Town and county officials gathered along with family members, friends, and colleagues to honor Nicholas G. Morehead with the installation of a student-made bench in his memory in a quiet preserve overlooking Dickerson Creek.
Speakers at Monday’s ceremonial unveiling of the bench spoke of Morehead’s commitment to the Shelter Island community and to the broader interests of the East End and Suffolk County. Morehead died of cancer in 2021 at age 46 and is survived by his wife, Paige, and their children, Cayman and Larkin.
He is greatly missed, too, by an extended family and a broad circle of friends and colleagues, who comprised a crowd of 100 or so for the event at Dickerson Creek Overlook.
Community Preservation Fund Chairman Gordon Gooding, who helped to coordinate the event, served as an impromptu emcee. He first invited John Moore of the East End Church of Christ to begin the ceremony with a blessing. And then, he introduced Suffolk County Planning Commission Chairwoman Jennifer Casey, who served with Morehead, when he represented Shelter Island on the panel for many years.
‘Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does’
“I had the great honor of serving with Nick,” Casey said. Regarding his devotion to community, she quoted 19th-century pragmatist William James, “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” The words are included on a plaque on the bench.
Casey said that, for her, the highlight of Morehead’s tenure on the SCPC was a 2018 visit by commissioners to Shelter Island that he planned so as to ensure his colleagues appreciated the Island’s special character.
The day started at Sylvester Manor, where the commissioners learned about the then-new wastewater treatment system that was installed in part thanks to county funding. They had lunch at The Islander and visited the newly expanded and renovated Shelter Island History Center. To cap the day, Morehead captained the South Ferry boat that returned the group to the South Fork.
“It was an amazing day, and Nick was so proud that he got to share this slice of Heaven with us,” she said. “Nick showed such courage, grace, and humor during his health challenges. He was selfless and put everyone at ease around him. He was generous, kind, and loyal. When I first met him, I was struck by his wit and intelligence.”
“We were truly lucky to have his presence on our commission,” Casey said. “I miss him terribly and I’m honored to dedicate this bench in his memory. Nick made a difference in the lives of many people and continues to do so. I hope that people who did not have the fortune to meet him will sit at this bench and know that Nick made a difference and they can, too.”
Bellone praises Morehead’s ‘beautiful humanity’
Casey was accompanied by Andrew Freleng, the chief planner at Suffolk County’s Department of Planning, and Elizabeth Galle, who now serves as Shelter Island’s representative to the SCPC.
In addition to her own remarks, Casey read a proclamation honoring him from Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, which she then presented to his family.
Bellone expressed gratitude on behalf of Suffolk County’s 1.5 million residents for Morehead’s distinguished service that “contributed to the vibrancy of our community,” improving the lives of those around him.
He said Nick would be remembered “for his beautiful humanity, which included resilience, altruism, generosity, hope and most of all, compassion.”
A favorite story
Brett Surerus, a close friend, asked the students who built the bench to come forward, and as they gathered around their handiwork, he told a favorite Nick story, certain to resonate with anyone who has tried to eat outdoors by the seaside.
“This bench doesn’t known Nick yet, so I thought I’d tell a story about Nick,” he said. Along with a big group of friends and their young children, they’d decided to spend a “family day” on the beach in Montauk and brought along some hero sandwiches.
“Nick and I sat down right next to each other, enjoying those heroes. Unbeknownst to us, our kids are behind us. Too afraid to go in the ocean, they’re throwing popcorn to the seagulls.”
“This seagull comes in and buzzes Nick’s towel, and he’s like, ‘whoa, whoa! I gotta watch my sandwich here.’ So he puts one half away. We start talking. I’m not kidding, the next seagull comes down, puts its claws on his sandwich, and he punches it right in the face and sent that seagull flying. No seagull ever messed with Nicholas Morehead again.”
“I miss him every day,” Surerus said, thanking the students for building the bench.
Before cutting the ribbon and revealing the bench, Gooding acknowledged Morehead’s family members. And he noted the presence of many Town officials and members of Town committees and organizations who’d worked with Nick.
Connecting across generations
Morehead’s father-in-law, Cliff Clark, South Ferry president, said that when anyone questions Shelter Island’s future, he thinks about the school, and kids, like the students in Christopher Conrardy’s technology class who created the mahogany bench from wood reclaimed from a deck.
“I see the young people on Shelter Island and I think, this Island’s in great shape because of you folks and others up in that school,” he said, thanking the students, Conrardy, Superintendent Brian J. Doelger, and other school officials in attendance.
“Just a comment about Nick. You know, you throw a pebble in the water, and it sends a ripple,” Clark said. “You throw a stone in the water, it makes a bigger ripple. Nick thew a boulder in our water, and it just keeps going.”
