Jay Robert Schochet, 85, of Leroy Avenue, Newport, RI, passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 24, 2016.
He was the husband of Suzette (Dauch) Schochet for 56 years. Born on June 10, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of the late Harry and Gertrude (Cooper) Schochet.
Jay was a graduate of Columbia Grammar School in New York City and a 1952 graduate of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. He served as a second lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the Korean War.
Upon returning from military service, he became managing partner and then president of The Codman Company on Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts, prior to launching his own real estate development and management company, Schochet Associates, Inc. Over the course of his career the company developed and manages almost over 5000 units of affordable housing and commercial and retail space located throughout New England.
Jay was a member of and served on the Vestry of King’s Chapel in Boston, Massachusetts.
He and his wife first came to Newport in 1964 and settled there permanently in 1980. In Newport, he served on the boards of the Newport Art Museum, The National Tennis Club, and the U. S. Court Tennis Foundation. He established the coveted Schochet Cup, the most prestigious professional event of U. S. Court Tennis that awards the largest U.S. tournament purse available to professionals. He was also the founder of the Bellevue-Ochre Point Neighborhood Association.
Besides his wife, Jay is survived by his daughter, Sarah Schochet Henken and her partner, Darrah O’Connor, son-in-law Richard Henken and his wife Gabrielle, granddaughter Julia Henken, grandson, Samuel Henken, sisters-in-law Antoinette Foley (Peter) of Florida, and Emilie Dauch and her husband Donald Murphy of Oregon, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Jay will be greatly missed by his family and friends. His burial will be private, with a memorial service to be scheduled at a later date at King’s Chapel, Boston, MA and in Newport, RI.
In lieu of flowers donations in his memory may be made to the Newport Hospital Foundation, 11 Friendship Street, Newport, RI 02840, The Potter League for Animals, PO Box 412, Newport, RI 02840 or King’s Chapel, 58 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02108.
