Joan O’Malley, a former director of marketing and sales for Hoover & Strong, passed away on July 6, 2003, after a 10-year battle with cancer.

O’Malley began her career 30 years ago in New York as a customer service representative for Aurora, a nationally known toy company. She rose through Aurora’s ranks to become national accounts manager, then national sales manager. In 1981 she joined Karlan & Bleicher (K&B), a prominent jewelry manufacturer, as their national account representative. When K&B was acquired by Baker Fendt, O’Malley became vice president of sales and marketing. In 1991 Hoover & Strong bought Baker Fendt, and she relocated to Virginia to serve as the company’s sales and marketing director.

Kyriakos Somos passed away on Aug. 9, 2003. The designer for Somos Creations, based in Nyack, N.Y., Somos was born on July 20, 1938, in Athens, Greece. He received more than 28 international awards for jewelry design and creation and was respected by his peers and colleagues. He is survived by his wife, Marie, sons Teddy and Dimitri, sister Lela, brother-in-law Dimitri, niece Christina, and nephew Perry Spyropoulos.