In Memoriam

Beloved North Fork artist Amy Worth of Orient died unexpectedly on Aug. 26, 2024. The cause was leukemia.

 

Amy was raised in Douglaston, N.Y., and graduated from the Cathedral School of St. Mary’s. She studied textile design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked as a textile artist for over 25 years. Her fabric and wallpaper designs are part of the product lines of Ralph Lauren, Paloma Picasso and Calvin Klein.

 

Amy raised three children in Glen Cove, where she was a vibrant and visionary mother and community member. Her prolific and imaginative handmade creations brought life to her children’s drama productions, birthdays and special events. She encouraged her children and their friends in all of their creative endeavors and was extraordinarily generous with her time, artistic talents and warmth.

 

Amy returned to school, earning a B.A. from Queens College and an M.Ed. from C.W. Post, then taught art at Huntington High School for 12 years — including a fashion design and illustration class that she created. One term, she assigned students to design inaugural gowns for Michelle Obama and her daughters. The Obamas enjoyed the designs so much that they invited the class to meet the first lady and attend a ceremony at the Smithsonian commemorating the donation of the first lady’s gown to the museum. She cared deeply for her students and was instrumental in launching many of their careers in fashion and design.

 

With late husband, Tom Payne, Amy opened and ran The South Street Gallery in Greenport from 2006 to 2021, which featured local artists. The gallery ran an annual fundraiser for the North Fork Environmental Council, the 10×10 show, which was so popular that a long line of customers ran down the block on the opening night, despite the early December chill. She taught classes at the gallery and around the North Fork in drawing, painting, color theory and collage.

 

Amy’s own work was in oil, collage, clay, fiber and other mediums. Her paintings and collages have been exhibited at the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, the Southampton Cultural Center and the Long Island Museum. She volunteered her time generously, serving as a board member for WPPB, Peconic Public Broadcasting (an NPR affiliate) and teaching art to recovering addicts in southern Vermont. Her recent work is on display in a show she curated at the Fiedler Gallery in Greenport, “A Sense of Place,” which runs through Oct. 6.

 

She is survived by her mother, Joan Berglund; her children, Christopher (Kendra), Emma (Ivan) and Jack (Christine); stepdaughter Alex Payne Paolo (Dominic); and nine grandchildren. She also leaves siblings Nancy Minett (Jeff), Alice Denison (Dave), Jim Ledogar (Leslie) and Kate Ledogar Grogan (David), as well as her adored uncle Robert Ledogar; beloved nephews and nieces; her dear stepmother Susan Olson-Ledogar; many favorite cousins; countless friends; and Weezer, her dog.

 

Amy will long be remembered for her warmth and devotion to family, friends and the community, as well as for her goodness, talent, humor, cooking and inimitable style. She could see colors mere mortals couldn’t and, throughout her life, reflected them back in her work, her clothes and her personality. She was our rainbow and will be profoundly missed.

 

A celebration in honor of Amy’s life will be held Saturday, April 26, on Long Island. Donations may be made for an arts scholarship in Amy Worth’s name at Huntington High School. Memorial and donation information can be found at everloved.com/life-of/amy-worth/donate/