RICHARD FABRICANT

FABRICANT--Richard. Richard Fabricant, born David Richard Fabricant on April 7, 1931, he died peacefully at his beloved home in East Hampton, NY, on July 9, 2025 after struggling with dementia for several years. A graduate of Midwood High School in Brooklyn, Syracuse University class of 1951, and Columbia Law School, 1954, he practiced law in Manhattan, specializing in real estate and was the senior partner at Wohl Loewe Stettner Fabricant & Dietz. Richard was the loving husband of Florence Fabricant, who he met 65 years ago and married soon after, and father of Patricia and Robert (Jill Herzig), grandfather of Julia Jane and Eve Annette Fabricant, and Tirha Herzig. He was athletic, with an abiding passion for tennis, but also squash, swimming, hiking and cross-country skiing. With a residence in Manhattan in addition to East Hampton, he indulged a love for theater, opera, concerts, ballet, fine arts, indigenous art, wildlife, archaeology and, not least of all, the New York Knicks. His bags were packed and ready for trips with his wife, family members, and many friends. These interests translated into his active support of A.R.T. - New York, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, Guild Hall in East Hampton, and the Longhouse Reserve. Masks, pottery and other artifacts collected when traveling adorn his residences. He was a lover of fine wines and great food, especially chocolate, enhanced by his wife's career as a food writer. He couldn't carry a tune but could waltz the night away. He would also want to be remembered as having been extremely well-tailored, often wore purple, suspenders with suits, and in summer, snazzy white shoes (four pairs survive him). He also had a great sense of humor, able to appreciate the light side of many situations. When he was in the U.S. Army during the Korean emergency he was stationed in Manhattan. One evening, as he told it, he had to drive a general to the theater and wait there until the play let out. He did as ordered, parked in front of the theater. A New York City policeman came up to the car, an unmarked black sedan. "Move it," the officer said. Richard said no. "I said move it," the cop repeated. "Look," Richard remembers saying, "a three-star general just told me to take him here and wait. If you were me and a cop came over and told you to move, what would you do?" The policeman left him alone.