Nathaniel Potter Read

Palm Beach, FL - Nathaniel Potter Read, 62, of Palm Beach, Florida and formerly of Boston and Newport, died peacefully Sunday, March 2, 2008, under the compassionate care of Dr. Jeffrey Bandola at South County Hospital, RI. His death came following complications from a heart attack suffered on December 3, 2007.Born on April 3, 1945, the devoted son of the late Warren Kempton Read and his wife Nancy Riker Macomber of North Dartmouth, MA, Nat was an alumnus of Friends Academy, Tabor Academy, the 1963 class of Middletown High School, and Nasson College, where he pursued a degree in Fine Arts. For two years a quartermaster on the destroyer USS Gearing, DD710, Nat also served in the US Naval Reserves for a number of years.An accomplished skier and sailor, Nat delighted in the sea as well as the snow clad mountains of New Hampshire. Charming, urbane and witty, an avid lover of words and history, Nat was cherished by all for his warm spirit and generous heart. Professionally a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, for many years Nat appeared in numerous national print ad campaigns and television commercials, as well in several Hollywood productions. His real interest, however, lay in live theater and he won roles in numerous plays in Provincetown and Boston. He was also the founding principal of Read Restoration Design Ltd., a firm specializing in the planning, design and implementation of renovations to historic private residences. More recently, in Palm Beach, Nat enjoyed working as an associate producer for an independent television production company and co-owned a small store that donated its proceeds to cancer research.Nat leaves behind his loving sister and brother, Mary-Louise Sturtevant Howard Fye of Middletown, RI, and Henry S. Howard, Jr. of San Diego, his cousins Duncan N. Macomber of Middletown, Heather M. Whidden of WA, John M. Bond of VA, and Howard C. Dickinson and W.K. Read Dickinson. His niece Jessica M. Fye and his nephews Alexander S.M. Fye, Devon C. Howard and Bret Howard also survive him. Nats beloved brothers Warren Kempton Read IV and Sturgis Macomber Read predeceased him, as did his dear nephew, Robert S.H. Fye.His funeral will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2008, at 2:00pm, at St. Columbas, the Berkeley Memorial Chapel, Vaulcuse Avenue, Middletown, RI. Burial will be in the Churchyard. Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, from 3-6pm, at the Hambly Funeral Home, Brick House, 30 Red Cross Avenue, Newport, RI.Donations may be made in Nats memory to the American Cancer Society, The Rhode Island Chapter, 931 Jefferson Blvd., Suite 3004, Warwick, RI, 02886.