George A. Hammer Jr. Of Westhampton Dies March 1

East End real estate and hospitality icon George A. Hammer Jr. of Westhampton died on March 1. He was 93.

Hammer was a prominent real estate appraiser and salesman and owner of the landmark Montauk Chalet, which later became known as the Shepherd’s Neck Inn, for 50 years before selling the business in 2006.

He later championed the rights of East End homeowners as a tax reduction consultant, challenging local property assessments and saving clients thousands of tax dollars, according to his family. His efforts saw him profiled in the New York Times, which dubbed him “Tax Quixote.”

Hammer continued his tax work and served his many clients until the final year of his life.

He served in the United States Army in Japan after World War II and saw heavy combat as a member of the 101st Airborne Division in Korea.

He is survived by his wife Marie; his oldest son, George A. Hammer III, and his wife Danielle; another son, Michael Hammer and his partner, Deoborah Dragon; his daughter, Carolyn Giardina, and her husband, Emanuel; his sister and brother, Jane Dwyer and Ernest H. Hammer; close friends Barbara Rehren, Bill Bart, George Kreuscher and Luis Ochoa; and his five grandsons, Stephen M. Austin, Joshua Hammer, Jacob Hammer, Alexander Hammer and Brian Hammer. He was predeceased by a son, Jeffrey L. Hammer, in 1994.

A wake will be held at Werner Rothwell Funeral Home in Westhampton Beach on March 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral will take place at Immaculate Conception R.C. Church, also in Westhampton Beach, on Friday, March 11, at 11 a.m. Interment will follow at Calverton National Cemetery.