Anthony Stanley Babinski Jr. of Water Mill Dies May 11

Generational Polish potato farmer Anthony Stanley Babinski Jr. of Water Mill died on May 11. He was 89.

Babinski tended and tilled the soil of the East End of Long Island, making rows with his favorite tractor until the ripe age of 89.

Known by loved ones as “Buddy,” he was born on his family’s farm on Mecox Road in Water Mill to Anthony Sr. and Caroline Babinski on January 24, 1935. He married Theresa Hoinski and created a life — together, they founded Babinski Farmstand in the early 1970s, quickly becoming successful and widely renowned for its homegrown vegetables, vibrant flowers, and fresh baked goods. Their business can be remembered as one of the first family-owned and run gourmet farmstands in the Hamptons.

An avid fisherman, hunter, trapper, and overall sportsman, he enjoyed the outdoors to the fullest, personifying the knowledge of a farmer’s almanac. He was an avid fan of his “Goddamn Yankees” and storyteller of his days spent playing for Bridgehampton’s White Eagles or coursing the untapped wetlands of Jessup’s Neck.

He is survived by his two daughters, Sheila Spooner and Charlene Babinski; his grandchildren, Jesse Spooner, Carla Lillie, and Maxwell Spooner, Michelle Niles and Victoria Muller; and his 11 great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 15, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at O’Connell-Rothwell Funeral Home in Southampton. A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Thursday, May 16, at 10 a.m. at the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Bridgehampton. Interment will follow at Sacred Hearts Cemetery in Southampton.