Obituary

Harry Scully, former Island Park village clerk, dies at 87

Posted

Harry Scully, a former local lifeguard and village clerk, died on Dec. 13 at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside. He was 87.

His son, Michael Scully, who was recently elected as president of the Island Park Chamber of Commerce, said his father moved to Island Park from Jackson Heights in the early 1940s. He attended Oceanside High School, where he was an athletic standout on the football, track and wrestling teams, and later went to St. John’s University.

During college, he joined the U.S. Army, and served in Korea, before returning to finish his degree in accounting.

Bob Probst, 85, who now resides in Savannah, Georgia, lived across the street from Scully as a teenager, and played on the football and wrestling team with him in high school. Probst said Scully was a terrific athlete, especially at shot put, which he pursued further in college. He remained neighbors with Scully into adulthood, and though Probst later moved to New Jersey, the two remained friends.

“Harry was just a nice guy…a calm character,” Probst said. “He had a great personality. He’d laugh, he’d tell a couple of jokes and would be in hysterics.”

Scully began working as a lifeguard in Island Park in 1951, and became the village clerk in 1955. He was appointed to that position by Island Park’s mayor and village board, and served in the position for 31 years before retiring in 1986.

He married his wife, Roberta, at Sacred Heart Church in Island Park, and had their reception at the village’s American Legion building. The couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in September, which capped off what Roberta called “60 wonderful years.”

“He was a lifeguard on the beach, and he just blew me away,” Roberta said of their first meeting. “He was so handsome, and I just chased after him until I got him,” she added with a soft laugh. “We loved each other a lot.”

Later in Scully’s life, the two spent winters in Florida, Michael said, where they had an oceanfront home. Scully enjoyed fishing, boating and clamming. Michael described his father as a “very funny, very quiet” person, who was highly intelligent.

A memorial service for Scully was held at Macken Funeral Home in Island Park on Dec. 16, and his funeral took place on Dec. 17 at St. Anthony’s Church in Oceanside.

In addition to Michael, and his wife, Roberta, Scully is survived by his other son, Matthew, of Island Park, his daughter Sharon Boorum, of Oceanside, and grandchildren Bryce Scully, of Island Park, and Daniel and Jessica Boorum, both of Oceanside.