Christopher Schiaffino

   Christopher Taaffe Schiaffino died at home on Muir Boulevard in East Hampton on Friday morning at the age of 35. The cause of death is still unknown, according to his family.

    The proprietor of Tri-R landscaping services in East Hampton along with a partner, Marcelo Chuya, he moved to the South Fork after college. He was born on Staten Island to Fred and Maureen Taaffe Schiaffino on June 23, 1975. As a child there he excelled in athletics and was a pitcher on his high school baseball team, the Tottenville Pirates, helping take them to the city championships.

    He moved to West Palm Beach, Fla., for college, graduating from Northwood University with a degree in business administration. He came to East Hampton to work with his father’s landscaping business and steadily built up the business over 15 years.

    Mr. Schiaffino’s marriage to Kristen McCabe on Aug. 12, 2007, ended in divorce. The marriage resulted in the birth of two sons, Christopher Jr., who is 4, and Daniel, who is 3, for whom he was the primary caregiver and a devoted father, his family said.

    They said he treasured his time with his family and friends, often traveling to New York City to spend holidays with his mother or to take in a Yankees game. He enjoyed all sports, and was a fan of the Boston Celtics and the New York Giants. He enjoyed outdoor pursuits such as golf, as well as poker. His sister Lori Schiaffino said he spent every summer weekend fishing on her family’s boat in Montauk. As an adult he continued his love of playing baseball as the starting shortstop for the Ocean Aire Nurseries, La Superica, and Sag Harbor Liquors teams, which he led to championships.

    In addition to his two sons, he is survived by his mother and her partner, Charles Milano of Staten Island, his father and his wife, Michele, of East Hampton, and three siblings, John Schiaffino of East Hampton, Lori Schiaffino of Huntington and Montauk, and Kathy Trant of Long Meadow, Mass. Also surviving are a grandfather and five nieces and nephews.

    Mr. Schiaffino was remembered with wakes in East Hampton at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home on Sunday and on Staten Island, where he was buried at Moravian Cemetery on Monday.