Robert Schmitz, a Fixture of Sag Harbor's Main Street, Dies at 75

When Sag Harbor residents gathered on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor late Saturday afternoon for the annual Christmas tree lighting, sadness mingled with the joy of the season, as the event was dedicated to the memory of Robert A. Schmitz, who was one of the founders of the annual tradition of setting up a Christmas tree — with lights, of course — in the middle of Otter Pond each December.

Schmitz, who had been in declining health for several months, died peacefully at his Noyac home on November 28, the day before his birthday, his family said. He was 75.

A regular sight on Main Street for decades, Schmitz, with his wife, Barbara, was the longtime owner of the Sag Harbor Liquor Store. Over the years, he was active in St. Andrew Catholic Church, the Sag Harbor Fire Department and the Sag Harbor Lions Club.

For years, he left a small sign at the club’s Christmas tree sales stand at Long Wharf, directing those who wanted to buy a tree when nobody was on duty to simply bring their money to his store on the honor system.

“But he was ultimately a dad, who always said his most important job was being a father and a grandfather,” said his daughter Hilary Schmitz, who described her father as simply “the best.”

That was the theme of a eulogy his children prepared before their father’s funeral Mass at St. Andrew Catholic Church on Monday.

“Our dad was the warmest, most tenderhearted, joyful, affectionate, supportive, welcoming, jolly, accepting, caring, loving man in the world,” it began, before reeling of a list of the many examples of his kindness as a husband and father.

Asked to describe Schmitz, Nada Barry, an owner of the Wharf Shop gift shop across the street, picked up on that same theme.

“He was a great family man,” she said, recalling a time when she was vacationing at Sanibel Island in Florida, when Schmitz, who was also vacationing with his family in the area, paid her a visit. “I just realized how great he was with his family, how dedicated he was to making sure his children had a nice vacation.”

Ellen Dioguardi, the director of events for The Express News Group and the president of the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce, said Schmitz was trusting and generous to others in the community.

She recalled a time many years ago when she had purchased Christmas gifts for her goddaughter, whose own mother was single and holding down three jobs to get by. Dioguardi said she had splurged and probably spent a little too much money.

She stopped at the liquor store to ask Schmitz if he would hold a personal check for her until her next paycheck cleared. The following week, when she returned to the store, she said Schmitz tore up her check and told her, “You’re not the only Santa on Main Street, Ellen.”

Ted Conklin, the owner of The American Hotel, recalled that the Schmitzes bought the former Corsacks’ Liquor store in the early 1970s. “When Bob and Barbara assumed ownership, success was anything but guaranteed,” he said, noting that Sag Harbor, an old factory town, was going through one of its periodic slumps at the time. He said their enthusiasm and hard work allowed them to build a successful business that they have passed down to their children.

“Bob’s passing steals from us a bit of the past,” he said.

“Another piece of Sag Harbor is gone,” added Lisa Field of the Sag Harbor Variety Store. “It marks the end of an era.”

Schmitz, an only child, was born in Brooklyn on November 29, 1947, to William H. Schmitz and the former Edythe Volckmer.

The family moved to Sag Harbor when he was 2 years old, and he was educated in local schools before attending C.W. Post College, where he studied history.

On July 11, 1970, he and the former Barbara J. Claxton were married at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in West Islip.

The couple first lived in Wantagh, and Schmitz worked in pharmaceutical sales before moving back to Sag Harbor in the early 1970s to buy the liquor business and its Main Street building. The family lived in an apartment above the store before moving into a home in Noyac in 1989.

Besides his wife and daughter, Hilary of Sag Harbor, Schmitz is survived by four other children, William Schmitz, Robert Schmitz Jr., Heidi Lynn Tolley and Hayley Schmitz, who all live in Sag Harbor, as well as 11 grandsons.

The family has requested that memorial gifts be made to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978-7048 (eeh.org).