Obituary: Thomas Richard Zay of Hampton Bays

Thomas Richard Zay, of Hampton Bays, died on October 26. He was born and raised in East Hampton, the oldest of five children. As a young boy he biked, hunted, fished and played around Georgica Pond. He worked at the farm across the road from his family home, and at the Maidstone as a locker room attendant, valet parking attendant, in the restaurant and as a caddy. He graduated from East Hampton High School in 1966. From the age of 14 until he graduated college, he worked at the Sea Spray Inn and at High Tide, across the road.

Zay graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Niagara University in 1970. After graduating, he taught seventh and eighth grade science at Riverhead Middle School, in room N41, from 1971 to 2005. He also coached wrestling and girls’ tennis. Zay proudly served six years, from 1970 to 1976, in the Army National Guard.

He also worked as a camp supervisor at the Sandy Hollow Day Camp during summers from 1988 through 2019. He was a passionate collector of memorabilia, who enjoyed obtaining rare and interesting stamps, coins and other collectibles. He was an accomplished photographer and artist, and enjoyed playing games, whether it be dominoes, board games or trivia.

An avid conservationist, Zay composted and coordinated waste management efforts for his household and family members well into his retirement years. His was an active and inquisitive mind, and he took joy in the discovery and exploration of nature, science, history, astronomy and oceanography. He particularly enjoyed any opportunity to investigate and reveal natural wonders that may often escape the casual gaze to his family members. He also enjoyed painting, clamming, fishing, kayaking, wood carving and spending time with his family. He enjoyed bird watching and swimming in the pool he and his father-in-law, the late George Demos, dug together in his backyard.

Zay was also a loyal Yankees fan who, along with his brother-in-law Ted Demos, attended the game in 2011 in which Mariano Rivera clinched his record-breaking 602nd save and became MLB’s all-time saves leader. Although forced to endure Rangers hockey until 1972, when Canada saw the light and expanded the league to include the New York Islanders, he became an Islanders fan as they won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-1983. He shared his love of hockey with his daughters, taking them to Islanders games at the “Barn” (Nassau Coliseum) as a season ticketholder. He enjoyed watching and discussing NASCAR with his son, Brian.

Zay was a dedicated family man, always putting family first. He is survived by his loving wife Christine Zay, his son Brian Zay (April) and grandchildren Elijah and Gabriel, his daughters Kaitlin Woody (Marshall) and Sarah Zay, his dear feline companion, Gatsby the Catsby, his brothers Gary Zay (Maureen) and Jimmy Zay, his sisters Linda Cameron (Bobby) and Donna Koppinger (Andrew), his brothers-in-law Ted Demos (Liz) and Jim Demos (Laura), his nephews Sean Zay (Jessica), Chris Zay (Yorlenis), Robert Cameron (Erin), Patrick Zay, Nick Demos (Jess), Teddy Demos (Krystal), his nieces Alexis Demos, Kelsey Northcote (Derrick) and Kara Demos. He was pre-deceased by his parents Thomas and Shirley Zay.