Daniel Sullivan Jr., former club director at Bay Way Beach and Cabana Club, dies at 86
Daniel Sullivan Jr. worked as club director, lifeguard, handyman and tennis instructor at Bay Shore's Bay Way Beach and Cabana Club, which his father bought in 1954. Credit: Kevin Finnerty
Daniel Sullivan Jr. made a lasting impression on the Islip community with his infectious smile and outgoing personality.
The Sullivan family was a staple of Bay Shore after Daniel Sullivan Sr. purchased the Bay Way Beach and Cabana Club in 1954. Working alongside his brothers, Lawrence and Terrance, Sullivan performed a variety of roles at the club — club director, lifeguard, handyman and tennis instructor — until it was sold in 1979, the year Sullivan Sr. died.
“The beach club was a fixture of the Great South Bay in the Bay Shore-Brightwaters area,” said his son-in-law, Kevin Finnerty, “Dan was a larger-than-life type character, always cracking jokes, but was also the type of guy to give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it.”
Sullivan, who lived in Islip for more than 40 years, always had a love of the water, which made Bay Way even more special to him. He spent his later years fishing and boating, before he died on Aug. 2. He was 86.
“He was the life of the party. He could always make you laugh, No matter what the conversation was,” his son Daniel Sullivan III said. “Everyone would gravitate towards him, even right up to the end.”
When he became club director, Sullivan was in charge of organizing events and took pride in bringing the community together.
“We had weekly swim meets through the summer, a field day around Labor Day,” Sullivan III said. “There were kite flying contests, pie eating and sandcastle building contests. He took pride in it alongside his father, who was a big part of it as well. Bay Way was a different world, its own little community — and my dad made it that way.”
Sullivan enjoyed playing tennis, maintaining the courts and providing lessons for club members. The Sullivans created one of the first tennis bubbles in 1965, which allowed for year-round play.
“Everyone loved him,” said Maureen Haag, whose family belonged to the Bay Way Beach and Cabana Club. “He was a great personality, and everyone saw that on display, so we all loved him.”
Sullivan was born Sept. 1, 1937, and grew up in Floral Park before his family moved to Bay Shore. He graduated from La Salle Military Academy in Oakdale and then attended Dayton University in Ohio. He owned a tire business for a few years before enlisting in the National Guard from 1962 to 1967.
“He was a tough, hardworking guy, very handy,” Finnerty said. “He was always working on and fixing things, and that was a big part of his job back at the club.”
Sullivan is survived by his wife of 43 years, Santa; brothers, Lawrence and Terrance; sons, Daniel and Michael; daughter, Danielle; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
“He was all about his family,” Sullivan III said. “His grandchildren were the apple of his eye, and he loved every moment with them.”
A wake for Sullivan will be held at Chapey & Sons Funeral Home in West Islip Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral Mass will be on Friday at St. Patrick’s Church in Bay Shore at 9:45 a.m.
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
