago and cover labor.

Labor lawyer and author Tom Geoghegan said, ​“Like many others, I just trusted every word he wrote. He could have made a fortune as a big name journalist but he chose instead to enrich the rest of us.”

He was frequently honored for his work, winning the Studs Terkel Award from the Community Media Workshop and fellowships from the Nation Institute and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

David also had taught sociology and anthropology at DePaul University, Roosevelt University, Loyola University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Northeastern Illinois University.

He was an avid reader and could discourse wisely on a broad range of topics including current events, globalization, urban affairs, national politics and the environment, in addition to theater and literature. A friendly person and quietly effective speaker, he was known to maintain a calm demeanor and even tone during the most heated discussions.

His friends knew him as an excellent, restaurant-quality home cook and knowledgeable wine buff. Judis commented that David ” would scour butchers and vegetable stands for exactly the right ingredients for some obscure and amazing dish.”

In addition to his wife, David is survived by son Carl and his wife Myriam Fallon; daughter Sarah, her husband Gilad Shanan and granddaughter Talia Moberg Shanan. Also brothers Dale Moberg of Scottsdale, Ariz. and Lawrence of New York City.

Joe was born in Johnson City, New York to Joseph Lee and Anne O’Malley Beck on February 27, 1946. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his granddaughter, Jocelyn Eve Beck. He is survived by his adoring wife of 18 years, Susan Casey Beck; his children, Joseph Lee Beck, Sean Patrick Beck; stepdaughter, Casey Lynn Longest Beck; stepson, John Daniel Longest; daughter-in-law, Margaret “Maggie” Beal Longest; his grandchildren, Joey, Jakob, Jaelynn, Jamison, Jessa Beck, Noah Woolard and Linda Longest. Joe is also survived by his brother (“the best man I ever knew”), William Beck; and sisters-in-law, Alicia Beck, Ann Casey Parr; and numerous nieces and nephews whom he loved and they loved him, especially Joanny Casey, Ty Parr, Stephanie Hagee and his “New York” nieces, Alisa, Leanna Beck; and nephew, Jason Beck who describe their “favorite” Uncle Joe as “fun, adventuresome and loving.” (Nailed it.) The list of those who will miss Joe would not be complete without Mickey and Moose, his Cavalier “fur babies.” Last, and certainly not least, Joe is survived by many friends too numerous to mention by name but know that they hold a special place in his heart.

Joe graduated from Johnson City High School in 1975. He graduated from Clemson University (GO, TIGERS!) in 1968 followed by a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina in 1975. He also obtained an MBA from University of Richmond in 1981. He held multiple positions with Lawyer’s Title from 1975 to 1989, from Title Attorney to VP and Regional Counsel, Reinsurance and Customer Liaison. In the mid 1970’s, Joe was a partner in the firm of Brister and Beck in Owego, New York until he came south to thaw. Joe worked in the Department of Medical Assistance Services with the Commonwealth of Virginia for the next 25-plus years as a temporary Law Judge, then Formal and Informal Hearing Officer. Joe also performed legislative review for Governor Wilder during his administration.

Joe was an avid golfer in his younger years. He loved sports cars, Clemson football and playing pool. He was a top-notch plater, coach, team captain and maddening as an opponent. He loved his Central Virginia APA family. He loved Maymont Park, the place where, as a single dad, he took his sons every weekend. It was also where he took his wife, Susan, on their first date (in mid-January!). His other loves were Myrtle Beach where, as a child, his family vacationed every year and the Blue Ridge Mountains. He loved to drive there every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Joe’s favorite place of all was Las Vegas. He and Susan made at least one trip each year for more than 10 years to play pool, slots, or to see a show, but mostly, Joe planned his trips around exploring the many restaurants in Vegas.

A special thank you to Dr. William Benson and Dr. Ricky Placide, booth of MCV, for they gave Joe the gift of a much better quality of life during his last year. Also, thank you to the Physical and Occupational Therapists and nurses that helped keep him moving. Bless you all.

John R. Froines, a quiet but politically stalwart chemist who stood trial alongside six other anti-war activists — known collectively as the Chicago Seven — on charges of conspiring to incite a riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and who went on to become a pioneering advocate for environmental justice, died Wednesday in Santa Monica, California. He was 83.

His wife, Andrea Hricko, said the death, at a hospital, was caused by complications of Parkinson’s disease.

A recently minted Yale Ph.D. on his way to teach chemistry at the University of Oregon, Froines found himself drawn into the swirl of anti-war activism building up to the Democratic convention, to be held in August 1968 at Chicago’s International Amphitheater.

