Henry Dankowski Jr.

Henry E. Dankowski Jr., a farmer, builder, and longtime resident of Wainscott and East Hampton, died on Aug. 10 at the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Southampton. He was 91 years old and had been in ill health for some time.

Mr. Dankowski was born in Wainscott on May 2, 1925, to Henry and Susan Dankowski, and grew up in East Hampton. He attempted to enlist in the military during World War II but was deferred because he was a farmer, an essential occupation in wartime.

Also a self-taught carpenter, he built many houses from Bridgehampton to East Hampton, including the farmhouse on Wainscott Hollow Road where his son’s family currently lives. Another of his houses was featured in the 1975 issue of Record Houses magazine.

He was a longtime member of the Bridgehampton Fire Department, which he joined in 1952, the same year of his marriage to the former Barbara C. Bahns.

Mr. Dankowski was an ardent baseball fan, having played in his youth with the White Eagles, a local team with many farmers on it. He played for a time alongside Carl Yastrzemski Sr. and his son, also Carl, who became an 18-time All-Star with the Boston Red Sox.

Mr. Dankowski loved hunting with his son and surfcasting on the beaches of Wainscott, his family said. He was a member of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Bridgehampton, where a funeral Mass was said on Aug. 15.

His wife of almost 64 years survives, as do his children, Peter Dankowski of Wainscott and Paula Dankowski of New Paltz, N.Y. He also leaves a sister, Virginia Cardillo of Floral Park, and two grandchildren.

Burial was at the Wainscott Cemetery. The family has suggested memorial donations for the Bridgehampton Fire Department, P.O. Box 1280, Bridgehampton 11932.