Steven Reisman, former Patrol Leader at Big Vanilla at Davos Ski Patrol in the Southern NY Region, passed away on August 9, 2025, at the age of 84.
Born on June 13, 1941, Steven attended Bayside High School, where he excelled at swimming. At just sixteen, he became a lifeguard at Rockaway Beach—a role that sparked a lifelong passion for the ocean. He later joined the Knickerbocker Yacht Club in Port Washington, NY, serving as secretary for more than sixteen years and participating in countless sailing events on the Long Island Sound.
Steven was also a proud member of the New York Athletic Club in New York City and enjoyed spending time at their summer facility on Travers Island in Westchester, NY.
Deeply committed to community and history, Steven served as a trustee of the Cow Neck Historical Society in Port Washington, where he contributed his time, ideas, and expertise.
A devoted skier during the winter months, Steven became a member of the Big Vanilla at Davos Ski Patrol and eventually rose to Patrol Leader until the area closed. He was active in many National Ski Patrol fundraising events throughout the Southern NY Region, including the annual ski shows at the New York Coliseum each fall. In 1979, Steven was awarded National Appointment #5531. He was also an OEC instructor who looked forward each year to the refresher where he could reconnect with patrollers from across the region.
Steven remained a bachelor until 1982, when a chance meeting in a movie line—waiting to see An Officer and a Gentleman—introduced him to Terry, the woman who would become the love of his life.
Their early trips together included a visit to Cape May, NJ, where they both fell in love with the community’s Victorian charm, friendly spirit, and, of course, its beautiful beaches.
After a long search, they found the perfect home for a gift shop, which became The Whimsical Mermaid—another one of Steven’s imaginative ideas. They ran the shop for eighteen joyful years, meeting countless wonderful people, many of whom became lifelong friends. Steven, who adored children, would invite them to return with a hand-painted shell in exchange for a small gift. Over time, the walls of the shop filled with hundreds of painted shells brought by children from near and far.
Steven explored every corner of Cape May by bicycle. With his outgoing personality and genuine interest in people, he became a familiar face to locals and business owners alike—so much so that he was affectionately declared an honorary Mayor of Cape May.
This past June, Steven and Terry celebrated his 84th birthday, his last. Parkinson’s Disease gradually, and then rapidly, took over his body, though he miraculously managed to keep his sharp wit until near the end. Steven was truly one of a kind. To know him was to be blessed. He was Terry’s best friend, and together they were “attached at the hip.”
He will be missed dearly and loved for all the days to come.
