Diamond Seymour

Seymour ‶Sy″ Diamond, age 78, of 7535 County Road 153, Interlaken, passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, December 23, 2015, surrounded by family. At his request, there will be no formal services. A gathering in his memory will be set for a later date.

Sy was born on April 18, 1937, the only child of the late Benjamin and Ada (Wolkewitz) Diamond. He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn and earned his bachelor❜s degree in Agriculture from Cornell University, 1958. Upon completion of his degree work at Cornell, he remained in the area, owning and operating Glenwood Farms in Sheldrake with his first wife Cynthia (Clarihew). He was the proud breeder of the Cinsy line of registered Holsteins. The farm is now the site of Sheldrake Point Winery. Later in his agriculture career Sy earned his real estate broker license and joined the NEA Realty of Ithaca becoming a Managing Broker for the sale of farmlands. He also became a Management Consultant of FHA for Schuyler and Tompkins Counties.

Sy was a hands-on action person. Among many organizations, he has been a member of the Hector Grazing Association, the Professional Agricultural Consultants of NYS, the National Model RR Association, and was active in the Cornell Railroad Historical Society and a volunteer at the Interlaken Reformed Church Food Pantry. He enjoyed his pursuits of model shipbuilding and N-Scale RR hobbies, excelling in each with major museum-quality reproductions.

He was also a skilled storyteller. His acquaintances knew him as a Master of the Pun. He loved to share a good laugh with his friends and to recount colorful farm stories gathered from his FHA work. Sy stated he was appreciative of the instant, miraculous repair of something broken but, if pushed to do the job himself, he firmly believed that ‶a good hammer and few well-chosen words″ would do the trick!
Above all, Sy enjoyed his family. He was either on the road visiting his children, hosting a spaghetti supper with his famous sauce, or just delighting in having his children and grandchildren around him at holidays.

Sy is survived by his wife, Mary (Day Endreny); his children, Scott (Lynda) Diamond of Interlaken, Rachel Diamond Frey (Rick Dwello) of Lodi, and Elise (Rusty) Diamond Knott of Raleigh, NC; his grandchildren, Ben and Matt Frey, Emily and Julia Diamond, Clara and Seth Knott; as well as Mary❜s three children, Ray (Pamela) Endreny, Ted (Anna) Endreny, Polly (Erik) Endreny Holmberg; and her five grandchildren, Kasper, Theo, Sierra, Noah and Oskar.

If desired, contributions may be made to the Seth Diamond Memorial Fund at South Seneca Central School by sending a gift to Scott Diamond, 8262 Bassett Road, Interlaken, 14847, or a contribution to the Interlaken Reformed Church Food Pantry, 8315 Main Street, Interlaken.