Anthony Ernst

Anthony (Tony) Ernst, a 45-year resident of Southampton, passed away peacefully on August 19, 2025, with his wife and sons by his side. Tony was raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey, by his parents, Sidney & Eve Ernst. After graduating from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Tony enlisted in the US Army, where he proudly served in the Signal Corps.

Upon completion of active military duty, Tony spent his entire career as an electrical engineer focused on large-scale electrical power transmission systems, first with General Cable, its acquirer Pirelli, the Brookhaven National Laboratory, and then Underground Systems Inc. Tony's work featured in electrification projects for utilities and municipalities around the world. Before the modern Internet, Tony designed one of the first remote monitoring systems for utilities. He was ahead of his time, working from home a few days a week via a private line telephone modem in the 1980s.

As family and lucky friends will attest, Tony was a skilled chef and a connoisseur of local farmstands, fishmongers, and vineyards. His minestrone soup and hand-chopped pesto were without peers. After growing up a short walk from the ocean, the beach was Tony's favorite place to relax, and he swam nearly year-round from the shore at Flying Point.

But Tony's real passion was liberty. Tony was active in the civil rights movement during the 1960s, and he continued that work throughout his life, attending anti-war protests in New York and weekly peace vigils in Sag Harbor. Friends described him as a fierce political activist and a passionate voice during pivotal moments in our history. In his spare time, in cooperation with Canio's bookstore in Sag Harbor, Tony produced East End Ink, a monthly literary review broadcast on WPKN radio where he was a board member for nearly a decade.

Tony is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Ann Dahlquist Ernst of Southampton, his previous wife, Mary Ernst and their children, Andrew Ernst of Marblehead MA and Daniel Ernst of Den Haag The Netherlands, his stepdaughters Deborah Dahlquist of Sag Harbor NY, Robin Yates of Hampton Bays NY, Heidi Kidd of Frisco TX, his grandchildren Andrew & Emily of Massachusetts, Madeleine & Graham of The Netherlands, his step-grandchildren Edward of New York, Amanda of New Hampshire, Robert of North Carolina and Gavin & Chase of Texas.

In lieu of flowers, mourners may consider donating in his name to WPKN radio or another charity of their choice.