Edwin J. Rahilly Jr. probably would have lived at least another 10 years had it not been for COVID-19, his second cousin Thomas Rahilly Jr. said. Thomas, the second assistant chief at Oyster Bay Fire Co. No. 1, has fond memories of Ed, who died on Jan. 8 at age 86. Ed was in tremendous shape, he said.
“The men in our family live long,” Thomas explained. “Ed was extremely active, was here for most fire calls and he was involved in many other county organizations too, so he was always busy.” Rahilly and his wife, Mary Ellen, were rushed by ambulance to the hospital a little over a week before he died. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, and when the couple were tested for COVID, they were both positive. Mary Ellen managed to recover, and returned home. Thomas said his cousin was recovering, too, before his health worsened.