NATHANIEL GELB

GELB--Nathaniel "Pete", passed away peacefully on New Year's Day at his home in Water Mill, surrounded by family. He was 86. Born in the Bronx to Esther and Joseph Gelb, Pete spent most of his life in New York before settling in Water Mill in 1991. Pete graduated from The Bronx High School of Science and New York University. He began his career as a copy editor at The New York Times before transitioning into advertising. He worked at agencies including The Friedlich Agency, Rapp & Collins, and Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline. In the 1970s, he co-founded Bloom & Gelb, an innovative agency that pioneered direct-mail fundraising for major nonprofits such as PBS and the National Audubon Society. In 1990, he and his wife, fellow copywriter Nancy Grady, co-founded Grady & Gelb, a creative agency serving clients such as Conde Nast, AOL, and AARP. Pete is survived by his beloved wife, Nancy Grady; his children, Catherine (Adam Isacson), Thomas (Kelly Maginnis), Jane (Miles Cooper), and Laura; and his grandchildren, Benjamin Gelb, Jonathan Maginnis, Margaret Isacson, and August Cooper.