Scott Allen Lechmanski Remembered as Beloved Shelter Island Golf Teacher

Scott Allen Lechmanski, longtime Shelter Island resident, died on January 17. He was 63 years old.

Lechmanski was born on September 3, 1960 in Greenport to Edith (née Griffing) and Eugene Lechmanski. He was one of two children. After graduating high school he attended Canisius College where he attained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education on a full scholarship. In 2017 he was named Shelter Island Scholar Athlete for the 1977 men’s golf team.

On September 23, 2006, he married Elizabeth Melichar on Shelter Island. He worked as a Golf Professional for Noyac Country Club, Gardiner’s Bay and Shelter Island Country Club. He was a member of the Shelter Island Fire Department and Shelter Island Presbyterian Church.

Lechmanski loved living the Shelter Island life — whether hunting, fishing, scalloping or an old fashioned clam bake with recipes passed down through the generations. He took pride in butchering for the town, giving back to help stock the freezer at the recycling center to help those in need. He was owner of Shelter Island Nuisance Control.

Lechmanski was a member of the last Heights Junior Fire Department called the Blue Eagle Hose Company and he remained a regular member. He especially loved being an annual part of the Chicken Barbecue cooking crew, serving up years of great chicken and fun memories.

He took pride in the old ways and cherished traditions of Shelter Island, practicing taxidermy and mastering the age old craft of duck decoy carving, participating in the annual International Carving Competition in Ocean City, Maryland with his blue-ribbon-winning
decoys.

His greatest pleasure was teaching golf. He was awarded two full scholarships as a high school senior — one in basketball and one in golf. He chose golf and the rest was history. A member of the US Golf Teachers Federation, he shared his skill and love for the game with many, working at Noyac Country Club, Gardiners Bay and Shelter Island Country Club. No one was too young or old to learn to love the game as he did. His enthusiasm for his own Junior Golf Program and the Summer Tournament was an annual hit uniting families through the game he loved to share. The weekly Ladies Day was always a hit and a favorite at Shelter Island Country Club.

Predeceased by his father, Lechmanski his survived by his wife Elizabeth, mother Edith, children PJ Lechmanski and Elizabeth Lechmanski, step-son Michael Melichar, grandchildren Thia, Scarlett and Hazel and brother Larry Lechmanski.

The Scott Lechmanski Memorial Scholarship has been established and will be awarded yearly to a high school senior pursuing a career in sports, education or conservation.

The Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at the Shelter Island Heights Fire Department.