Dennis Griswold

East Hampton celebrates the life of a legend

BY Cristina D. Johnson    September 5, 2008 - 07:50.

Some call him "funny" and others call him "kind" but everyone agrees: Dennis Griswold was a "character."

East Hampton celebrated the life and gifts of the owner of the Happiest Paddler last week after the 61-year-old died unexpectedly from a short-term illness.

Griswold – also known by lifetime friends as "Dennis the Menace" – was not only the owner of the Happiest Paddler, but also as the founder of Friends of Lake Pocotopaug.

His wife, Gladys Yeager – an award winning real estate agent – is among the many who loved Griswold, and is left with nothing but loving memories.

"He always smiled," Yeager said thoughtfully. "Always had a smile on his face."

Sitting on the deck of the home they shared beneath which Griswold made a living running the Happiest Paddler on Lake Pocotopaug, Yeager could only smile as she spoke of her late husband. "He always had a twinkle in his eye… he always was able to laugh and tell stories." With this she paused and chuckled slightly, adding "Tell stories… tell stories…tell stories. He was always telling stories."

"He had no enemies never had a bad thing to say about anybody. He was just generally a good-hearted wonderful man."

As the couple moved to their home on the shore of Lake Pocotopaug, Griswold’s love of the lake became readily apparent.

"Once he got here, he knew this was where he wanted to be. He’d always say ‘We are so lucky. Look at how lucky we are,’" Yeager recalled.

And as the couple built a deck overlooking the lake, she remembered his loving expressions towards the 511-acre body of water at the heart of town.

"He used to come out here and I’d stand up on the window and look out and he’d stand up there and just look at the lake with such love."

"All seasons – even when it’s frozen," Yeager recalled. "He kept on saying ‘We gotta fix it. We gotta fix it’"

And as his love for Lake Pocotopaug filled him more, he formed the FLP even as he told everyone – friends, visitors and family members – about the help the lake needs.

"He accomplished awareness. He’s made a lot of people aware of what’s happening. He did boat tours and even on his boat tours the people that weren’t even part of East Hampton he’d say ‘We have a sick lake and we have to nurse it to get it better.’"

Nikki O’Neill served as the Co-Chair for FLP and said it was here that she became known to Griswold.

"I worked with him being vice chairman of [FLP]," O’Neill said. "He just was so dedicated to everything he did. Whether it was running this place downstairs (The Happiest Paddler), anything to do with the lake. This guy loved the lake more than anyone I know. Always thinking of the lake, the lake, the lake… what can we do with the lake. I think of [Griswold] I think of [Lake Pocotopaug]."

Griswold – though not an East Hampton native – made an impact on many peoples’ lives, from those who rented kayaks and canoes from his shop, to officials.

Town Council Chairwoman Melissa Engel said the loss of Griswold is a huge one for the Town.

"What I admired most was he was a very busy man - as most people who get things done are – but he was so enthusiastic. When he or you came up with a project and suggested it to him, it was always a great idea. He would always make it happen," Engel recalled. "He was a positive guy, the likes of which we don’t see enough."

Councilman John Tuttle said Griswold will be sorely missed.

"[Griswold] was a friend to many, and a tremendous advocate for our Lake. I never heard [him] say "no" to a request. [He was] always helping happily and enthusiastically," Tuttle said. "It's a sad reminder of how fragile life is. I will miss him terribly."

Yeager said the couple had planned to close the doors of the Happiest Paddler soon but now, she says she is not sure what the future holds for Griswold’s beloved shop.

"I think about it now and I say I really don’t think I want it to close. I think I want it to live on but it won’t live on to the magnitude he did. I’ll rent kayaks and canoes and have the store open for little stuff but he …that was his life," she said. "He didn’t just rent a canoe. He rented a canoe and talked to you about your experience in it. With two replaced hips it wasn’t the easiest thing but women and guys who’d never done it before he’d go down and help…Tell you how to get into it and just holler when you get back and he’d help you out."

O’Neill said FLP will go on to honor the passion of Griswold for the health and beauty of Lake Pocotopaug.

"We’re going to go on, and we’re going to have a new chairman. Nobody will be [Griswold] but we’re going to go on and keep doing what we’re doing," she said.

We were able to get the above article from Kamey Peterson, Dennis’ step daughter.  Kamey said of Dennis, “ He was a wonderful man and we miss him very very much.”

Click here for the link to the article in the East Hampton Report news. 

Kamey Peterson also sent us the two photos below of Dennis enjoying life.

Thank you Kamey for sharing this information about Dennis.