A life at the heart of Shelter Island: Remembering Skip Tuttle

When the news came, appropriately enough, among the firefighters and other volunteers gathered for the Country Fair last month, that Skip Tuttle had passed away, there was a silent pause, a place to fill in a reflection on the moment: End of an Era, perhaps, or One of a Kind.

“Skip was the Center of Shelter Island, so many things revolved around him,” said his friend Bob Lott, recalling the important role Skip played in his life, and the lives of so many others. “He was the lifeblood of Shelter Island.” 

In addition to serving in the Island’s volunteer fire department for 50 years, Skip never hesitated to step up to help others.

In the many tributes voiced in the wake of that news, the words “kindness, compassion, generosity, always there to help other people” have echoed, “whether it was putting together a barbecue or helping someone tie up a boat in a storm,” recalled his cousin Cliff Clark.

Skip’s mother was a member of the Clark family whose members have run a ferry serving the south end of the Island since 1793. Skip’s father ran the Smith’s Cove fishing and rowboat business. Later Skip ran it as the Shelter Island Marina and Fishing Station, a popular and welcoming spot for Islanders and visitors alike, until it closed in 1999.

The stories about Skip were legendary, the best of them told by the man himself. When he passed away on Aug. 23, friends consoled each other by passing around a video — https://vimeo.com/30560258 — that was made in 1999, when he acknowledged, at age 61, that the time had come to sell his family home. He marked the occasion with a giant clambake, dubbed Skip’s Last Summer. 

The video, shot by Corey Shaff, shows Skip hauling in the clams with help from his friends, and providing a color commentary with stories about friends with names like Reiter, Brown, and Louie the Clip. As the work of building the clambake proceeds, with layers of clams, corn, chicken and more, blanketed with seaweed, memories are shared, toasted with cans of cold beer.

A story about the bowling team of Bob’s Fish Market playing rival Louie’s Clippers had an ending that can’t be repeated in a family newspaper, but had the crowd doubling over in spasms of laughter. A drunken monkey, stories of friendships that celebrated good times and survived the bad ones, were told in Skip’s clipped accent — one that Islanders share with their New England Yankee cousins — and punctuated by raucous laughter.

The video also captures a wistful moment, when Skip reflects on the passing of his homestead from the family: “My mother was born upstairs, and she died downstairs,” he said, gesturing to the house that was at the heart of the gathering.

The crowd, some 100 strong, sang along to a recording of “God Bless America” sung by Kate Smith, as the American flag over the marina was lowered for the last time, with a shotgun salute by Mike Laspia.

Skip was a gift to Reporter writers looking to capture the authentic Island voice. In a 2018 story on the Island’s dying scalloping industry, Charity Robey had a typical quote:

“The first night, I like to give all my friends a scallop dinner,” said Skip Tuttle, the Yogi Berra of baymen. “Don’t cook ‘em too long. When they’re not quite done, they’re done.”

His passing brought forth an endless supply of stories. Joanne Sherman, who compiled remembrances from his friends and family into an obituary for the Reporter, recalled Skip bringing friends from the Island to Ohio for an all-night bachelor party when she married Islander Hoot Sherman. 

At the wedding reception, she said, “Skip walked on his hands across the dance floor, something that was a routine sight on Shelter Island, but was a real eye-opener for my Ohio relatives.”

Almost everyone who offered memories of Skip brought up his fabled walking on his hands, whether at the bar at The Dory or at the Legion, demonstrating both his athletic strength and irrepressible nature.

Skip’s niece Jill Albiani said that when he lived in Florida later in his life, he was “kicked out” of the local Legion at one point, a neighbor said. “Let me guess,” Jill told him. “He walked along the bar on his hands,” “How did you know?” the neighbor exclaimed.

Jill recalled her uncle doing that stunt on the dock at his boatyard, along with memories of gathering seaweed with her friends for his massive clambakes.

Skip’s brother Maurice (Tut) has a favorite memory of when the two were young boys and loved the time they spent at their father’s fishing station, where one day they got to meet baseball legend Babe Ruth. When he worked in New York City, their father would stay at the Gramercy Park Hotel, where Ruth also stayed when in town playing for the Yankees. When he expressed an interest in going fishing, Ruth was brought to Shelter Island by the hotel manager, who rented a boat from Mr. Tuttle. The excitement of meeting the baseball legend, who took the time to chat with them, was heightened when he let the youngsters sit in his fancy car — “It had electric windows! We’d never seen that before,” Tut Tuttle recalled recently. “And he autographed something for us,” he added, a memento that’s become a family treasure.

