Shelter Island Reporter obituary: Danny Peskowitz

Danny Peskowitz died at his Penny’s Path home on May 5, 2017, surrounded by loved ones.

Danny moved to the Island in 1998, having summered here for many years. He was a Wednesday afternoon volunteer at Mashomack. Until his last years, he was a late-afternoon regular at Menhaden Lane beach and loved concerts at the Perlman Music Program, his family said.

He drove his beat-up red Subaru wagon on early morning rounds for coffee and the newspapers, mid-morning rounds to the post office and bank, and afternoon rounds to the dump, hardware store, Jack’s and the IGA. Danny was never happier than when on Shelter Island, his family said.

In March 2015 a kidney specialist told Danny to start dialysis, or else he had six months to live. Danny decided he was O.K. with that. He didn’t want dialysis and preferred to live life on his terms, his family said. He’d had a better life than he ever expected, he said. He loved his wife, his kids and grandkids, and his large circle of extended family, friends, and friends who became family.

As it turned out, Danny lived for two full years, getting to see his grandchildren, who are summer regulars on Shelter Island, grow up some more. He was cared for in his final weeks by family, neighbors, friends and East End Hospice. Dr. Desire was present when Danny died.

Born in 1931, Danny was raised in New York City during the Depression. He and his sister, Gerry, lost their mother, Fannie Peskowitz, to cancer when he was 9.

He graduated from Samuel Tilden High School in Brooklyn, though the highlight of his teenage years was membership in a social group called the Naturals. Danny graduated from Long Island University and served as a company clerk in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict, stationed in Frankfurt.

Surviving him are Myra Peskowitz, his wife of 56 years; his son Ira (Stephanie) Peskowitz; daughter Miriam (Rob Baird) Pekowitz; and his grandsons, Issac and Ilan, and granddaughters Samira and Amelia. Before leaving this earth,

Danny made sure his grandchildren knew how to fish for snappers off Second Bridge. In their big-heartedness, Danny and Myra often adopted whole families, including the DeDeus family.

Danny was a quiet, gentle and kind man, his family remembered, with a quick wit and goofy sense of humor. He was a graceful and supportive father and a patient and loving husband. He taught them by example how to appreciate the present moment.

In the New Yorker’s matrix of teams, it must be noted that Danny rooted for the Jets and the Mets, and watched the games religiously, win or lose. If the Mets played the West Coast, Danny stayed up to watch the last player make the final out.

He was, in addition, a fan of the orchestra and the opera; an avid reader of mysteries, the New York Times and Newsday; terrific with babies; and an aficionado of jigsaw puzzles and big LEGO builds.

Danny was, with Myra, an active and beloved member of Temple Adas Israel in Sag Harbor. He was buried on Sunday, May 7, 2017 in East Hampton.

Donations in his name can be made to East End Hospice, the Mashomack Preserve, or Temple Adas Israel.