While driving a ball on the Estuary Course at the Grey Oaks Country Club one day in 2013, Richard Lublin saw a stately home being built on the eleventh hole. He decided he liked it. Soon thereafter, he purchased the 9,420-square-foot home in the community where he loved to golf—and was already a member.
In retirement, the former attorney—a founding partner of a Connecticut law firm—became a Screen Actors Guild member, successfully securing acting roles in such noted television shows as Married with Children, Law & Order, and Chicago Hope. In 2019, Richard was awarded a doctorate in fine arts from the University of Connecticut for bridging the two disparate careers of acting and law; he was also a commencement speaker that year.
Living between Connecticut and Barbados, and later Naples, Richard donated his time and money to philanthropic endeavors, establishing educational scholarships in his hometown of Avon, Connecticut, and supporting cancer research at the University of Connecticut and the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts. After losing his wife, Jane, to cancer in 2016, his involvement in the fight against the disease continued. A proud moment for him was when, as the chairman of the 2018 Bucket List Bash gala in Naples, he was instrumental in securing Diana Ross as the evening’s entertainment.
Now, he and his wife, Christine Stahl Lublin, whom he married in 2022, have become philanthropists extraordinaire in Naples. They have continued Richard’s devotion to help finding a cure for cancer. They are the major sponsors of the fourteenth annual Bucket List Bash in Naples on February 24; they served as the honorary chairpersons and presenting sponsors of the Cherish the Children luncheon held on January 22 in support of Youth Haven—where they say the “results are tangible.” And, new for them this year, they hosted a patron party—for the Naples Winter Wine Festival—at their home.
For many years, Richard has taken a leading role in the Naples International Film Festival—as a sponsor and as an award presenter. Christine has eagerly joined him in this adventure. Richard notes that “the festival is rated as one of the top 15 in the world and over 800 people attended opening night.”
Christine, who has a degree in computer science, worked for IBM for 30 years. When she retired to Naples, she not only joined Richard with his philanthropic activity but also embraced the sport of golf. After playing for only two years, she won a trophy for the most improved golfer at Grey Oaks Country Club.
She also embarked on refurbishing their spacious Grey Oaks home. “With a place this size, you want to continuously update and have the changes blend in,” she remarks. During COVID, when she reminds there “were not a lot of resources to be had,” she made minor transitions, like adding wallpaper in the niches of walls, decluttering, and rearranging furniture.
She works extensively with Kathryn Frank, founder and owner of St-Tropez Home—and her assistant Michael—to update their home without disrupting life for her, Richard, and their two cats: Aster and Dorset. Christine’s goal is to slowly modernize the home. In the kitchen, she has replaced ornate cabinetry with sleek cupboards and countertops.
“I try not to overdecorate,” she says. “It is easy to add a simple thing like up-lighting to achieve a different look.”
Christine chose vivid blue velveteen couches, large Lucite coffee tables, and a shag rug for the great room. In the breakfast room, she placed bright orange velvet chairs under a Lucite chandelier, adding a bit of Hollywood glamour to their coastal
residence.
When it comes to living in Naples, Richard is effusive in his compliments.
“It is such a friendly, happy, and healthy place, with so many good restaurants and parties,” he states.
He freely adds, “We have a fabulous life.”
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