Bill Baumert, president of the Sun & Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, dies at 86

When a tornado tore through Sun & Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach in August, William "Bill" Baumert came down to the scene and steadfastly answered reporters' questions amid the wreckage.

He laid out a path to restoring the club, where he was president, and was set on bringing the beachfront haven back to its glory.

"He really cared," said his wife, Denise Baumert, of Atlantic Beach. "He cared about those beach clubs so much."

Bill Baumert died on Thursday from complications of a stroke, his family said. He was 86.

William A. Baumert was born in Brooklyn on May 25, 1940, and grew up in Breezy Point, Queens. He worked as a lifeguard and eventually in other roles at Breezy Point Beach Club, starting a decades-long career at well-known oceanside clubs, where he was affectionately known as "Mr. B." He served in the U.S. Navy from 1962 to 1965. It continued, for him, a life on the water, his family said.

Denise Baumert remembered meeting her future husband for the first time at the Sun & Surf Beach Club 50 years ago.

"He was behind the bar, and I asked him what he’s doing in the wintertime," Denise Baumert said with a laugh.

The two were married for more than 40 years, blending their families together.

He was "a great person to be around," Denise Baumert said. "He was the most caring person ever."

Danny Cullinan, one of Denise Baumert’s children, said Bill Baumert was beloved by his family.

"Nothing made him happier than when we were happy," said Cullinan, of Massachusetts.

Baumert had nine grandchildren. Denise Maier, Denise Baumert’s daughter, said spending time with his grandkids "was his life."

"He wanted to give them the world," said Maier, of Atlantic Beach.

Sun & Surf Beach Club and Silver Point Beach Club, where Bill Baumert served as president, released statements on social media praising him as "a beloved fixture of summers at the beach."

"The clubs were as much a part of Mr. B’s life as he was of theirs. He loved his members and took great pride in the relationships he built with them over the years," read the statements. "To his employees, he was more than a boss, he was a dedicated, loyal, and caring leader who valued the people who worked alongside him."

Besides his wife and his stepchildren, Cullinan and Maier, Baumert is survived by his two children, Vicky Coon and Christopher Baumert, both of Thornwood, Westchester County.

Visitation will be on Monday, 3-7 p.m., at the Christopher T. Jordan Funeral Home in Island Park. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. at St. Ignatius Martyr Church in Long Beach before a burial at St. John’s Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ

Joseph Ostapiuk covers the Town of Oyster Bay and the city of Glen Cove. He joined Newsday in 2023 after spending more than six years at the Staten Island Advance.