Wayne Heyser, Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society board member, dies at 79

Fire Island Pines, a gay sanctuary since the '60s, is a seasonal community where only those most dedicated to it live year-round. Wayne Heyser did so for roughly a quarter-century until health issues forced him to move to the mainland about two years ago. Even then he continued to serve on the board of the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society, contributing to events and fundraising efforts.

His death Nov. 2 at Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip at age 79, following lingering complications after a fall, left bereft a family of friends.

“We made a home for him here,” said fellow year-round resident Karen Boss, his closest friend. And when it came to his community, “Wayne was involved. He volunteered for anything he could.” Citing one example, "Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS does a dance festival out here,” and Heyser, who managed two bed-and-breakfasts in Fire Island Pines, “always took care of the head of the organization, and took great care of the guy’s dogs.”

“He was always asking if he could help,” agreed another close friend and year-rounder, Jon Wilner. “Always asking if he could do something for someone. He never asked for himself. It was always, ‘What can I do for you? 'How can I help you?’ ”

“He was the sweetest man, with a huge heart,” said one of his nieces, Beth Lakis, of Sarasota, Florida. “And just happy — a have-a-good-time kind of guy. If something serious was happening, he always felt it'll work itself out.”

Born Aug. 4, 1945, in Mineola, the younger of two sons of William John Heyser and Mary Theresa Candela Heyser, Wayne William Heyser grew up in Queens and, later, Bellerose Village. He earned a bachelor’s degree in German and a master’s degree in humanities, according to his resume, which lists no specific schools; family members and friends were uncertain which he attended.

But by 1969, he was working for Pan American World Airways, the start of a more than two-decade career there until the fabled airline ceased operations in December 1991. A 1973 Daily News article about fog socking in Kennedy Airport quoted him in his then-capacity as “a passenger-service official.” According to his resume his positions included flight attendant, then flight attendant supervisor, scheduling manager, trainer, “special protocol agent” and company representative in negotiations with crew unions.

Living by this time in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, he went on to be the office manager of the antiques and restoration firm Olek Inc. Later, he was part-owner of a men’s clothing and accessories store within Splash, “the biggest gay bar in the city in the '80s and '90s,” Wilner said. “He had a boutique there and was very proud of it.” Heyser later opened a satellite store in Fire Island Pines.

In 2001, by now living in that hamlet, he turned to managing bed-and-breakfasts there, and went on to obtain a real estate license. In 2011, he was an eyewitness who described to Newsday the devastating fire that destroyed the landmark Pavilion nightclub and entertainment complex, which was rebuilt and reopened two years later.

But his main Fire Island Pines love, his friends all said, was his dachshund, Syndey. “His love for his dog was just incredible,” said Boss. “That dog was his life.”

In addition to Lakis, Heyser is survived by another niece, Jennifer Heyser, of Atlanta. Their father, Wayne Heyser's older brother, John, died before him.

There was no service or visitation, according to a representative of Raynor & D’Andrea Funeral Homes in West Sayville. A celebration of his life will be held next spring when the season opens at Fire island Pines, said Lakis, who had no details.