Longtime Babylon Village resident and employee Richard Tooker died March 23, 2007. He was 77 years old and had lived in the Village for 50 years.

Born one of 12 in Sayville, he was a U.S. Army veteran based in Germany. He moved to Babylon in his mid-20s and worked for the Village of Babylon as a mechanic and at Grumman Aerospace as an airplane mechanic.

According to his wife, he was longtime parishioner of the United Methodist Church on James Street in Babylon and a dedicated member of the VFW Post 1458 in North Babylon.

Mr. Tooker leaves behind his beloved wife of almost 50 years, Patricia (McKeown); his children: Valerie Pettersen and her husband Kenneth of West Islip and Lorraine of Babylon Village; his grandson, Kenneth Joseph Pettersen; eight brothers and sisters; many nieces and nephews; as well as other loved ones and friends. He was predeceased by three of his siblings.

He reposed at the Claude R. Boyd-Spencer Funeral Home, Babylon on March 28, 2007. Interment was held March 29, 2007 with military honors and a Methodist service in North Babylon Cemetery.