For the past seven and a half years I have tried to attend the wake and/or funerals of residents who have passed away.
I believe that it is important to families that the village shares in their grief during periods of mourning. However, the past few weeks have been very difficult.
On Sept. 28, former Mayor Roger Fay passed away having reached his 100th birthday this past July.
While celebrating, along with over 125 family and friends, his birthday on Aug. 15 at the Roger Fay Williston Park Pool I mentioned to Roger that It would be fun to celebrate his 101st birthday next summer.
Roger was a major force in the development of our great village.
Serving eight years as Mayor, he oversaw the building of the Williston Park Fire house, the Village Pool, expansion of Village Hall, expansion of the library, and the addition of a major water main on William Street.
For over 50 years he was a Williston Park fireman and involved in many ways at St. Aidan’s. He was a source of Williston Park history up until the time of his death. He will be missed.
On the Sept. 29, Carole Muldoon passed away.
The wife of the late former Mayor Tom Muldoon. Our family became close to the Muldoon family, when in 1993, Tom asked former Mayor Doreen Ehrbar to be his running mate.
Although Doreen lost in that election we remained close to the Muldoon family. In the following election Doreen was successful in joining Tom on the village board.
Throughout that time and in the succeeding years, Carole was a constant companion to Tom and her influence and wit made for a great relationship.
Carole and Tom had a major impact on both my family and the Williston Park family. Carole was involved in both community and church throughout her years in Williston Park. Her presence will also be solely missed.
On Sept. 15 former Trustee Gene McCarthy passed away.
The Williston Times had a great article last week regarding Gene which said a lot about his character and his contributions to Williston Park. A good man who allowed my family to become part of his family.
Susan Gorry, a lifelong resident of Williston Park also passed away this past week. Another remarkable woman who dedicated her life to healthcare as a registered nurse.
Also this week Heinz K. Berger, husband of Elizabeth, passed away.
He was the father of Barbara Jaronczyk. Barbara was the wife of former Williston Park Fire Chief George Jaronczyk.
While both Doreen and I served as mayor there has been much interaction with the Jaronczyk family.
On behalf of our family and the Williston Park community, condolences go out to this family.
As I started this article I noted that this has been a difficult few weeks for both me personally and for the village.
The individuals indicated above had a great impact in different ways through the years on the Village of Williston Park. They will be missed we thank them and their families for their contributions.
On a different note I’d like to use this opportunity to send birthday wishes to Fred Santopetro, who turned 100 on Sept. 13. Fred and his family are longtime members of the Williston Park community and we were honored to join in his birthday celebration.
A note to all residents: this past week, a family experienced a fire in their dryer, as a result of lint build up. Thanks to a quick response by the Williston Park Fire Department and
Rescue squad damage was minimal.This should be a reminder to all, that dryer vents should be clear and clean to prevent a similar situation.
Enjoy the nice fall weather and remember to drive in a safe fashion to help protect us all!
