Westhampton Beach Loses Two Familiar Faces

Two shining lights in the Westhampton Beach firmament were forever dimmed, as residents lost two beloved community members this week.

Susan O’Rourke, the secretary to the Village of Westhampton Beach zoning board of appeals and the planning board, lost her brave battle with cancer on Tuesday. And on Sunday, Patricia Ann Stinchi, former Westhampton Beach Deputy Clerk and ZBA member, also died after an illness.

A memorial mass has been scheduled for Stinchi on Friday at 11 a.m. at the in Westhampton Beach. Stinchi's family is asking that donations in Stinchi's name be sent to East End Hospice.

Services will be held on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at  for O'Rourke who was stricken with stroke-like symptoms while on the way to her Vermont home in late January. Her illness prompted the Westhampton Beach community and scores of friends to come together on CaringBridge.com to offer support and share stories of inspiration to buoy her spirits. During the last months, members of the Westhampton Beach school district community, where O’Rourke served for years as a dedicated secretary of the PTO, united to make sure her family, including her husband Michael and sons Tyler and Connor, had home-cooked meals.