Town's Senior, Adult Programs Receive $375,000 Donation

The estate of Nicole Kopf has made a $375,000 donation to the Town of East Hampton to be used to support the town's senior and adult programs.

Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson read aloud the resolution to accept the donation at a meeting on Thursday. "... the Town of East Hampton appreciates the kind donation of Ms. Nicole Kopf . . .," the resolution reads.

To carry out Kopf's wishes and to assure the funds are use only in the manner intended by her, the board directed the bookkeeping department to establish a separate reserve account called "Senior Donation Reserve Account" at Bridgehampton National Bank for this deposit.

The senior and adult programs are a division of the Human Services Department, which has faced cuts in the past year as the town board tries to straighten the town's finances following a nearly $30 million deficit left by the previous administration.

Wilkinson simply said, "God Bless."

According to O'Connell Funeral Home in Southampton, Kopf died on March 12, 2011 at 81. She had lived on Old Northwest Road and was the author of a book of poems called Verses and Visions, published in 1991.

A Belgium immigrant, she was the daughter of Marcel Tolkowsky, a gemologist known for his development of the “ideal cut” diamond. The family immigrated in 1940.

According to The East Hampton Star, her husband, Fred Kopf, predeceased her and she was survived only by a sister in Connecticut and nieces and nephews.

Diane Patrizio, the director of the Human Services Department, was unavailable for comment on Friday.