Merrall Topping Hildreth, a descendant of a Hildreth who settled on Long Island in the 17th century, died gently at home in Sagaponack on July 5, his daughter, Deborah Hildreth Phelps of Columbia County, N.Y., said. He was 96 and had been in the care of East End Hospice for less than two weeks.
Mr. Hildreth's grandfather and great-uncle bought a building that housed a store and the Sagaponack Post Office in 1893. He owned and ran Hildreth & Company General Store with his wife and was the assistant postmaster, working for his father, the postmaster, until 1970, when he became postmaster himself. He remained in that position until 1986, when he retired. While his wife ran the store and he was alone in the post office, he took up whittling, a hobby he was good at and that he continued for the rest of his life. In 2001 he sold the building to his nephew Richard Thayer.
Born the second of six children on April 5, 1924, to Wallace Leland Hildreth and the former Elizabeth Vail, he grew up in Sagaponack, attending the Sagaponack Common School and graduating from Bridgehampton High School in 1942.
During World War II, Mr. Hildreth served in the Navy as an aviation machinist's mate aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Theater, from November 1942 until mid-January 1946. He was honorably discharged and awarded a Silver Star, four Bronze Stars, and a Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, the Navy's third highest individual award.
On June 25, 1950, he married Mary Lewis of Southampton Village, who survives. They had two daughters, Ms. Phelps and Donna Hildreth Moss, who died in 2000.
Mr. Hildreth was musical and played the violin as a child. He was also a natural athlete whose many pleasures included bowling -- he was on a team that competed for many years at East End Bowl -- golf, sailing, woodworking, and iceboating. He built his own boats in his barn by himself: iceboats, Sunfish, and a 20-foot cabin boat with outboard motor, in which the family spent weekends on Long Island Sound. When he was in his 70s, he helped his grandson, Eric Moss, build a boat in the barn.
People would drop by to visit, his daughter said, and ask what he was doing. He never had to ask for help; family and friends would help him pull the wood and clamp it, among other tasks. He enjoyed iceboating into his 80s, said Ms. Phelps. He also designed, built, and furnished numerous dollhouses, as well as replicas of the Hildreth store, the Sagg School, and the original Presbyterian Church in Bridgehampton. The Bridgehampton Historical Society held an exhibition of his wood carvings and model houses in 2011. He had an informal museum of his own making in the barn, with family heirlooms, antiques from the store, and items he had collected over the years. Groups of schoolchildren sometimes took field trips there. He carved animals and other figures in wood and also repaired customers' clocks, chairs, and other items that he would pick up while delivering orders, take away to fix at no charge, and bring back on the next delivery.
In addition to his wife and daughter, three grandchildren, Eleanor Phelps of Thailand (Sister Quang Son), Bree Moss of Florida, and Eric Moss of Wainscott, survive, as do two great-grandchildren. His sister Mary Louise Hildreth Leonard of Sagaponack, a retired teacher, survives as well.
His sisters Ruth Hildreth Wiggins and Elizabeth (Betty) Hildreth, both of Sagaponack, and his brothers Wilbur Leland Hildreth of Glen Head and Charles Edward Hildreth of Bridgehampton, died before him, as did two nephews. Twelve nieces and nephews and many great-nieces and great-nephews survive.
The family held a private graveside service last Thursday at the family plot at Edgewood Cemetery in Bridgehampton, the Rev. Chuck Cary officiating. A Navy honor guard played Taps and presented an American flag to his wife.
Mr. Hildreth was a longtime member of the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church and of the Sagaponack Cemetery Association, helping to maintain the grounds and raise and lower the flag. Memorial donations have been suggested to the church, at 2429 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton 11932, the cemetery association, c/o Jeff White, P.O. Box 298, Sagaponack 11962, or East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach 11978.
