Memories of the Countess Dehoernle

I was saddened to learn of the passing of my friend, Countess Henrietta DeHoernle, Rita as she was affectionately known to all of her friends. I met Rita at the opening party of the Mizner Amphitheater where I was a guest of Yvonne Boice and we sat in the Countess’s private box along with Flossy Keesley who was also to become one of my dearest friends. It is sad that both of these remarkable ladies passed away within five months of each other. Flossy was 102 and Countess Rita would have been 104 on Sept. 24th.
We shared many happy times together at Flossy’s beautiful condo Toscana with both of them on July 4th and on their birthday’s. The last event that the Countess came out for was the Memorial Service I ran at the Mizner Amphitheater honoring Flossy Keesley in February after she passed away and her wish was that all of her friend’s gather at the statue of her to say a few words after her passing. Rita also honored me by attending the wedding of my daughter, Melanie and her husband Michael.

Larry Caplan, Charlotte Beasley, Countess DeHoernle, Rosemary Krieger, Flossy Keesley and Suellen Caplan

At the Wick Theater
Charlotte Beasley, Countess De Hoernle and Marilyn Wick

Flossy Keesley and Countess DeHoernle at the Wick Theater

Countess Rita joined Flossy and I for one of their last outings to the Wick Theater to see the show “Ain’t Misbehavin and both of them celebrated Flossy’s birthday with a glass of champagne. Rita was also a member of my Red Hat Society group and enjoyed many luncheons with our group of ladies. She was spry and fun to be with. I remember her joining our group for a pajama party where she showed up wearing a bikini tee shirt and a red raspberry beret looking adorable. I asked her what her secret to living such a long life was and she told me she went each year to Germany for some sort of rejuvenation treatments and boy did they ever work! Wish I had gotten the name of that place. Countess Rita will be so missed by all of us who knew her. I remember picking her up and taking her to the Pompano Elks Club for the Octoberfest party there and she sang Edelweiss and ran up to tell the band how much she enjoyed them. We passed Forest Lawn Cemetary on the way to this event and Countess pointed out that her husband, Adolph was buried in a crypt there and that she would also be joining him there. Goodbye Dear Countess Rita we all will miss you for all the good you have done here in Boca Raton. You were one of Boca Raton’s finest treasures. You cannot ride around Boca Raton without seeing her name on many many buildings. “Give While You Live” she surely did!.