Donald M. Halsey, Former Village Clerk

Donald M. Halsey, who had been the East Hampton Village clerk and treasurer from 1966 until his retirement in 1982, died on Jan. 30 at the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Southampton. He was 93 and had been receiving treatment after a fall, his daughter, Karen Harden of Lubbock, Tex., said.

Mr. Halsey was remembered as a gentleman who was involved in many things. He was a lifelong member of the East Hampton Presbyterian Church, where he was a deacon and elder as well as treasurer. He was a member of the East Hampton Historical Society, reflecting an interest in the area’s past and his family lore. He was also a member of the American Legion.

“He served the village with due diligence and was the guiding force at that time with the board of trustees and the public,” East Hampton Village Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said.

“I would refer to him as a Renaissance man. He guided the village into the threshold of the computer age,” Mr. Rickenbach, who had been a village police officer during Mr. Halsey’s tenure, said. “I have fond memories of Don. He was a very, very interesting man.”

Donald M. Halsey was born in East Hampton on Dec. 10, 1923, to Isaac Young Halsey and the former Ola Miller. He attended East Hampton schools, graduating from high school in 1941, and then the University of Pennsylvania. He ultimately received a business degree from the University of New Mexico, and following graduation worked for a time at his father’s garage, I.Y. Halsey, in East Hampton. He then worked in New York City before returning to East Hampton.

 A Navy veteran, Mr. Halsey served stateside during World War II in an aviation unit. He was stationed at the Banana River naval air base in Florida in 1946, and was discharged in April that year.

According to a report from 1944 in The East Hampton Star, Mr. Halsey became a pilot and learned to fly planes with skis as landing gear in Vermont, and he took advanced flight courses in Chapel Hill, N.C.

He and Ellen Fithian, who had been a classmate since kindergarten, were married on Dec. 18, 1965. They lived for a brief period on Conklin Terrace in East Hampton, then had a house built on Cove Hollow Road, also in East Hampton. The couple then lived for many years on Fithian Lane in East Hampton Village.

Mr. Halsey kept a number of boats at the family’s Halsey Marina on Three Mile Harbor, including a tug that he had custom built in Connecticut. Other interests included antique automobiles; there was always one stored in the barn, Mrs. Halsey said, and their house was filled with car magazines reflecting his passion.

Mr. Rickenbach said that nearly every conversation he remembered having with Mr. Halsey included mention of youthful days spent hanging around the Halsey garage, watching the mechanics or listening to the stories of chauffeurs.

After retiring from the village clerk-treasurer post, he spent time traveling with his wife and spending time with his family.

“He knew everybody, knew the history, loved the village,” Mrs. Halsey said.

In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Halsey is survived by a son, F. Keith Reutershan of East Hampton, three grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

A funeral for Mr. Halsey was held at the East Hampton Presbyterian Church on Friday, with the Rev. Scot McCachren officiating. Burial followed in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton.

Memorial donations have been suggested to the East Hampton Presbyterian Church, 120 Main Street, East Hampton 11937.