KILMARNOCK—Malcolm H. “Mal” Hecht, 88, of Kilmarnock passed away October 5, 2022.
He was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., before it was “fashionable” to be from Brooklyn. He was the youngest of his three siblings who lived with their parents, Abraham and Tilley Hecht above the family-owned candy store. When he was old enough, he served up ice cream dishes to the customers and collated the daily and Sunday papers. He opened deliveries of the comic books and magazines and placed them in the display case.
After graduating from Erasmus Hall High School, he entered NYU graduating in 1956 with a bachelor’s from the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance. Following his graduation, he entered the Army and served in the Chemical Corps out of Fort McClellan, Ala.
Mal’s New York-based career in advertising and promotion began at Prentice Hall in 1960. He later joined Pam Am as creative supervisor in 1963 and advertising manager with American Express in 1967. He held other N.Y. based positions prior to joining DuPont in Wilmington, Del., in 1979 when he became international advertising and promotion supervisor for Latin America.
Mal met his wife Ann at DuPont. They commuted to work in Wilmington, a short distance from their home in Glen Mills, Pa. His need for a dog surfaced around this time and thus began his quest for a pet. Her name was Dublin, an Irish setter who lived to be 12.
Upon their retirement from DuPont, they built their home on the shores of the Rappahannock River in White Stone. A lot of fun took place on their shore. . .bon fires, canoeing, and hosting family gatherings.
Following completion of their home, they began traveling internationally and domestically. China was their first destination, followed by Russia, Budapest, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, along with other faraway places.
It was around this time that Mal went searching for another dog. An English pointer caught his eye who became known to everyone as Thatcher. They were inseparable.
Mal, with his advertising and promotion background, counseled several local agencies, e. g., Gloucester-Mathews Humane Society, Lancaster County Animal Shelter and Rappahannock Foundation for the Arts. He was a 12-year member of SCORE (a nonprofit organization fostering small businesses through mentoring and educational workshops). He served as chairman in 2001.
In Phase 2 of their retirement, Mal, Ann and Thatcher moved to a small community outside of Kilmarnock, known as Natty Point.
He is survived by his wife, Ann; his son, Andrew from a previous marriage and wife Valerie and their daughters, Julia and Alison; and a daughter, Dara and her daughter, Devin. Mal is also survived by Ann’s children, Kimberly Dufford, husband Joseph and their two children, Samuel and Eliza; and Kathy Raughley, husband David and their son, Shane. Numerous nieces and nephews across the country were also a part of his family.
Currie Funeral Home LLC of Kilmarnock handled the arrangements.
