If you had asked Robert Conte “where he grew up, he would simply say, ‘I didn’t,’ ” his family said. Known as Buffalo Bob, he first came to Montauk as a surfer in the early 1970s, then left to work out West before returning to settle here in the early 1980s.
He enjoyed gardening, birdwatching, “and dumpster diving,” his family said. “He was a regular at the recycling center, where he could always catch up with friends.”
“He had friends of all ages, always made new friends, and always kept in touch with so many old friends,” they said. “He had friends to surf with, birdwatch with, go see music with, to watch baseball games with, friends to sit in front of the fire with, and friends to debate with.”
He worked as an estate keeper and landscaper.
Though he lived in Montauk for more than 40 years, he never referred to himself as a local. “He always said the only true locals were the Montauketts, and he felt honored to be able to live here,” his family said.
Mr. Conte died at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital on Sept. 20 after a brief illness. He was 76.
He was born on Feb. 26, 1950, in Brooklyn. His parents, James Conte, stadium manager for the New York Yankees, and the former Clare Ford, raised him there, in Levittown, and in Floral Park. He earned an associate’s degree in communications.
At 49, he “gave up his bachelor ways and married the love of his life, Amy Hubbard,” on April 24, 1999. She survives him. “They shared a beautiful life, taking great trips, seeing live music, and spending time with family.”
He did not have children but was a father figure and mentor to many and the treasured Uncle Bobby to his nieces and nephews.
His musical knowledge was unparalleled, according to his family, and he always had a story and fun fact to go with it. “His family and friends had joked about starting a podcast called ‘Bluff Buff,’ where a guest would try to stump him with a question about music.”
Mr. Conte “was a great pontificator, a self-proclaimed political analyst, a weather predictor, a surf inspector, a master recycler, sports broadcaster, a green-thumbed gardener, an instigator, a special needs whisperer, and always ready for a laugh. He was ‘the Dude’ in every sense of the word, and if you know, you know.”
A die-hard Yankees fan, he loved to show off his father’s World Series ring, “and if you were lucky enough, you got to try it on,” his family said.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three siblings, Clare Lovett of Queens, Kevin (KC) Conte of Georgia, and Marie Rudolph of Rockaway. Also surviving are his mother-in-law, Margot Hubbard, and his nieces and nephews: Colleen Lovett, Christopher and Timothy Rudolph, Marisa Kelly, Michele Burti, Karissa Svilar, Kollin Conte, Cody, Teddy, and Jimmy Esposito, and Emily, Julie, Amy, and Casey Hubbard.
A paddle-out in his honor will be planned at a future date. Memorial donations have been suggested to Habitat for Humanity at habitat.org, or 4 Paws for Ability at 4pawsforability.org.
