|
|
Firefighter Edward Rall, who hails from a family of public servants, once told an uncle, "I love this job. I'm never gonna retire. You'll have to throw me out of this job."
Excerpt from The New York Daily News
November 11, 2001
RALL-Edward J., of Holbrook, N.Y. heroically in the line of duty on September 11, 2001, in his 44th year. Member of Rescue 2. Formerly with Ladder 176. Beloved husband of Darlene. Loving father of Joseph, Matthew and Daniel. Devoted son of Edward and Joan Rall. Dear brother of Keith (N.Y.P.D.) and William (N.Y.P.D.). Dear son-in-law of Patrick and Alice Byrne and the late Jean Byrne. Dear brother-inlaw of Beth and Jeanmarie Rall, Colleen and Nick Toscano, Shaun and Rita Byrne and Deanne Byrne. Also survived by one niece and many nephews. Loving godfather to Michael Byrne and Ethan Rall. Memorial Visiting, Monday, 7-9 PM, and Tuesday, 2-4 and 7-9 PM, at Moloney's Bohemia Funeral Home, 1320 Lakeland Avenue, Bohemia. Memorial Mass, Wednesday, 1 PM, at Good Shepherd R.C. Church, Holbrook, N.Y.
Copyright © 2001, Newsday, Inc.
By Elizabeth Moore
STAFF WRITER
November 12, 2001
The sirens wailed nonstop in Brooklyn in the late 1970s, when the city was broke and arson was a growth industry. The firefighters of the "Tin House," the legendary Brownsville Quonset hut that housed Engine Co. 232 and Ladder 176, were tough men, many already hardened by tours in Vietnam, for whom duty and honor were words with real meaning.
It brought a rude awakening for the new generation of probationary firefighters, who would stroll in with their long hair and Huckapoo shirts, shocked to be handed a mop and a toilet brush, and ordered to brew fresh coffee for the senior men.
But Eddie Rall fit right in. Even then, friends say, he was squared away: hair high and tight, eyes open, mouth shut. It was not long before those qualities made him someone firefighters trusted with their lives.
"Everything was always 110 percent with Eddie," recalled Robert Galione, a fellow Rescue 2 firefighter and friend who was broken in at that firehouse two years before Rall arrived.
"He always knew where he was going and what he was supposed to do. We called him the pit bull, cause he'd get his teeth into something and wouldn't stop until it was mastered."
At Rescue 2's Crown Heights firehouse, where the two men wound up together until Sept. 11, that meant the tools were always shining brightest on the days it was Rall's turn to clean them. When he worked on the rescue rig, it was spotless down to the hubcaps. Rall spent hours in the rigging compartment, arranging the come-alongs, slings and grip hoists just so.
When his buddies wanted to have a little fun with Rall, they knew how to do it: They'd reach into the rig when he wasn't looking, switch a couple of the tools, sit back and watch him explode - then they'd laugh as he restored everything to perfect order in under five minutes.
Rall, 44, was just as dedicated to his Holbrook home, his health andhis three sons, says Darlene Rall, his wife of 21 years, who met him on his graduation day from West Islip High School in 1975.
Eddie Rall got better-looking as the years went by, his wife says, with regular workouts at Extreme Fitness. He poured hours into coaching baseball with the Sachem Youth Athletic Group and the North Shore Royals, and guiding the development of sons Joseph, 16, Matthew, 14, and Daniel, 12.
He wasn't a romantic guy, but he liked to write in luncheon dates on his wife's calendar so they could talk about the kids and kick around ideas for the retirement getaway they planned to buy somewhere in another 10 years or so. He also loved to sit out on the back porch with a cigar and an ice-cold Coors Lite.
His wife is still waiting for his remains to be recovered from the World Trade Center, but the family has scheduled a memorial mass at 1p.m. Wednesday at Good Shepherd Church in Holbrook. There also will be visiting from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Moloney's Lake Funeral Home in Ronkonkoma.
In the meantime, his wife has been focused on making sure her sons stay on top of their schoolwork, that one son finishes up well with marching band season and another is ready for basketball tryouts. School is a priority, she says, and their dad would want them to keeptheir eye on their goals. The boys have been fine with that.
"That's how he was - strong," she said. "I guess it rubbed off after all those years."
Copyright © 2001, Newsday, Inc.
By JOYCE SHELBY, DEBBIE TUMA and OWEN MORITZ
Daily News Staff Writers
Nov, 15
At Good Shepherd Church in Holbrook, L.I., the 44-year-old Rall was remembered for his dedication, his love of family and his determination to remain in shape and his block parties.
His two brothers are NYPD officers. Two uncles are retired firemen.
"I will never forget one of our last conversations," said an uncle, Joe Daly. "We talked about the firemen that had lost their lives [in the hardware store blaze in Astoria, Queens] on Father's Day. Eddie was very upset, but it didn't change his feeling about what he wanted to do."
"Eddie loved the life he was living," his brother Bill told hundreds of mourners. "It was his life's calling. He stayed mentally and physically strong, and a man of integrity and intensity who faced challenges and attacked his job head on."
Rall and his wife, Darlene, are both graduates of high school in West Islip, L.I. — but did not meet until graduation day. The couple has three sons, Joseph, 16, Matthew, 14, and Daniel, 12.
Uncle Jack Daly had messages for each of the sons. To Rall's 14-year-old, Matthew, Daly said, "Your father has a box seat in heaven to see your baseball games. So when you're at bat, always remember he's watching and guiding you."
New York Daily News
View/sign Edward Rall's Guest Book provided by the New York Times.