Cliff Clark declared that Skip was “one of my heroes growing up.” His cousin, who lived right next door, was outstanding in sports, especially baseball and basketball. One moment made a lasting impression on him.

“When I was 13, I was in the Little League, and after we won the championship on Shelter Island, Skip came up to me on the field and gave me $1, and said “Blowfish, that was a great game, take your friends out and get an ice cream soda.” This was in 1957, when you could go to the Osprey restaurant and get a black-and-white ice cream soda for 25 cents.

“I am 81 now, and I can still see him right now, standing on the first base line, giving me a dollar and a handshake — we didn’t hug in those days. I often think about life as a scrapbook of snapshots, moment or a season, like that one, that have such an impact on a person’s life.”

Bob Lott recalled getting to know Skip after his father passed away when Bob was 8 years old. “He was a combination father figure and crazy uncle,” he recalled. “When I was 11 years old, I had this little 12-foot fiberglass boat, I’d go to Skip’s to get gas and hang out, just listening to his stories, it was so much fun. At age 12 I went to work for him as a part-time dock boy, and did that for over 10 years.”

Bob was one of several people to point out that there was so much more to Skip than the fun-loving character: “He was probably one of the brightest people I ever met.” Bill Caccese echoed that impression, and Billy’s wife Andrea said she received — and heeded — investment advice from Skip. 

On the other hand, Bill said, when the wind blew in from the East, he knew there would be a party at Skip’s. “I was stuck with a couple of friends, once, on a raw, crappy day. Then I said, ‘I know where we can go — Skip will be having one of his East Wind parties.’ If I had my kids with me, that was O.K., because Skip had a goat. The kids would chase the goat and play with it, and I could hang out with Skip. The goat was a built-in babysitter.”

He also recalled that Skip had a nickname for everyone: “My wife was Andrea Doria, or he might name someone Chair, Pencil, Gizzard, that made you part of his posse.”

His friend Ed Brown described Skip’s marina as “a special club with people from all walks of life.” Bruce Brewer, now a full-time Islander, recalled growing up on the Island as a “summer kid,” but feeling welcomed by Skip when he began to keep a boat at his place in the 70’s.

Skip’s niece, Jill, laughed at some of the challenges of trying to help her uncle as he got older. He was heading to South Carolina to visit his cousin Bill Clark and his wife Dale, and needed new clothes because he’d lost a lot of weight. “I took him to Old Navy in Tanger to get jeans, but like many men, he was stubborn. He didn’t want to try them on,” but she thought they could buy some and exchange them if needed once he tried them on at home. “Then he saw that we’d have to wait in line to pay, and he said “‘Forget it.’”

That’s when you appreciate having Bliss’ store on the Island, Jill said. “I called Phyllis Power, who helps out in the store sometimes. She said ‘I’ll open the store — meet me there in 10 minutes.’ She gave me a bunch, let me take them for Skip to try on, and swapped out what didn’t fit.”

Bob Lott worked closely with Jill to care for Skip as his health declined in recent years, eventually finding a nursing facility equidistant from her Massachusetts home and his in New Hampshire. They both had memories of poignant moments toward the end. Jill pointed out that Skip would always say “Thank You” or “God Bless You” if you did anything for him.

The love of Skip’s life had been his girlfriend Nancy Alexander, nicknamed “Bird.” She died several years ago of ALS, and Jill and others recalled Skip devotedly nursing her through that debilitating, relentless disease until it took her life.

In the closing days of Skip’s life, Bob, his wife Melinda, and Jill and her husband would play music at Skip’s bedside to soothe him.

“We were playing Patsy Cline, who he loved, singing ‘Crazy,’” Jill recalled. “We saw him moving his hands and we asked ‘Are you dancing with Bird?’ He opened his eyes and said ‘God bless you.’”

This is how Ed Brown, one of Skip’s closest friends, summed it up: “This is a huge loss for a lot of us. Skip was a special friend to so many. He had a personality like no other. He was a workhorse and the backbone of many community fundraisers and events. He was well known for his caring and generosity as a friend and in business.

“He worked hard, played hard and was action-packed. Money wasn’t the end-all for him. He was one for sure to enjoy the moment. The memories will go on forever.

“Personally, I was blessed to have him as a wonderful friend. He stood by me and never second-guessed, criticized or wavered. He always had my back through thick and thin. It was one heck of a great run. He will be deeply missed.”

A Celebration of Life honoring Skip will take place at noon on Sunday, September 21, first floor of the Center fire house.

Family, friends and acquaintances are invited to the celebration, which will be followed by a barbecue.