Edwin Smalling Sr., a longtime and second generation employee of the Town of Babylon, died suddenly, August 23, 2004. He was 72 years old.

Mr. Smalling was a heavy equipment operator for the Town’s Highway Department, like his father before him. His son currently carries on the family’s tradition and also works for the town.

"He made it a great place to work," said Michael Librissi, a friend and co-worker who knew Smalling for more than ten years. "Even though Ed was always joking, he did his job of loading and unloading the trucks really well."

According to his son Edward, Mr. Smalling was well respected by the local fire departments in the Town of Babylon as a heavy equipment operator who frequently was called to the scene of major fires to assist the volunters.

"He operated a payloader and was regarded as a man who knew what he was doing, especially at the scene of fires," said his son.

Mr. Smalling was a lifelong resident of West Babylon, born in 1931 in a home on Munsey Avenue in West Babylon that he still lived in at the time of his death. He met his wife of 55 years, Adeline (nee Michaels) on a blind date and they married in 1959.

"My dad was a simple, working man," said Edward. "He loved working on cars, his boat and for the Town of Babylon."

According to his son, another hobby of Smalling’s was his love of scanners. "Police scanners, fire scanners, you name it," he said.

Mr. Smalling also left his family a legacy of hope and optimism. "My dad taught me to always move forward in life," said his son. "That was one of the things he left me."

In addition to his wife, and his son Edward and his wife Linda of West Hampton, Mr. Smalling leaves behind his daughter Michelle Moglia and her husband Timothy, of West Hampton, as well as his grandchildren Amanda, Edward, Stephen and Tyler. His brother Charles of Copiague also survives him.

Mr. Smalling reposed at the Noce Funeral Home Inc., 189 Route 109 in West Babylon. Interment at Pinelawn Memorial Park August 25, 2004.