Dan's Papers - November 23, 2007 - Nick Monte Is Returned To The Sea He Loved

Last Sunday, almost a week before his 91st birthday, Nick Monte was returned to the very ocean that he loved his whole life, and which he built his 50-year career around as Gurney's Inn Keeper. He always believed that life came from the sea, and now his life will go on in the sea.

As family members gathered along the Montauk oceanfront beach at Gurney's Inn holding white carnations, and his friends congregated on the decks above, a small private plane appeared on the horizon. As it got closer, the plane, operated by Ed Kenny of Montauk, dipped, turned and circled around the resort, leaving a trail of smoke. Then, in a dramatic gesture, it headed straight out over the ocean, and dropped an urn containing Monte's ashes into the waves.

Moments before, in a memorial service for Nick Monte held inside Gurney's Inn, his nephew, Paul Monte, said how it was "only fitting that today we will return him to the sea that he loved so much."

Paul Monte, General Manager of Gurney's Inn Resort & Spa, said, "Uncle Nick used to call the sea and the beach his psychiatrist. He said if more people lived close to the water, they wouldn't need one. Nick maintained his connection to the sea by drinking a shot of seawater every day for 50 years."

It was also this passion for the water that first captured Nick Monte's attention when he came out to Gurney's Inn for lunch in 1955, and later decided to buy this resort in 1956. Over the years, he expanded the inn and created a world-class seawater spa, using products with sea minerals and pumping fresh salt water into the pool and jacuzzis.

Paul Monte also told how his uncle had spent the first 40 years of his life working with his parents and six brothers in their well-known Brooklyn restaurant called Monte's Venetian Room. His brother Angelo Monte, the last living brother, joined him in creating Gurney's Resort and is still a presence there at age 88.

Angelo's son, Paul Monte, who grew up at this resort, praised his uncle Nick for teaching him the business. "He was more than an uncle to me. He was my boss, my friend, my mentor and a constant source of knowledge and wisdom in our daily interactions," he said. "I have learned so much just by being in his presence all these years, and I am forever grateful to him for taking me under his wing."

Dan Rattiner, Publisher and Editor in Chief of Dan's Papers, also praised Nick Monte for being a father figure and mentor to him while starting his newspaper, The Montauk Pioneer, in 1960 when Monte was taking over Gurney's Inn.

"Nick was one of my first advertisers, and he gave me business advice," said Rattiner. "He also called me to do an interview with Richard Nixon when he stayed at Gurney's during the early 1960s, after he had lost the election for Governor of California. But I told Nick I was too busy, because at the time, I didn't think Nixon was worth interviewing. And Nick never let me live it down."

Monte's long-time friend, Dr. John DeGregorio, spoke about their long relationship, which went back to the Brooklyn restaurant days. DeGregorio told how he flew out to see Monte in Nevada when he became ill, and just before he died, he told Monte, "When we meet again, we'll have a martini." In response, Monte, who could no longer speak, held up two fingers, and the two friends had one last hearty chuckle.

Gary Krupp, of Long Beach, a 30-year guest at Gurney's Inn Resort, who was knighted by Pope Jean Paul II for his work with Pave the Way Foundation, which works to create tolerance and understanding among different religions, also spoke about Monte.

"He was the consummate host and innkeeper, greeting my wife Meredith and me all these years, and making our visits to Montauk so memorable," he said. "We arranged for Nick, his wife Lola and his family to meet the Pope shortly before he died, which was one of the highlights of his life."

Joe Bloecker, of the Montauk Friends of Erin, said his group has purchased a teak bench in memory of Monte, which they will place in a prominent location in Montauk.

While waiting for the plane to arrive, several members of the East End community got up and told stories about Nick. Dave Lee, a former chairman of the Long Island Convention & Visitor's Bureau, said Monte had helped to found this organization, and how he had contributed greatly to the tourist economy.

Ingrid Lemme, Public Relations Director at Gurney's Inn, talked of how "Mr. Monte," as she called him, had asked her for years to be his housekeeping manager, but that she eventually talked him into hiring her for public relations.

Buddy Burke of Montauk, who has taken care of Gurney's boilers for 29 years, said, "Nick Monte was like family to me, and I will greatly miss him." Reverend John Best, of the Montauk Community Church, praised Monte's leadership, as he was among the first to bring Hispanic people to Montauk, and his support of the churches in Montauk. On Monday, a mass was held for Monte at St. Therese of Liseux Roman Catholic Church in Montauk.

Paul Monte and Ingrid Lemme have put together a hardcover pictorial book of Nick Monte's life, titled Forever the Dream, which is available on his website at www.nickmonte.com or by calling 631-668-1737. The cost is $75 and proceeds go to the Columbia University Dept. of Ophthalmology.