More Obituaries

Maria Fernandez, 100, of Port Chester, died Nov. 27, 2024.

She was born Mar. 4, 1924 and was loved and cherished by many people including her children Juan Rene, Alejo Antonio, Mercedes, Elena, Teresita Lourdes, Bernardo, Martina (Carmen), Olga Milagros, José Adriano and María; her nephews Evelio, Freddy, Raul, Wilton and Onyx and many nieces, nephews, and grandkids.

A Funeral Mass was held Dec. 3 at Corpus Christi Church in Port Chester.

Arrangements were by Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation Services in White Plains.

Morton Alan Smith, 93, attorney, activist, athlete and sports enthusiast, died in his sleep at home in Boca Raton, Fla. Apr. 14, 2024.

He lived a life full of accomplishments; as a senior at Miami Beach High School, he won the Florida State Oratory contest and was on the debate team that placed third nationally.

His talent and hard work led to an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 1953 and then, after attending Stanford Law School, a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1957.

After law school, he worked for the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Treasury Department.

He next moved to Rye and joined Hall, Dickler, Lawler, Kent & Howley, where he rose to become its Managing Partner.

Mr. Smith cared deeply about democratic ideals such as self-representation, the importance and benefits that come from providing children with the best possible public education and was active in both national and local politics (e.g., working on Robert F. Kennedy's senatorial campaign in 1964).

In 1973, he served on the School Board for the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District #5, where he was instrumental in leading the drive to finance, design and build Blind Brook High School, which is known for its strong educational programs and is ranked as one of the best high schools in the U.S.

In 1982, he led the drive to create the Village of Rye Brook, the first village in over 54 years to be established in New York State. (It is not a coincidence that Blind Brook High School is in Rye Brook.)

He was born Mar. 13,1931 in Passaic, N.J., was given up for adoption by his birth mother, Fritzie Graubard Treeger and was adopted and raised by David and Augusta Smith. The family moved to Miami Beach where he met and married Nancy Shagan in 1954.

The couple moved to Westchester County and raised three children—Robynn, Jeffrey and Rick.

The couple divorced in 1973, and he married Jane Bentley Saffir in 1979; they remained married until her death in March 2021. They traveled widely and enjoyed an active outdoor lifestyle of skiing, tennis and golf.

Jane was also very active in politics and worked alongside Mort in the creation of the Village of Rye Brook. She had two sons, Michael and Richard Saffir, who already knew his children, as they were in the same class years at Blind Brook. Over the years that followed, the blended family was and remain close to each other.

In the mid-1990s Mort and Jane spent their time in both Rye Brook and then increasingly in Boca Raton, moving to Bocaire Country Club full-time in 1997.

He again became civically active, serving on Bocaire's Board of Directors, including as President.

After his Board service ended, he co-chaired the committee that oversaw the design and construction of a new 7,000-yard golf course and remained active in the Bocaire community until his death.

After Jane died, he found happiness and forged a close friendship with Mitzi Renz of White Plains that lasted until his death.

Mr. Smith is survived by his five children, two grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and a coterie of loving friends and extended family.