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David Allan Wilcox
Former Speonk resident David Allan Wilcox of Greenport died on June 1 at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. He was 77.
Born February 24, 1933, to Georgiana (née Robinson) and S. LeRoy Wilcox, he attended Westhampton schools from kindergarten through high school and participated in high school track and football.
Following high school, he worked for his family’s Long Island duck farm, the Oceanic Duck Farm at Brushy Neck in Speonk. The farm was originally established by his grandfather, E.O. Wilcox, in 1883.
Years later, after his father retired, he purchased the family farm and subsequently expanded the business to a second location in Riverhead. According to family members, at the time of his retirement the Oceanic Duck Farm was the oldest continually operated duck farm in the nation. Since then, the property has been converted into a horse boarding and riding academy under the name Hillcrest Sport Stable.
He married his high school sweetheart, Catherine Lane, on July 10, 1952; the couple had met years prior when they were children attending the Eastport Bible Church Sunday School.
He was a member of the Eastport Bible Church, the Moriches Bay Power Squadron, and the Long Island Farm Bureau. He also served on the board of directors for the Long Island Duck Growers Association and the Cornell Duck Research Laboratory.
Family members recently remembered him as a man who was never short on interests and hobbies that “usually relied on his uncanny ability to tinker, build and fix things.” He was an H.O. model train buff, enjoyed wood carving and enjoyed family outings on his boat around eastern Long Island and Connecticut.
Throughout his life, he owned and raced speed boats, go-karts and stock cars. Under the pseudonym “Dave Ryan,” he raced stock cars at the Riverhead and Islip speedways.
In recent years, he occupied his time with maintenance and upkeep at Hillcrest Sport Stable, traveling to Hawaii and the Caribbean, boating on the Oceanic III and assisting with the daily care of his daughter, Debra.
He is survived by his wife, Catherine Wilcox of Greenport; three daughters, Diane Homan and her husband Ken of Westhampton, Debra Wilcox of Southampton, and Darlene Raynor of Riverhead; two sons, David Wilcox Jr. and his wife Paula, and Dean Wilcox and his wife Cindy, both of Westhampton; a sister, Jean Tuttle of Eastport; grandchildren, Sierra Silkman and her husband Cory of Maryland, Samantha Vigliotta and her husband Michael of Patchogue, Susan Homan, Samantha Homan, Michelle Wilcox, Morgan Wilcox and Donna Wilcox, all of Westhampton, and Nicholas Raynor of Riverhead; a mother-in-law, Lillian Lane of Westhampton; brothers-in-law Walter Lane of California and Frank Lane and his wife Nan, also of California; and an uncle, Raymond Robinson and his wife Lois of Speonk.
His parents, S. LeRoy and Georgianna Wilcox, and a sister, Janice Penney, predeceased him.
The family received visitors on June 4 at Follett & Werner Funeral Home in Westhampton Beach. Funeral services followed on June 5 at Eastport Bible Church. Interment followed at Eastport Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Eastport Bible Church, 386 Montauk Highway, Eastport, NY 11941 or the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oaklahoma City, OK 73123 would be appreciated by the family.
on Jun 8, 2010