James H. Loper Jr., a lifelong East Hampton resident until his retirement in 1997, died last Thursday at home in Hurlock, Md., of dementia. He was 78.
Mr. Loper worked for the East Hampton Village Department of Public Works for 30 years. He helped construct the Pussy’s Pond bridge, and to reconstruct it as well. A longtime volunteer with the Springs Fire Department, he was a founding member of the East Hampton Waterfowl Association.
He was a keen hunter and a skilled decoy carver. A number of his finest decoys won blue ribbons in shows and contests, and those were the ones he gave away to family members, they said. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren.
Mr. Loper was born on Oct. 20, 1941, at Southampton Hospital to James H. Loper Sr. and Eliza Bennett Kent. His father died in 1945, in a fire at a base camp during World War II.
He grew up on Accabonac Road, attending local schools, and graduated from East Hampton High School in December 1957. In March 1963 he married Catherine O’Sullivan; they had three children. The marriage ended in divorce, and Mr. Loper moved to Gardiner Avenue in Springs. In August 1990, he married Cyri Bennett, who survives.
He also leaves two daughters, Teresa Loper Schurr of Springs and Tina Loper Ozturk of Montauk, and a stepdaughter, Penny Johnson of Hurlock. Another daughter, Tara Loper Mansir, died in 2012. Eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren survive as well, as do his siblings, Rose Williams of Secretary, Md., Mark Kent of Federalsburg, Md., and Edward Loper, Kathleen Bouker, and Kenneth Kent, all of East Hampton.
Mr. Loper was cremated. Services will be held at a later date. The family has suggested memorial donations for the Springs Fire Department, 179 Fort Pond Boulevard, East Hampton 11937. Memorial donations may also be sent to the Dementia Society of America, P.O. Box 600, Doylestown, Pa. 18901 and Coastal Hospice and Palliative Care, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, Md. 21802.
This has been updated to clarify the cause of death.
