died July 16 after battling a long illness<\/a>. He was 83.<\/p>\n‘He just cared for the city’<\/p>\n
A lifelong Long Beach resident, Eaton worked as a teacher and at the city\u2019s water treatment plant before becoming city manager in 1979, a time when the city faced falling property values, frequent fires and political instability.<\/p>\n
He worked closely with a five-member bipartisan City Council coalition focused on restoring Long Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe really didn\u2019t care whether you were a Democrat or Republican,\u201d said Roy Tepper, a former council member and longtime friend. \u201cHe just cared for the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under his leadership, the city administration collected back taxes, took control of neglected properties and helped turn a burned-out site into the Waldbaum\u2019s shopping center, which opened in 1984. With help from then-U.S. Sen. Al D\u2019Amato, Eaton also helped secure federal funding to renovate the city’s Long Island Rail Road station.<\/p>\n
Tepper’s wife, Barbara,\u00a0called Eaton \u201cthe director of the orchestra” \u2014 a hands-on leader who knew the city\u2019s departments and how to solve residents\u2019 problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis door was always open,\u201d she said. \u201cHe took calls. He talked to citizens when they had a problem. He knew where to go to try to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eaton served until 1999 and returned for additional terms in 2001 and 2006 before retiring in 2008.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever they were in trouble, they turned to Ed,\u201d Barbara Tepper said.<\/p>\n
His dedication to Long Beach did not end with retirement.<\/p>\n
Former City Manager Jack Schnirman said Eaton remained an invaluable adviser as Long Beach recovered from Superstorm Sandy and rebuilt its boardwalk. The two frequently\u00a0met for lunch, with Eaton often arriving in an older Saab convertible, armed with a smile and a listening ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was incredibly generous with his time, his experience, his sense of perspective,\u201d Schnirman said. \u201cIt was important to him to pass on what he had learned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eaton understood where Long Beach had been and where it could go, Schnirman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis heart really was in line and in sync with the city,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was a sense of public service and of city before self.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dedicated to family<\/p>\n
To Long Beach officials and residents, Eaton was known respectfully as \u201cMr. Eaton.\u201d To\u00a0Frangella and her children, he was a generous father and grandfather who organized family trips, made holidays special and happily welcomed their dog, Sparky, into his lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did things for people before he would ever do things for himself,\u201d Frangella said. \u201cHe put his family first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Away from City Hall, Eaton was a reserved, avid reader who listened before acting, his grandson, Andrew Frangella, said. He loved travel and other cultures, filling his car with language books and CDs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe liked to explore different cultures, and that\u2019s why he would learn the languages,\u201d Andrew Frangella said, adding that Eaton\u2019s openness to other perspectives helped him connect with people from many backgrounds.<\/p>\n
The Teppers remained close to Eaton and his wife Carolyn long after their pivotal years in city government. The couples often met for Friday dinners at the Laurel Diner in Long Beach, where Eaton routinely ordered New England clam chowder and a steak-and-salad dish.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a creature of habit,\u201d Barbara Tepper said. \u201cHe liked to have his old familiar things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eaton was predeceased by his wives, Loretta and Carolyn, and his brother Jimmy. He is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Frangella, and her husband, Albert; and grandchildren Andrew, Alexa and Justin.<\/p>\n
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday at 9:15 a.m. at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Island Park, followed by private cremation. Inurnment will take place Monday at 10 a.m. at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury.<\/p>\n