June Morris of Water Mill Dies February 7

June Morris, the proprietor of the Penny Candy Shop in Water Mill, died peacefully on February 7. She was 96.

She was born in Patchogue. Her parents, Mary and Ed Steineke, raised her and her brother George Steineke (predeceased) in Patchogue. After graduating from high school, she lived with her parents and brother just a few blocks away from her future husband, Harvey Morris.

His house was on the way to the bus stop. He spotted her on her way to school and the walk past his house because anxious moments of flirtation. However, their romance was interrupted by World War II and he was soon fighting overseas. While he was gone, she started working with her father at Camp Upton, which would be renamed Brookhaven National Laboratory after the war. It was there that she witnessed one of the first women to be “put through the tube,” which was the beginning of radioactive treatment for cancer.

Morris returned from the war and her new bus stop was a short walk past his house. The flirting resumed and soon they were married and living in an apartment in Patchogue.

Some of her extended family lived on Shelter Island, and her husband was working for Ma Bell, so they migrated east, living briefly with their young son, Harvey III, first on Head of Pond Road in Water Mill, and then an opportunity presented itself — a building which offered an apartment for them to live in with a store was on the market and the owner was desperately seeking a buyer. The bank lent them the money and within a few months the hair salon closed. Without a paying tenant, she decided to open a business.

She established the Penny Candy store on September 11, 1961, and quickly knit her way into the community. The couple became members of the Water Mill Community Association and Water Mill Beach Club. She sold tickets for the Southampton Hospital benefit, posted petitions for or against many notable issues in Southampton Town, bandaged kids who fell on the sidewalk, took in children whose parents were struggling and helped parents who needed some parenting skills.

The Penny Candy Shop employed many local teens and offered a list of babysitters. Celebrities knew they could come in and purchase their favorite treats, but they had to wait their turn like everyone else. Gilda Radner, Howard Cosell, First Lady Pat Nixon and many others enjoyed the shop.

Perhaps what most will remember about her was her infinite patience with children, her family noted, those sporting a nickel or a dime would trade out their choices frequently throughout their purchase and a five cent sale could take 15 minutes and a whole lot of knee bends.

She was incensed when the state raised the sales tax, causing children to lose a penny to tax. She decided all small candy sales stopped a penny short of the taxable amount and then a second sale began. In this way, no child lost a penny of candy.

The family wished to express their gratitude for the care given by her home health aides, Aika and Lydia, Jessica and Nadine from East End Hospice, Carrie her nurse practitioner, Kerri her nurse, along with numerous friends and community members. They also wished to thank Schmidts Produce, Catena’s Market, and South Thrifty Drug Store for their help and caring.

She is survived by her son Harvey Morris III of Colorado; and her brother-in-law and sister-in law, Robert and Pat Morris of Pennsylvania; and many cousins and extended family on Shelter Island.

Visitation will be at the Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton on Friday, February 17, from 4-7 p.m., with a prayer service on Saturday, February 18, at 2 p.m. Internment will follow at the Water Mill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance (villageems.org), the Veterans of Foreign Wars (vfw5350.org) or East End Hospice (eeh.org).