East Hampton - Chief Building Inspector Don Sharkey, 46, was reportedly found dead in his home in Amagansett on Monday afternoon, July 6.

Police responded to Sharkey's residence after receiving a phone call from town employees on Monday, as Sharkey had uncharacteristically failed to show up for work or check in with his staff. Officers found him deceased upon their arrival at his home shortly after 3:30 p.m. and reported that he seemed to have expired during the night or in the early morning hours.

Early indications seem to point to a heart failure, however medical examiners have yet to determine the official cause of death. A report from the examiners office is expected within the next few weeks.

Everyone who worked with Sharkey, whether they knew personally or merely professionally, remember him as an endearing man.

Sharkey, who had been with the Town Building Department for over two decades, dating back to the Lester Administration, was a fixture on Pantigo and around town. He joined the Building Department in 1989 as an inspector and made his way to chief 11 years later in 2000. "He did a great job," Kathleen Keller of the town's Human Resources Department contended, pointing out the stringent qualification requirements and years of training necessary to become chief building inspector, "He had lots and lots of titles" over the years, "all with the building department."

Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman, who served as East Hampton Town Supervisor when Sharkey was elevated to chief inspector, remembered him as "very even-minded" in his determinations, adding that there was "no question that he was very deserving" of the promotion. "By all accounts he did a very good job there," Schneiderman reiterated, adding, "He was a lot of fun."

As building inspector, Sharkey has handled rulings regarding code enforcement across the town, sometimes controversially, such as the case of Buckskill Winter Club Ice Rink and the Ross School tennis facility, as well as a temporary Certificate of Occupancy (C.O.) for the Springs Apartments affordable housing complex. "He had an incredibly stressful job," Councilwoman Pat Mansir commented on Monday, "and he was always in the office," she reflected, though she was uncertain whether that may have contributed to stress. "A lot of stuff [under the building department's purview] boils down to one person," Planning Department Director Marguerite Wolffsohn, whose department works closely with Sharkey's on a daily basis, explained. "The chief building inspector has the final word on what the code means."

East Hampton Chief Building Inspector Don Sharkey pictured here during a hearing on the Buckskill Winter Park.

Town employees throughout the Pantigo suites, where the Building Department is located, remember Sharkey for his kindness and jovial personality. "He was loved by everyone, he had more friends in town than anyone," two employees in the planning and zoning offices concurred, noting his "even-tempered" nature. "It's such a loss for the town, I don't know how we're going to fill the void."

"He left such a big hole, it's not something we can compute," Wolffsohn agreed, noting as an aside that a Planning employee gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday. Diane Vanslyke, the senior assessment clerk, summed up the feelings of many town employees, "He was a very happy, loving gentleman. We're all walking around here in a state of shock."

"Last time I saw him he certainly looked healthy," Councilman Brad Loewen asserted, similarly taken aback by Sharkey's sudden passing, "and he was happy, too." Loewen, who served on the Town Planning Board for 17 years before being elected to the Town Board four years ago, worked with Sharkey throughout his tenure in government, stating that they had "a good working relationship," and one would buy the other a beer now and again when they bumped into each other in town.

"I'm shocked," Town Supervisor William McGintee commented. "He was one of the nicest guys I've ever had the opportunity to work with. He was one of the few genuinely nice guys." Under the direction of the supervisor, the department office was closed Tuesday. "I would ask the public to be patient," McGintee requested, "We will be extremely short staffed, we're in transition right now."

"Don still is and always will be very well loved," Vanslyke asserted, "He always had a nice thing to say and could always put a smile on your face, no matter how bad your day was."

Councilwoman Julia Prince, who worked with Sharkey during her time with Code Enforcement, recalled how he taught her the intricacies of the code. "He was such a good person and a good friend," she reminisced, stifling tears. "He was kind, thoughtful and funny as hell when he wanted to be."

"Life is funny, you know," McGintee reflected on his unexpected death. "He was much too young."