Thomas Lee Sawyer Of Southampton Dies May 11

Thomas Lee Sawyer of Southampton died on May 11. He was 88.

He was born on January 18, 1933 to the late Lucien Sawyer and Mignon Sharp-Sawyer in Camden, North Carolina. He was raised by his stepmother, Minnie Sawyer Bell.

Mr. Sawyer attended Sawyer’s Creek Baptist Church as a child, and his early education began in the North Carolina school system before he came to New York.

“Easy Horse,” as he was affectionately known, was a nickname he earned while attending the funeral of his sister Minnie Mae, his family recounted. He slid down a banister, and when he got to the bottom, he said “easy horse.”

He lived and worked in Detroit in his earlier years. He later moved to Brooklyn, and worked for the Budweiser Brewing Company. After retiring from Budweiser, he relocated to Southampton. He worked for Herb McCarthy’s famous restaurant as a valet. In addition, he was employed in the food service department at Southampton College.

He adored vintage cars and flashy clothes, his family said. He also relished his Westerns and referred to them as “shoot ’em ups.” But most of all, he adored his family, including his nieces, nephews and many friends, his survivors said. Some say he was a gentle man, he didn’t mind talking to you or helping you when he could. Some remember him as knowing when and how to leave when trouble came and he wanted no part of it.

In his later years, Mr. Sawyer lived with his brother, Lamar Bell, who was his caregiver until his death.

He was predeceased by his parents; his stepmother; his siblings Annie Walker, Ethel Woolley, Minnie MacAutry, Pauline White, Odessa Wingfield, Vivian Hamilton, Mary Roach, Samuel Sawyer, Lucien Sawyer Jr., Henry Sawyer, John Mitchell, and Walter Mitchell.

He is survived by a sister-in-law, Betty Sawyer; three brothers, Lamar Bell, Kevin Bell, and Albert Ray; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.