Reginald Frederick Tuthill went home to be with our Lord in the comfort of his Orient home at age 88 on Aug. 2, 2024. Reg’s greatest joys were spending time with his beloved family, all things Orient/Greenport, Oysterponds oysters, helping others, warm sunshine (especially in Puerto Rico), fishing and finding good deals. He was a loyal husband, father, grandfather, sibling and friend.

Reg was a lifelong learner, entrepreneur and consummate salesman/storyteller who cherished every day he walked this earth. He will be remembered for his contagious smile, tireless work ethic, sense of humor, determination to overcome obstacles, a wonderful laugh and his harmonious whistling. He will be missed beyond words by all who knew him, and he leaves a legacy of accomplishment and encouraging greatness in others.

Born April 11, 1936, Reg was the fourth of nine children born to Leroy Winfield Tuthill of Greenport and Elizabeth Halsey Tuthill of Shelter Island. Reg grew up in Greenport and exhibited a strong work ethic from an early age, delivering newspapers before school, junking (copper, iron, lead) from Greenport World War II businesses, pumping gas at his brother Roy’s station, tending bar at Shelter Island Yacht Club, fishing with the Fiedler brothers, and was member of the Greenport Fire Department and their race team.

Reg graduated from Greenport High School, where he was an exceptional athlete in baseball, basketball, track and football, coached under the famed Dory Jackson. He was the first in his family to attend college. After Ithaca College, he started a lifelong sales career at Air Express International, an air freight corporation founded by his beloved mentor, Chester M. Mayer.

Reg met the love of his life, Ruth Pauline Tuthill, who summered in Orient, on the Greenport High School tennis court one summer during his college years. After dating long distance, they married on Aug. 19, 1962, at the Greenport Presbyterian Church, and enjoyed 62 years of marriage. The couple started their married life in Garden City and celebrated the births of their three children Julia, John, and Carolyn. They spent weekends in Orient with their parents and extended family, never tiring of fishing, clamming and all the joys of Orient. The demands of Reg’s international sales career at AEI led them to move to Orient full-time to raise their family in 1972.

Reg and Ruth became an integral part of the Orient community over the next 52 years. Reg was a member of Orient Congregational Church, serving as trustee, finance committee member and church supper chef. He was also a member of Orient Yacht Club and the Oysterponds Historical Society, working tirelessly on its Webb House $100,000 restoration campaign, as well as organizing an annual pig roast fundraiser for many years. Reg was also a strong advocate for Orient’s precious water aquifer. In Greenport, Reg was co-founder and partner of the former Dominico & Tuthill Antiques business and a member of the Chinese Yacht Club.

After a successful 35-plus-year career in air freight, Reg retired to Orient. It didn’t take long for his entrepreneurial spirit to stir up in the creation of Oysterponds Shellfish Company, partnering with marine biology teacher John Holzapfel and brother-in-law Lyle Tuthill, starting an oyster farm in Orient. Oyster farming became Reg’s retirement passion and his legacy continues with the next generation.

Reg is survived by his loving wife, Ruth Pauline Tuthill; his beloved three children: Julia Tuthill Mulligan (Casey) of Chicago, Ill., John Halsey Tuthill (Martha) of Orient and Carolyn Tuthill Bozzuto (Kosta) of Atlanta, Ga.; 10 grandchildren: Jackson Bryant Mulligan, Marcus James Mulligan, John Casey Mulligan, Elizabeth (Ella) Grace Mulligan, Maeve Ruthelaine Mulligan, Brian Joseph Tuthill, Sarah Jean Tuthill Stallone (Nick), Kathleen Ruth Tuthill, Matthew John Tuthill and Julianna Athena Bozzuto; five siblings: Florence Horton of Orient, Halsey Tuthill of Carmel, N.Y., Lucile Koutnik (John) of Houston, Texas, Betty Jane Gatti of Ossining, N.Y., and David Tuthill (Jane) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and brother-in-law Lyle Tuthill (Carol) of Tavares, Fla.

Reg was predeceased by his father, LeRoy Winfield Tuthill (1986); his mother, Elizabeth Halsey Tuthill (1990); and siblings LeRoy Donald Tuthill (1991), Joan Tuthill Miller (2013) and Carol Ann Tuthill Taplin (2020).

Our family welcomes friends to gather Saturday, Aug. 24, at 11 a.m. at Orient Congregational Church for a Celebration of Life service officiated by the Rev. Dr. Ann Van Cleef, followed by a poolside reception at the Tuthill home in Orient.

Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport assisted the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Reg’s memory to Orient Congregational Church, P.O. Box 425, Orient, NY 11957; Oysterponds Historical Society, P.O. Box 70, Orient, NY 11957; or Orient Fire Department, P.O. Box 130, Orient, NY 11957.

This is a paid notice.