Thomas E. Gaines
Thomas E. Gaines of East Hampton died on April 14 with his family at his side. He was 85.
The son of Thomas M. Gaines and Evelyn M. Ernest, he was born on August 26, 1926.
A graduate of East Hampton High School, he so admired one of his teachers, Laura Ebbell, that he built her a dog house. While attending high school, he ran a record 100 yard dash and pitched a no-hitter for the baseball team. He played clarinet in the school band, earning the nickname “Benny.” He also showcased a wonderful singing voice with solo performances at the Edwards Theater and at Guild Hall.
After graduating high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served during World War II aboard the destroyer USS Alden and the cruiser USS Oregon City. After being discharged from the Navy, he lived in Manhattan with his cousin Bill Stafford of Sag Harbor, where he met his future wife, Frances L. Carl.
He left the city to attend Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) to pursue a degree in business and commerce. While there, he hitchhiked back to New York City and became engaged. They were married in June 1947 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and lived in Stillwater, Oklahoma, until Mr. Gaines graduated, doing so in just three years. Their first son, Thomas M., was born in December 1948 in Stillwater. After Mr. Gaines graduated in June 1949, the couple returned to East Hampton and lived with Mr. Gaines’s parents at the homestead on Middle Highway. After his three children married and moved away, the couple moved to Dayton Lane.
Mr. Gaines went to work at Bohack’s under the management of Sy Karp. While working as dairy manager, he was approached by Frank B. Smith, owner of the lumber company and a trustee of the Sag Harbor Savings Bank, and was informed that he was to be at an interview the following week. Having never applied for a job at the bank, he thought it was a joke and was not going to go to the interview until his wife urged him to at least attend and listen. He was offered a position, but didn’t think a drop in pay was wise at the time. Fortunately, he acquiesced to his wife’s better judgement and accepted an entry level position. Under the tutelage of Peter Garypie Sr., he quickly rose from building shelves and sorting archived material in the basement and shoveling snow in the small parking lot to the position of clerk, then treasurer, and upon the retirement of Mr. Garypie, assumed the position of president.
In the 1970s, as president and chairman of the board, he negotiated the change from a state-chartered mutual savings bank to a stock corporation and then directed the transition and sale to Apple Bank for Savings. Upon relinquishing the helm at Sag Harbor, he agreed to stay on with the new owners as senior vice president of eastern operations. After three years, the lure of retirement was too great and he decided it was time to step out from behind the desk and “put on my sunglasses and head south.” Unfortunately, health problems started to appear after his retirement in 1989, and he never fully realized his dream of days in the sun.
Mr. Gaines was proud of the fact that as a young caddy at the Maidstone Club he had the opportunity to carry the bags for golf legend Sammy Snead and actor Gary Cooper, as well as many of the members. In later years, he coached the town basketball team and arranged for the “East Hampton Five” to play the Long Island women’s basketball team, which was similar to the Harlem Globetrotters.
He was a member of the South Fork Country Club, serving on its board of directors and as its president. He was a member of the East Hampton Fire Department and would fondly recount the escapades of Ol’ No. 5. He was an active member of the Star of The East Lodge No. 843, having served as master. He also enjoyed being a member of the lodge’s award-winning bowling team. He was also a member of The Independent Order of Oddfellows. He cherished his daily Men’s Business luncheons at the Paradise Restaurant, often attended by John Steinbeck, whose friendship was always special to him. He cherished a cartoon dedicated to him penned by Warren Whipple, who was the creator of the syndicated cartoon “There Ought To Be A Law” and was also a trustee of the Sag Harbor Savings Bank.
Mr. Gaines was an active member of the First Methodist Church, having served as a Sunday school teacher and, at the urging of lifelong friend Leonard Corwin, became a trustee and later served as president of the board. Over the years, he delivered sermons as the lay leader.
He will be remembered for his honesty, integrity, fairness, empathy, sage advice, infectious smile and mischievous sense of humor, according to family members.
Mr. Gaines became a member of the Village Zoning Board of Appeals in 1985 and its chairman in 1997.
Mr. Gaines is survived by his wife of 64 years, Frances; children Tom and his wife Patti of Florida; Ronald and his wife Terri, and Sandra Cohen and her husband Steve, all of East Hampton; seven grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by sisters, Dorothy Sayre and her husband Curtis, and Jane Kovar of Virginia. He was pre-deceased by his parents, and sisters, Betty and Adele.
Visitation was held on Tuesday, April 17, at Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton. Services will be held at the First Methodist Church on Thursday, April 19, at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at the Cedar Lawn Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the First Methodist Church of East Hampton, East Hampton Ambulance Fund or to East End Hospice, PO Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978.
on Apr 17, 2012