74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesMEMORIAL SERVICE PLANNED FOR HEATHER KLEIN

MEMORIAL SERVICE PLANNED FOR HEATHER KLEIN

Heather Klein, a longtime St. Thomas resident active in recent years in the local arts community, died April 1 of cancer at her home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Her daughter, Kerry, and her companion of 27 years, Eric Gawain, were with her.
Born in Duxbury, Mass., Klein attended the University of Miami then married Ken Klein in Florida. They moved to Utah, then to St. Thomas in 1960 with their infant son, Kenny, and lived on the island into the early 1970s. Heather was one of the first members of the St. Thomas Yacht Club and active on various committees. An avid sailor, she was honored with a Pucci sail when she won first place in the women's division of the World Sunfish Championships in Puerto Azul, Venezuela. She helped organize the first Sunfish World competition, and she won various competitions in the Soling category.
When the St. Thomas Montessori School opened in the 1960s Klein became an active supporter, serving as president of the PTA and helping to organize the first Montessori Las Vegas Night fund raisers. She was a sales representative with John Bensen Real Estate on St. Thomas until the mid-'70s, when she relocated to Martha's Vineyard with her two children, Kenny and Kerry. There, she ran a Tillett Art Gallery branch and met her special friend Eric Gawain.
In 1976, Klein and her family moved to Fort Lauderdale, where she became involved in children's theater, producing and presenting productions for young people throughout South Florida at the Parker Playhouse, Jackie Gleason Theater and Royal Poinciana Playhouse, as well as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
She moved back to St. Thomas in 1990. Despite battling multiple sclerosis, she remained active, serving on the Arts Alive board and taking her daily swim, usually at Sapphire Beach, where she had a condominium for many years.
On St. Thomas, yachting enthusiast John Foster remember Klein as "the nicest, most beautiful ginger-haired woman I ever met." Rhoda Tillett recalled that "she had a great sense of humor and kind personality. Her early demise is a great loss."
Klein is survived by her son, Kenny, daughter-in-law Francesca and grandchildren Giulia, Christopher and Casey Klein; and her daughter, Kerry Klein, all of St. Thomas; her brother, Bruce McGibbon; and her companion, Eric Gawain. Memorial services are being planned at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, in Duxbury, Mass., and on St. Thomas at dates to be announced.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.