William E. Cuthbert Of Springs Dies May 11

William E. Cuthbert of Springs died on May 11 at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital of metastatic bladder cancer. He was 64. His life partner of 21 years, Jana Nishida, was at his bedside.

He was born on December 10, 1957 in Westhampton, one of six children. At 5 years old, he suffered grave injuries that required surgery to remove a significant portion of his intestines. The condition was so dire that he received last rites and was in a coma for two weeks. As a result, he suffered lifelong urological difficulties, eventually leading to his bladder cancer.

Despite these health problems, he was a strong athlete, winning multiple trophies in wrestling and basketball while in school. As a child, he worked for a local contractor as a water boy and apprentice.

While serving as an acolyte at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, he met and worked for another contracting firm as a laborer and carpenter’s assistant.

He left home at age 16 and lived in abandoned buildings while supporting himself working as a manager of 7-Eleven after school and on Sundays. At 18, he obtained his commercial driver’s license and took advanced safety courses at the DMV which qualified him to drive any six-wheel vehicle.

He leased an ice cream truck from a division of Hood and, as one of the top sellers in the country, he and a select few drivers drove to Texas where they established new routes for the company.

At age 19, he had two trucks and six employees. The poor children on his routes knew that on a hot day if they waited until the paying customers had left, Cuthbert would give them free ice cream. He continued this business until 1983, when he bought a 24-foot refrigerated truck and started selling fish from Fulton Fish Market to restaurants and grocery stores throughout New York State.

After a year, Cuthbert learned that the business was associated with organized crime, and closed his company. Subsequently, he opened the construction business that he pursued successfully for the remainder of his life.

He was an avid wind surfer, mountain biker, and expert snow skier. He particularly loved skiing the woods trails at Killington in Vermont, where he built two homes.

Cuthbert was very curious about the world and was a devoted student of current events and history, ancient day to modern times. Of particular interest was the Civil War. He read extensively about science, physics, the universe and cosmic phenomena. Although he had to stop his formal education just before completing his senior year of high school, he had a great deal of knowledge on a vast number of subjects.

Asked to speak on virtually any topic, he could do so, frequently revealing little known facts. His many talents extended from intellectual pursuits to expert gardening. He was also an excellent cook and an engrossing raconteur with a great sense of humor. Having survived a near death experience at 5 years old, he felt that he was obligated to live a righteous, honest life.

He is survived by his siblings Peter of Aberdeen, Maryland; Jane Clifton of Brooklin, Massachusettes; Mary Cuthbert of Noank, Connecticut; and Lee Green of Dinwiddie, Virginia.

A celebration of his life will occur at a later date at Lazy Point, where he loved to windsurf.