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Dorothy Weir, 96, hearty aristocrat
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
By day and by night, Dorothy Weir was a dazzling socialite, prim and proper in her white kid gloves, known for hosting star-studded charity fund-raisers for the American Cancer Society on the grand ocean liners that docked in Manhattan in the 1960s.
So it may have come as a surprise to some that the beautiful, diminutive woman, who married three times and into great wealth, would also rise at the crack of dawn to shoot ducks or go fly-fishing with men, challenging the social mores of her day.
"She broke barriers," said Patricia Kean, one of Mrs. Weir's granddaughters. "She was a man's woman. She loved to shoot. She loved to fish. She loved to travel the world. She did a lot of illustrious things in her lifetime."
Mrs. Weir of Lawrenceville, known as "Lady Weir" at the time of her death, went by the title, Dorothy, the Dowager Viscountess Weir. She died July 23 at the age of 96 after falling down stairs at a friend's Newport, R.I., home.
The viscountess, who was predeceased by her husbands, Viscount James Kenneth Weir, chairman of the Weir Group. Ltd in Glasgow, Scotland, and Edward F. Hutton, founder of E. F. Hutton & Co., was remembered by family members as a feisty lady who lived daringly -- she once ate whole sheep's eyes -- and was involved in numerous charities.
"She volunteered a great deal, and her fund-raisers were elaborate," said a niece, Lynn Dodd of Upper Montclair. "She would hire the Queen Elizabeth or the Rotterdam and you would board in New York City and then the boat would go 10 or five miles to sea and you would gamble for scrip (fake money). It was gorgeous."
In 1960, Mrs. Weir won the Clement Cleveland Award from the American Cancer Society, the most prestigious award it gave at the time.
"What was really interesting about Dorothy was that she was the first chairman of the Women's Board, established in 1947 by the ACS board of directors," said Tara Peters, spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society. Their mission was to maintain a year- round committee to promote the society's mission and activities via radio and the press.
According to the society's archives, Peters said, on Oct. 16, 1951, Mrs. Weir was chairwoman of the society's Bergdorf Goodman Golden Anniversary Ball at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. The ball drew 803 guests and raised $36,468.48.
Born in Jersey City to William Y. Dear and Mary Burgett Dear, Mrs. Weir grew up in Montclair. Her father was the publisher of The Jersey Journal and founder of the Jersey City Printing Press.
After a brief marriage to Holmer Metzger, with whom she had her only child, Joan Patterson Roberts, now deceased, Mrs. Weir married Hutton in 1936. She lived with the wealthy Wall Street giant until his death of Hodgkin's disease in 1962. She later married Viscount Weir, who was a longtime friend of the family.
While married to Hutton, Mrs. Weir traveled the world, often to Scotland, where she enjoyed hunting, and to India. The pair lived at times in a mansion in Westbury, N.Y., an apartment in Manhattan, and on a plantation in South Carolina.
When she wasn't hosting fund- raising galas, Mrs. Weir was hunting duck or quail or fly-fishing.
"She was very glamorous in the '50s and '60s," Kean said. "She had beautiful clothing and loved to go out all the time. She had a great following. She was a great fun. She much preferred the companionship of men. She could as easily be in a man's world as a woman's world."
Among the posts she held were director of the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, Pa., and co- chairwoman of the Republican Finance Committee for the state of New York. She was a member of the Grolier and Colony clubs in New York City and the American Associates at the Royal Academy Trust.
Sharp as a tack until her death, Mrs. Weir would regale her family and guests at parties with tales of her adventures. "She was a great lady, a very interesting person," Dodd said.
And the viscountess was feisty until the end, her granddaughter said. "She was mugged in New York about seven years ago -- some boys tried to pull her pocketbook away from her and they threw raw eggs at her -- and she turned right around and slugged them," Kean said.
In addition to her niece and granddaughter, Mrs. Weir is survived by three other grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a brother, William Y. Dear Jr., and a sister, Ruth Dear Butler.
Services were held yesterday at Mount Hebron Cemetery
in Upper Montclair. A memorial service will be held in New York City in mid- September.
Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Brother Regis Moccia, S.C., 81, principal, athletic director
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
A Mass for Brother Regis Moccia, 81, of Metuchen will be at 10:15 a.m. tomorrow in St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Metuchen. Arrangements are by the Costello-Runyon Funeral Home, Metuchen.
Brother Moccia, who died Saturday in the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, was a teacher and held administrative positions, including principal, vice principal, department chairman, athletic director and head football coach.
He taught for 55 years in several schools conducted by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, including St. Josephs High School in Metuchen since 1973 before retiring.
Born in New York City, Brother Moccia entered the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in 1936, made his first profession of religious vows in 1940 in Metuchen and his perpetual profession six years later.
He earned a bachelors degree in social studies and English from Spring Hills College in Mobile, Ala., and a masters degree in education and English from St. Johns University in New York.
Surviving is a brother, Nicholas.
Rosalee Katz
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Services for Mrs. Rosalee Katz, 73, of Short Hills will be at 10 a.m. tomorrow in the Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Rd., Livingston.
Mrs. Katz died Sunday in Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston.
She was a secretary for J.P. Hanauer, Newark, for several years before retiring many years ago.
A member of Cedar Hill Country Club in Livingston, Mrs. Katz was also a member of the ladies auxiliary at the club. She was a member of the Deborah Hospital Volunteers in West Orange.
She was also a member of the Turnberry Isle Country Club, North Miami Beach, Fla., and the Addison Reserve Country Club, Delray Beach, Fla.
Mrs. Katz was a 1953 graduate of the Katherine Gibbs School.
Born in Newark, she lived in West Orange, Union and Plainfield before moving to Short Hills 22 years ago. She also maintained a residence in Florida.
Surviving are Sy, her husband of 51 years; daughters, Mona and Paula; a son, Philip, and four grandchildren.
Raymond C. Eagles Sr.
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Services were private for Raymond C. Eagles Sr., 74, of Jefferson Township, who died yesterday at home. Arrangements were by Leber-Lakeside Funeral Home, Landing.
A tool and die maker, Mr. Eagles owned and operated Ray Eagles Manufacturing Co. in Little Falls before retiring.
A Marine Corps veteran of World War II, he was a general member of the American Legion.
Born in Irvington, he lived in Parsippany for 27 years before moving to the Oak Ridge section of Jefferson Township 20 years ago.
Surviving are his wife, Maisie; a son, Raymond C. Jr.; daughters, Betty and Peggy Eagles and Janice Grossmann, and two grandchildren.