Tom Hayden and Rennie Davis, two of the protest organizers, knew Froines through his work in Connecticut with the New Haven chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, and they invited him to join their inner circle.

During the convention, tens of thousands of protesters marched in the streets and hundreds were arrested during violent clashes with the Chicago Police Department. But only eight were indicted under federal charges of crossing state lines to incite a riot; they included Hayden, Davis and Froines, who was also charged with building an incendiary device, accused of having shown three women how to make a stink bomb.

Several of those charged were already famous as radical activists and counterculture provocateurs. Bobby Seale had co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966; Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, co-founders of the Youth International Party, or the Yippies, were renowned for antics like dropping wads of cash onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange from the visitors gallery.

The defendants were originally known as the Chicago Eight, but became the Chicago Seven when the judge in the case, Julius Hoffman — no relation to Abbie — had Seale legally severed from the group to be tried separately. (In an extraordinary move, the judge had earlier ordered Seale bound and gagged for several days in the courtroom after Seale’s repeated protests over his treatment by the court. He was later jailed for contempt.)

Though the men stood in solidarity, Froines stuck out as particularly straight-laced and earnest, especially in contrast to the likes of Hoffman, who treated the trial with comic disdain, putting his feet on a table and referring to Judge Hoffman as his illegitimate father.

“John was straight,” Lee Weiner, one of the defendants, said in a phone interview. “I’m not going to say we didn’t get along, because that’s not true. But I never had an impulse to say to John, ‘Let’s go smoke some dope.’ "

Despite what many saw as clear bias against the defendants by Judge Hoffman, in 1970 the jury acquitted Froines and Weiner of all charges. An appeals court later dismissed most of the charges against the others.

Froines eventually returned to academia, then worked for several years in Washington for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Under his direction, the agency wrote the first regulatory guidelines for non-carcinogenic toxins like lead and cotton dust, setting the stage for dramatic increases in workplace and public health.

He did much the same at UCLA, where he moved in 1981. He directed numerous university research centers and sat on the state’s scientific review panel for air quality.

And he engaged with communities hit hard by industrial pollution and smog, tailoring his research to their needs and even accompanying neighborhood groups to meet with government and corporate officials.

“When you walk into a room with an internationally recognized expert on an issue, it makes a difference,” Angelo Logan, co-founder of one such organization, the California-based East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, said in a phone interview. “John’s work was driven, driven to make real differences in people’s lives.”

John Radford Froines was born June 13, 1939, in Oakland, California. His father, George, a shipyard worker, was murdered when John was 3, leaving his mother, Katherine (Livingston) Froines, a teacher, to raise him and his brother, Robert, by herself.

After graduating from high school, he joined the Air National Guard, then earned an associate degree from Contra Costa Community College. He went on to the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1962.

It was at Yale, where he pursued a doctorate, that he first became involved in politics. He started as a moderate, chairing the university chapter of Students for Johnson during the 1964 presidential campaign.

But, like many young people, he soured on the president after Johnson followed his landslide victory that fall with a massive expansion of the war in Vietnam. Froines joined the local branch of SDS, helping to organize poor white and Black residents in the city’s Hill neighborhood.

He met his first wife, Ann (Rubio) Froines, through the organization. They later divorced. In addition to his wife, Hricko, he is survived by his daughter, Rebecca Froines Stanley, and his son, Jonathan.

After his acquittal, Froines resigned from his position at the University of Oregon to continue his anti-war activism. He went back to New Haven to support the Black Panther Party during a series of trials against Seale and others, and in 1971 he helped organize the May Day anti-war protests in Washington, D.C.

The next year, he returned to academia as a professor at Goddard College, in Plainfield, Vermont. He later worked for Vermont’s department of occupational health for two years before moving to Washington.

Froines’ death leaves just two surviving members of the Chicago Eight, Seale and Weiner.

The trial of the Chicago Seven became a touchstone of the era, one repeatedly mined for its historical significance. Two movies have been made about the case, most recently “The Trial of the Chicago Seven” (2020), written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, with Danny Flaherty playing Froines.

It was a personal legacy that left Froines with mixed feelings. He remained as committed to social justice as he had been in his youth, he said, but he had left his activist days behind and was eager to be known better for his work regulating lead than for standing in court beside Abbie Hoffman.

“No one is the same now as then,” he told The Los Angeles Times in 1990. “We still need student protesters because many of the problems of the ‘60s continue and new issues have emerged. But nobody’s a student activist at 50. You’d have to have your head examined.”

