Stanley Blaugrund, M.D.
Stanley Blaugrund, M.D. who, with his wife Annette and his three children, summered in Shelter Island for almost 30 years, most of them at 16 Spring Garden Avenue, died June 6 surrounded by his family at his home in New York City. He loved the Island and was an avid golfer who played at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club.
Dr. Blaugrund was one of the outstanding head and neck cancer surgeons of his generation. In addition to his groundbreaking surgical techniques and research, he served as the chairman of Lenox Hill Hospital’s Department of Otolaryngology for 25 years, and had a firm belief that the ability to speak is part of one’s humanity. He helped build Lenox Hill’s Ames Vocal Dynamics Laboratory which served leading actors, politicians, business leaders, and singers who rely on their voices for their work and art.
Among his many honors, Dr. Blaugrund was elected president of the national Triological Society in 1997 and was awarded the esteemed DeRoaldes Medal for Distinguished Service in Laryngology in 1998.
Born in El Paso, Tex. in 1930, Dr. Blaugrund moved to New York in 1958 for his residency in Otolaryngology at Mt. Sinai Hospital. He then completed the distinguished John Conley Fellowship in Head and Neck Oncology and Facial Plastic Surgery. During his training, he married the love of his life, art historian Dr. Annette Blaugrund, who, at the time, was running the audiology clinic. They were happily married for 63 years and have three children, Andrea (David Nevins), James (Shelly McQuone), and Jonathan (Susan Arena), and seven grandchildren, Clara, Charlie, and Jesse Nevins, Jane and Katherine Blaugrund, and Joe and Birdie Blaugrund.
He lived for his family, and was a renaissance man: a passionate photographer, World War II history buff, painter, gardener, sailor, singer, and guitarist. He was a two-handicap golfer and overall gifted athlete. Among his proudest athletic achievements was starting on the El Paso High School basketball team when they won the 1947 Texas State Championship. He scored the last point to win the game.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
William C. Harlow
William C. Harlow of Montgomery, Vt. and formerly of Holyoke, Mass., passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. He was 77 years old.
William was born on March 9, 1947 in Holyoke, Mass to Frances (née Campbell) and Charles Harlow. He was one of two children. He graduated from Holyoke High School.
After high school he attended John Hopkins University and Indiana University School of Law, attaining his Juris Doctorate. He also served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era. In his professional career, he worked as an attorney for the U.S. government under the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
He was predeceased by his wife Rose Evelyn (née Bevilacqua) Harlow and his brother John F. Harlow.
William is survived by his children Benjamin Harlow of Montgomery, Vt.; Nathaniel Harlow (Christina) of Lyme, N.H.; and Jared Harlow (Mary Grace) of Key West, Fla; grandchildren Juliana, Josephine, Rose, and Dylan Harlow.
The family will receive friends on Sunday, June 16, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the DeFriest-Grattan Shelter Island Funeral Home, 23 West Neck Road, Shelter Island. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, June 17, at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of the Isle Church on Shelter Island, officiated by Father Peter DeSanctis. Interment will follow at Our Lady of the Isle Cemetery.
David G. Olsen
David G. Olsen, passed away on Dec. 13, 2023 at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn, and his daughters, Sonja (Ian Savage) and Karin (Bruce Cavanaugh). David adored his five wily grandsons – Christopher David, Mackenzie Kristian, Colin Nicholas, Alistair Robert “ Kipper” and Brady Olsen.
David was born in Brooklyn on June 14, 1939 to Irving and Alma Olsen. He has a twin sister and loved to tell the story about how he had to sleep in the dresser drawer because there was only one crib. David’s oldest brother, Paul, passed away last year. He is survived by his sister, Elizabeth, and younger brothers, Stephen and Norman (Toby).
David attended Stuyvesant High School and later CCNY. He deeply admired his older brother, Paul, who also attended CCNY. David attended the University of Pennsylvania Dental School and obtained his Orthodontic degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He served in the U.S. Army as a dentist. After being discharged, he opened a practice in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and took great pleasure in serving the local community. His office was lined with photos of beautiful smiles and he always said that his patients kept him young.
David purchased his first pair of skis with money he made as a messenger boy in Manhattan. He taught himself how to ski in Bliss Park. He loved skiing and some of his happiest times were at Telemark Ski Club in Pittsford, Vt.
Despite living in Brooklyn for most of his life, David loved the tranquility of the water and was an avid sailor. Shelter Island became his second home in 1981 and he loved spending summers here. He was a proud member of the Menantic Yacht Club and relished helping new sailors “learn the ropes,” as well as enjoying many Sunday afternoon Sunfish races in West Neck Harbor and Whitebread races with friends from the Shelter Island Yacht Club.
David’s love of boats extended out of the water as well; he taught himself how to be an adept boat builder and always had a few active projects in various stages of completion in the yard. Neighbors were accustomed to seeing him transporting boats on makeshift trailers made from treasures obtained from the goody pile at the Recycling Center, or as he fondly referred to it, “the Mall.”
When David could not be on the water, he was in the water, clamming, or fishing for stripers. On any summer evening, you could find him riding to the beach on his bike, beer and fishing pole in tow.
In the off season in Brooklyn, David would often ride his bike along the Belt Parkway to Coney Island to get a Nathan’s hot dog.
David enjoyed a strong sense of service. He served as president of the American Dental Society, was on the Board of Trinity Lutheran Church and of Eger Health Care. He followed in his father’s footsteps by serving as the dentist at the Norwegian Christian Home, where he was also an active board member.
David was a beloved “PopPop” and was so proud of his grandsons. He cheered at the ice rink, along the track, at the baseball fields and on Randall’s Island. He was always up for an adventure with the boys — he taught them how to ski “the bumps” in the winter, and in the summer would often participate in an impromptu “Olsen boys” baseball game behind the Shelter Island School.
David was riding his bike until a few weeks before his death and had planned on skiing this winter and sailing this summer with his dear friend, Mary Vetri, and the rest of the Menantic Yacht Club.
His family expressed the hope that you will remember him as the generous, fun loving, kind-hearted, robust man that he was.
