1 Photo
Arthur E. DiPietro
Former Westhampton Beach resident Arthur E. DiPietro died of heart failure on Wednesday, March 27, at his farm, “Finca Vigia” (“Lookout Farm”), in Alfombra, Costa Rica, on the Pacific Coast. He was 70 years old. Mr. DiPietro was a local attorney and he and his wife of 17 years, Bonnie Davis DiPietro, owned and operated “Cafe HeBird SheBird” and “Awful Arthur’s Bait and Tackle Shop” on Sunset Avenue.
Born in Brooklyn on August 25, 1942, he was the only child of the late Viola and Alfred DiPietro. He graduated from Concordia Prep School in Bronxville, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and received his law degree from New York University.
He served as Southampton Town attorney, village attorney in Westhampton Beach and ran an unsuccessful campaign for Southampton Town supervisor in 1995. He was an active member of the community and a past president of the Westhampton Rotary Club, where he was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow. For 12 years he served as a Little League coach and, over the years, served on the board of directors of Westhampton Beach Family Counseling, Central Suffolk Hospital, and the Westhampton Presbyterian Church.
The DiPietros relocated to Costa Rica in 2008, where Mr. DiPietro wrote a fishing column and operated a whale and dolphin sailing tour in the Golfo Dulce, off of the Osa Peninsula in the southernmost area of the country. He was a captain and an avid, most adept sport fisherman with a love of the sea, conservation and the environment.
Mr. DiPietro is survived by his wife, Bonnie, and his daughter, Laura Parker. A memorial service will be held at a future date. Memorial donations in his name may be made to Westhampton Rotary Meals on Wheels, Post Office Box 124, Westhampton, New York, 11977.
on Apr 5, 2013