ANITA CARMEN HECHT
PATRON OF THE ARTS

Patron’s interests
spanned the globe

She visited and had homes
in places around the world

More obituaries

By Rod Thompson
Big Island correspondent

Anita Carmen Hecht, 95, a self-educated patron of the arts in Hawaii and elsewhere and a lover of French culture, died Friday at her home in Waimea on the Big Island.

Born Anita Loyer in Sydney, Australia, Hecht never finished school because of her mother's penchant for taking her on voyages to England, France and the United States.

She came to Hawaii in 1936 with her first husband. When he died she married again, and when her second husband died, she married a third time, to retired inventor Frank Hecht. He took her to Washington, D.C., where she became hostess to notables from around the world.

The couple maintained homes in Georgetown, outside Washington, Hawaii, France and Liechtenstein.

When her third husband died, Hecht gave up her home on Diamond Head and moved into a suite in the Royal Hawaiian hotel, where she lived 20 years. She contributed to the Honolulu Symphony, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Kahilu Theater and a scholarship to Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Waimea.

Moving to Waimea in 1996, she drank wine daily and read the French gossip magazine Paris Match through her final days, her grandson Rick Habein said.

In addition to Habein, she is survived by great-grandson Hayden William.

A memorial service will be held 3 p.m. Saturday at St. James Episcopal Church in Waimea. Scattering of ashes will be held later.