Henry W. Babcock

Henry W. Babcock of South­ampton—possibly Southampton Hospital’s most dedicated volunteer, having racked up more than 23,000 volunteer hours—died at his home on Saturday, November 15. He was 95.

Mr. Babcock, better known as Ben—a nickname given him by a great-aunt who resented the fact that he wasn’t named Benjamin after her brother (Henry’s grandfather)—began volunteering at the hospital in June 1982. He often said that it added decades to his life.

At first he spent seven days a week volunteering in the emergency room, but a respiratory ailment prevented him for working in that area. He had no trouble finding places to help out, though, often filling in for other volunteers. In addition to his other service, he was a regular fixture at the hospital’s Thrift Shop when it was on Main Street in Southampton.

The hospital was not the only institution that benefited from Mr. Babcock’s volunteer spirit. With Thanksgiving around the corner, volunteers at the Human Resources food pantry will recall the many times Mr. Babcock was on hand to fill up food bags for the needy, something he did throughout the year for many years.

Mary Ann Tupper, director of Human Resources, said of Mr. Babcock, “He made everyone feel like a part of the family. He was just the kindest, gentlest man I ever met. He really cared about people.”

Born in 1913 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, the second of six children born to Harry and Teresa Carroll Babcock of Sag Harbor, he moved with his family to Sag Harbor when he was a toddler. His grandfather, his informal namesake Benjamin Babcock, had a pharmacy there. After graduating from Pierson High School, he began work at Bohacks Grocery Store in Sag Harbor. Later, he worked at Hildreth’s Department Store in Southampton, where he met his future wife, Peggy Wolf, with whom he enjoyed more than 35 years of marriage. As Mr. Babcock liked to say, “I worked at Hildreth’s. My wife worked there. Everybody on the East End used to work there!”

Mr. Babcock’s wife died in 1982 and he never remarried.

Because of a heart ailment, he was rejected for active military service, but in a bid to support the war effort, he began work at Grumman, at first in Sag Harbor and later in Calverton, retiring in 1978 after having worked on the manufacture of F-14 fighter jets and the module that was to land men on the moon.

Volunteer work proved to be Mr. Babcock’s true calling. He could be seen almost daily at Southampton Hospital. As Mr. Babcock’s grandson, Kevin Luss, said this week, “My grandfather embodied the spirit of civic pride and community service. And only now, in his passing, am I able to see the legions of folks whose lives were enhanced by his great sense of humor and wonderfully helpful attitude.”

In an interview with an East End magazine, Mr. Babcock disclosed the recipe for his popular cream puffs, a dessert he brought to the many dinners to which he was invited. He noted in another interview that at one time he was making them twice a week, a testament to his busy social calendar.

An avid golfer, fisherman, and hunter, he loved the outdoors. Later in life, he settled into cooking, cards, and crossword puzzles. He enjoyed watching sports on television and the company of his family and many friends.

Survivors said this week that Mr. Babcock would surely want to be remembered for his sense of humor, ready smile, love of entertaining, and his zest for life.

When his grandson asked him about five years ago on his 90th birthday if there was anything at all he would change in his life, he gave it some thought, and came back with a definitive, “Not a darn thing!”

He is survived by a brother, J. Lyman Babcock of East Hampton; a daughter and granddaughter from his first marriage, Mary Suzanne Byrd and Suzanne Michelle Byrd of East Hampton; another daughter, Sandra Luss of Southampton and her husband Tom Luss; three grandchildren, Kevin Luss and his wife Tanya of Southampton, Kimberly Bowman and her husband Aaron of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Kendra Luss O’Dwyer and her husband Damon Lopez-O’Dwyer of New York City; four great-grandchildren, Ben and Caroline Luss and Harrison and Ella Bowman; and many nieces, nephews, and faithful friends.

In addition to his wife, Peggy, Mr. Babcock was predeceased by three sisters, Encie and Mary Olive Babcock, and Carroll Smythe of Sag Harbor; and a brother, Paul Babcock, also of Sag Harbor.

Services were held at Brockett’s Funeral Home in Southampton on Tuesday, November 18. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Southampton Hospital Foundation would be appreciated by the family.