Obituary of Bernard C. La May

Bernard Carlton LaMay

Born June 2, 1923

Died November 14, 2019

A native son of Huntington has died!    Bernard (Bud) LaMay is survived by his lovely wife Eleanor LaMay. He is also survived by his children and their spouses; George and Cyndy LaMay, Joanne LaMay and David Horesky, Judith LaMay Black and Robert Black, and Michele LaMay.  His step children Kim Ryan, Kelly Ryan, Heather and Craig Heartwell, Heath and Denise Ryan, Joseph and Cathy Ryan, and Cary Ryan.  His sisters Dorothy LaMay Hunter, Patricia LaMay Langley, and his brothers Robert (Bob) and Theodore (Ted, who is lives in CO) their Spouses Dorothy (Babe) and Patricia. He was preceded in death by his parents Ernest J. LaMay and Alice L’Hommedieu LaMay; as well as by his siblings and their spouses; Peggy and Peter Scholl, Donald LaMay, and Norma LaMay and Emerson Lehner, and his brother-in-laws, James Langley (Sparky), Ken Schlim, and Alex Hunter. Bud has 9 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, 10 step-grandchildren, 4 or more step great grandchildren.  He also has many beloved nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews.

Bud (Bernard) LaMay was born and raised in Huntington by Ernest J. LaMay and Alice L’Hommedieu LaMay.  He was the 4th of their 8 children.  He loved his hometown. He went to St. Patricks’ Catholic School but left in 6th grade. He achieved his GED in his 40s.  After school he worked for his father in the family construction business for years. However, due to the depression he had to find other work such as being a caddy at the local golf course.

During WWII Bud was a Merchant Marine who worked in the engine room aboard ship.  He faced enemy fire during many of the convoys that crossed the Atlantic.  When he left the Merchant Marines, he went to work for the Scholl Gas Company as a gas tank installer.  He then joined the Long Island Lighting Company as a lineman and worked his way up to Foreman and continued to work there until his retirement in the late 1980’s.  He was a dedicated Union man and he worked tirelessly to assist his co-workers so that they may have a better life.  For 1 year during the 1970’s he went to assist his fellow linemen in starting unions in the Pennsylvania Lighting Companies.

Bud married Dorothy Feuerriegel LaMay (pre-deceased) in 1949 and they had 4 children together. They divorced in 1970.  Soon after, Bud met Eleanor Conklin Ryan, and they have been married since 1978. Ellie is the mother of 6 children.

Bud was a Volunteer Fireman for the Huntington Fire Department.  He served in the Hose Company for over 65 years. He helped the department with all sorts of projects, including many fund raisers.

Bud, along with some of his family and his closest Lighting Company friends, created a Gun Club upstate in Roscoe, NY. The club enabled him to be out in nature, which was one of his favorite things. Bud, along with is Uncle Robert L’Hommedieu and some other members, built the cabin by hand, including an amazing stone fireplace, which still stands.

Bud was also a member of The Elks Club and enjoyed an active social life. He loved entertaining very much. In the past few years, his siblings and friends had all started to spend early Saturday evenings together in Bud’s man cave in his garage. They would sing old show tunes, watch classic movies, and reminisce about the old days.

And yet this timeline doesn’t fully capture him.  Please know that he adored his life in Huntington. He embraced those around him and would sweep them off their feet with his warmth.  He lived and loved with a type of joy that made all of us feel special. He was our Buddy, Boo,Boo, our Dad, our Brother, our Uncle, and our Friend.    We feel lucky to have known him.   May all of us who knew him be inspired to dance through life the way he did.

The family asks in lieu of flowers that you please donate to the Huntington Fire Department; or The Anglemans’ Syndrome Foundation in honor of his great granddaughter; or the Suffolk County Cornell Cooperative Education Extension, because of his lifelong love of nature.