Montauk Lost a Great Friend. Eugenia R. Bartell: 1937 - 2013

I worked closely with Eugenia Bartell during one of the craziest times of my life. I was in my early twenties, living year-round in Montauk inside of a trailer that I was renovating, and working as the Managing Editor for the Montauk Pioneer, a newspaper that was started by my father in 1960 and no longer is in existence. Eugenia worked at Monte and Monte Real Estate in Montauk and quite simply, like me as well as the rest of the motley crew that was the Montauk Pioneer, being in the newspaper business just got under our skin.

Eugenia, Richard Lewin, T.J. Clemente, Annemarie Davin and Debbie Tuma were the writers, salespeople and photographers that made that newspaper happen, and it was Eugenia who would always call me in the middle of the day to tell me about a new idea she had for the paper. She had a raspy voice on the phone and in person, she was the type of woman you did not say no to, and she embodied what it means to completely be in love with Montauk.

Her daughter, Caran Markson, alerted Richard Lewin (who is now a Dan’s Papers photographer) that Eugenia had died, and Richard alerted me and it was hard to hear the news. Caran wrote the following about her mother that will be published in Dan’s Papers this week.

“My Mother Eugenia R. Bartell, a long time passionate resident of Montauk, passed away in her home the morning of April 4, 2013 .The former Community Editor of the Montauk Pioneer, realtor with Monte and Monte, and free lance editor. My Mother was cremated on April 5th. A memorial service will be held on May 4, 2013 at Montauk Community Church at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, if anyone would like to make a donation in her memory: Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, P.O. Box 901, Wainscott, NY 11975.”