Southampton police remember fallen officer

Many of Southampton's town police officers wore black bands over the shields on their dress uniforms Monday at a funeral home in Southampton Village as they paid one last visit to Frederick "Woody" Cantrell, 50, a fellow officer who died Friday.

Cantrell was at his family's home in Noyack when he collapsed. Police and the Sag Harbor Village ambulance EMT volunteers who responded to a 911 call found him unconscious and performed CPR. He was pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital at about 8:30 p.m., officials said.

No cause of death was available.

Cantrell was a member of the Southampton Town Police Community Response Unit, and had previously served as the officer in charge of the police property bureau and in the town patrol division.

"I hired him [nearly] 30 years ago . . . he was a nice young man," said former Southampton Town Police Chief Conrad Teller. "I hadn't seen him in years, then we sat next to each other on Friday at a Christmas Party . . . we chatted briefly. He was a real East End lad. A real local."

A spokesman for his family said they were too upset by his sudden death to comment.

The department, in a formal statement, said: "Ultimately, no words, written or spoken, can express what a true loss this is to the community. Officer Cantrell was an excellent police officer, a tremendous asset to both this department and to this community . . . he will be sorely missed."

SEE PHOTOSNotable deaths: Long Islanders we recently lost

Cantrell, who had served with the department for more than 24 years, was first hired by Southampton Town as a school crossing guard and jail attendant in 1981, and became a part-time police officer in 1983.

He became a full-time police officer in the department in March 1986 and during his career received five departmental commendations for actions considered above and beyond the call of duty, including pulling an accident victim from a burning car in 1997 and apprehending four robbery suspects in 2000.

Cantrell is survived by his wife, Catherine, two children, Jamie and Frederick Jr., and two grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at the Brockett Funeral Home, 203 Hampton Rd., Southampton Village, with viewings from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. Mass will be said Wednesday at 11 a.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church on South Main Street in Southampton Village, with interment to follow at Southampton Cemetery.