Dan's Papers - November 7, 2008 - "Captain Bob" Tuma, 85

Robert Charles Tuma, better known as "Captain Bob" Tuma, died at his home in Montauk on November 1, at the age of 85. One of Montauk's longest working charter boat captains, Tuma continued to fish sporadically on his boat, the Dawn, last summer, even as he battled lung cancer for the past year.

Tuma was one of eight "old timer" captains who were honored last June by the Montauk Chamber of Commerce for their long service to the local fishing industry. He was also honored last year by the Montauk Boatmen and Captain's Association (MBCA) for his 60 years of service to charter fishing, and their organization.

"Bob was a gentleman and a wonderful fisherman. An icon to the whole fleet," said Capt. Joe McBride, former president of the MBCA. "He was one of the most respected captains in the harbor."

Several years ago, Tuma was also the first "Captain of the Year" to be honored by the East Hampton Kiwanis Club and the Montauk Lions Club, at their annual Mercury Grand Slam Fishing Tournament at Uihlein's Marina."Bob took pride in his boat and his home, and he was independent and self-sufficient in his whole way of life," said Henry Uihlein of Montauk.

In his later years, Tuma sold his second "Dawn," and attempted retirement, but he soon grew bored and missed being out on the water. He took a job as a captain of another boat, also called "Dawn," and continued taking out inshore fishing charters.

For the past 60 years, Tuma was a fixture at Salivar's Restaurant at the docks, where he sat every morning at 5 a.m. "My late husband, Pete and I saw him every day for the past decades, and we can't imagine not seeing him at his same stool here," said owner Tina Chimpoukchis. "We were also his neighbors and friends."

Robert Charles Tuma was born on December 24, 1922, at South Side Hospital in Bayshore, to Charles and Johanna Tuma of Montauk. His father, Charlie, started the charter fishing business in Montauk during the 1930s, with his brother, Frank Tuma, Sr. During the 1950s, they started Tuma's Dock and Tackle Shop. Bob Tuma grew up in Montauk, where he attended Montauk Public School and graduated in 1940 from East Hampton High School. As a child, his family lived in Montauk's old fishing village, next door to his cousin Frank Tuma, Jr.

After high school, he worked at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, assembling planes, his other love. He went in the Navy for four years during World War II, as a fighter pilot on F6F's, patrolling the ocean.When he got out of the Navy, Tuma studied civil engineering at Indiana Technical Institute in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he earned his degree in 1949. During college, he earned extra money by becoming an Arthur Murray Dance instructor.

During summers in college, he worked as a mate, along with his brother, Burt Tuma, on his father's charter boat, the first "Dawn." In the summer of 1948, he met his wife, Sibyl Frances Opdyke, at Trail's End Restaurant in Montauk, and they were married on June 24, 1949.

Although Tuma was offered numerous civil engineering jobs, he turned them down and decided to take over his father's boat, which he ran ever since, purchasing his second "Dawn" during the 1970s.

Robert Tuma is a retired 23-year member of the Montauk Fire Department, a former member of the Montauk Lions Club, and a long-time member of the Montauk Boatmen and Captain's Association and of the Montauk Community Church.

He was predeceased by his wife, Sibyl, and by his brother, Burt Tuma of Montauk. He is survived by his two daughters, Debbie Tuma of Montauk and Wendy Tuma Barnes of Asheville, N.C., and his granddaughter, Cahleigh Rain Barnes, of San Francisco.

A memorial service will be held at the Inlet Seafood Restaurant. East Lake Drive on Monday, November 10, at 2 p.m. Tuma's ashes will be interned at Fort Hill Cemetery in Montauk, with another burial at sea at a date to be announced. Memorial Donations may be made to the Montauk Fire Dept/Ambulance Squad, or East End Hospice.