With heavy hearts, we share that our beloved patriarch Michael J. Camras passed away on Wednesday July 13, 2022. He was 84.
Michael was first and foremost a devoted and loving husband to his beloved Linda. They shared 35 blessed years together, enjoying life, travel, bridge, and mostly, their children and grandchildren.
Michael dedicated his life to ensuring family togetherness. He created lasting memories for his 7 children, their spouses, and his 12 grandchildren through family vacations and celebrations. He made it a priority to be present at school plays, dance recitals, football, baseball, basketball and soccer games. Michael shined most when surrounded by "his kinder" and was always the biggest kid amongst the grandkids, encouraging them to eat dessert first!
Born and raised in Chicago, Michael graduated from the University of Michigan, followed by a law degree from the University of California Berkeley (formerly Boalt).
He had a keen and sharp mind, building his own practice as a well-respected attorney, real estate appraiser and businessman. He was an avid reader, stellar bridge player, and enjoyed golf, skiing and travel.
Michael is survived by his beloved wife Linda, his children Natalie, Richard (Carolyn), Marc (Bilge), David (Emily), Darren, Kevin (Carol), Trina (Dax), Elizabeth and grandchildren Sage, Talya, Aren, Eytan, Noah, Gavin, Jackson, Fletcher, Jeremy, Holden, Lexi, and Eliana.
Michael, Dad, PopPop: You are forever our beloved patriarch and your legacy will live on through us and for generations to come.

Adam Wade, whose career spanned in the music and TV industry, has died. He was 87.

Wade's wife, Jeree Wade, first confirmed the tragic news to The Hollywood Reporter, saying that the actor, singer, and game show host died at his home in Montclair, New Jersey.

She did not release an official statement regarding her husband's passing. But she confirmed that Adam Wade's cause of death was Parkinson's disease.

Meanwhile, a separate statement posted on Facebook, per American Songwriter's website, also disclosed Wade's passing.

"It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of our husband, father, brother, friend, Adam Wade. Arrangements are being made for his memorial and we will keep you updated; it is a great loss for everyone who knew and loved him. Please keep our family in your prayers. With deep sorrow, The Wade Family," it went on.

The Johns Hopkins Medicines clarified that Parkinson's disease is not "a direct killer." Instead, it can lead a patient to become more vulnerable to falls and infection. The later stages of the disease also cause people to overlook the signals that can threaten lives even more.

Meanwhile, NHS explains that it is a condition in which the parts of the brain get damaged progressively over the years.

After his death, notable personalities and his fans offered tribute as they remembered his contributions to different industries.

Comedian and actress Marsha Warfield said, "I'm so sorry to hear the passing of actor/singer/game show host, Adam Wade. Among his many accomplishments, he will always be the first Black American man to ever host a TV game show, 'Musical Chairs.' My condolences to all whose lives he touched.

Adam Wade's Career

Wade did notable moves in the music, TV, and acting industries that made him more unforgettable.

In 1961, he got compared to Johnny Mathis because of his romantic songs like "The Writing on the Wall," "As If I Didn't Know," and "Take Good Care of Her."

It took years before he clarified in a 2014 interview that he was actually trying to imitate Nat King Cole instead of Mathis.

He then became the first Black person to host the game show, "Musical Chairs." Created by Don Kirshner, the game master recorded it at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York and challenged contestants to answer correct lyrics and song titles.

As for his acting career, he made his debut in an episode of "Tarzan" before collecting more titles like "Come Back Charleston Blue," "Across 110th Street," "Phantom of the Paradise," "Search for Tomorrow," "The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo," and "The Dukes of Hazzard."

Larry Parrish, of Rancho Mirage, passed away at home on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. He was surrounded by those he loved best and was peaceful in his departure.

Larry was 82 years old and lived in Rancho Mirage for 24 years. He came to the desert in 1992 to serve as Riverside County Chief Executive Officer until his retirement in 2008. A short time later, he returned to the County to serve as interim CEO, a position he also held during times of leadership transition for the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) and the local cancer society. He also served on the Boards of the Regional Access Project Foundation and the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians’ East Valley Tourism and Development Authority.

Larry’s career in public service spanned 40 years and four counties. He began in Santa Cruz as a probation officer. He was hired by Santa Barbara County in 1979 to be the Chief Probation Officer. Eight months later that Board hired him as their Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), a position in which he served until he was recruited by the County of Orange in 1985 to serve as chief executive there. In 1989, Dennis Carpenter & Associates lured him to Sacramento to join their lobbying team; however, Larry’s real passion was local government. Two years later he was extremely happy to get the nod from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to return to local government.

