Shelter Island Reporter obituary: Scott Allen Lechmanski
Scott Allen Lechmanski, a longtime Shelter Island resident, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. He was 63 years old.
Scott was born on Sept. 3, 1960 in Greenport to Edith (née Griffing) and Eugene Lechmanski. He was one of two children. After graduating from 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 Sept. 23, 2006, he married Elizabeth Melichar on Shelter Island. He worked as a Golf Professional for Noyac Country Club, Gardiner’s Bay Country Club and Shelter Island Country Club. He was a member of the Shelter Island Fire Department and Shelter Island Presbyterian Church.
Scott 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.
Scott 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, Md. with his blue ribbon prize-winning decoys.
His greatest pleasure was teaching golf. Scott was awarded two full scholarships as a high school senior — one in basketball and one in golf — and he chose golf and the rest was history. A member of the U.S. Golf Teachers Federation, he shared his skill and love for the game with so many, working at the country clubs mentioned above.
No one was ever 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 favorite at Shelter Island Country Club.
Predeceased by his father, Scott is survived by his wife Elizabeth; mother Edith; children PJ Lechmanski and Elizabeth Lechmanski; stepson 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 for Scott will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at the Shelter Island Heights Fire Department.