Larry was well known as a bright, funny, problem solver of high intellect and great wit. He had a knack for finding and placing good people to serve local communities. He was respected and loved by all who worked with him. Friends and colleagues describe Larry as a big-picture guy who never lost sight of the details – he could see both the forest and the trees, which is a rare quality in any leader. He believed in the power and the promise of local government to change lives for the better and spent four decades in public service plying his special gift for bringing people together and helping them find common ground.

He was well known for a vast catalogue of Larry-isms – quick wit, wisdom, and humor always at the ready to make a pithy point with his special brand of humor.

He loved the ocean and relaxed by vacationing annually in Cabo San Lucas. Following his retirement in 2008, Larry enjoyed traveling up and down the west coast and spending summers at Big Bear Lake in his Fleetwood RV with wife Kathie and Mattie, their Australian Shepherd.

At the outset of the pandemic, Larry and Kathie adopted two kittens to bring love and joy into the house. A short time later, a Mini-Aussie they named Sydney quickly became one of his best friends.

Larry was married to his wife Kathie for 36 years. He is survived by his daughter (Nancy), son (David), friend and ex-wife (Lois) and two grandchildren (Hal and Gabe). A private service will be held later in the year.

Should you wish to honor this life well lived, please send remembrances to the local Parkinson’s foundation or the local Alzheimer’s Association.

Allen Adashek passed away at age 79 due to complications from Parkinson's disease.

Allen was predeceased by his parents, Dr. William and Lillian Adashek as well as his beloved sister Barbara.

Allen is survived by Michele, his wife of 43 years and his sons William (Marie) and Andrew. He was also Grandpa Al to his grandson Oliver. He leaves behind many cousins and lifelong friends as well as his aunt Doris Golden.

Al attended University Elementary School, University High School, UCLA and UCLA Law School.

Al was a Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender for 36 years and was a devoted advocate for those he represented.

He will be deeply missed.

Larry Wartur greatly enjoyed his work as an engineer, making his mark with projects like miles and miles of guardrails on the Belt Parkway, a huge waterfront bulkhead in Yonkers, the reconstruction of Staten Island’s Richmond Parkway, and his favorite, the design and reconfiguration of Central Avenue in Yonkers.

Mr. Wartur, who died at home in Springs on June 27, deeply loved his family, including Susan Wartur, his wife of nearly 63 years, and his daughter, Lisa Rachel Wartur. He had advanced Parkinson’s disease for 12 years, and was in hospice care for the last 13 months. His family was by his side when he died, at the age of 88.

“He retained his devotion to his family and his enthusiasm for food and movies, for friends and music and shows, for the Mets and East End vistas, for parties, and for reaching beyond his illness to keep touch with his life,” Susan Wartur said. “He awed all in his orbit with his strength and courage.”

She recalled meeting a “warm, tweedy, pipe-smoking, adorable guy, fresh from two years as a first lieutenant with the Army Corps of Engineers.” His reputation, she said, was that of an excellent, astute, ethical engineer and supervisor who could get the job, no matter how big, done on time.

Charles Lawrence Wartur was born in New York City on Jan. 24, 1934, to M. Harry and Bertha Wartur. He graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, and went on to study at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There was no liberal arts program there back then, so he would take literature classes at other colleges in the summers. He joined the Corps of Engineers in 1956 and stayed for about three years.

Mutual friends introduced him to his future wife, and they were married in August 1959. While living full time in Queens, they bought a boat, docked it here, and allowed their daughter to name it. They lived seasonally aboard the “Love Boat,” as she called it, for 10 years. They built their house in Springs 35 years ago.

Mr. Wartur also worked as a consultant for East Hampton Town’s Planning Board and supervised projects for East Hampton Village, including work on Toilsome Lane, Railroad Avenue, Gingerbread Lane, Race Lane, Cooper Avenue, North Main Street, and the Reutershan parking lot.

He and his daughter, Lisa, who now lives in Lakewood Township, N.J., had a remarkable family resemblance. He would tell ghost stories at Halloween,  she said, and host warm and welcoming gatherings for her and her friends. He was also a good friend to his niece and nephew, Ellen Wolfson of Boston and Roger Wolfson of Los Angeles, and his son-in-law, Steven Lance.

“A man ahead of his time,” Ms. Wartur said, her husband was a skilled ice skater, tennis player, potter, boater, and cook. He enjoyed trains and trolleys, coached Pee Wee hockey, and enjoyed traveling. He didn’t love opera at first, but eventually became an expert, thanks to his aspiring-soprano wife. He was chairman of the board of the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, Conn.

Mr. Wartur was also a baseball fan, and although he never forgave the Dodgers for leaving Brooklyn, he did catch Mets fever later in life — even cheering for a Mets grand slam after a steak dinner on a recent evening.