Obituary: Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore Dies At 75

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore died last Tuesday at age 75.

Muratore graduated from Central Islip High School in 1963. In 1970, he married his wife Linda.

He previously served a Suffolk County police officer and vice president of the Suffolk County PBA for 18 years before being elected to the Suffolk County legislature in 2009.

The Ronkonkoma resident represented the 4th legislative district, which represents the Brookhaven Town portion of Ronkonkoma, Centereach, Coram, Farmingville, Holbrook, Holtsville, Lake Grove, Lake Ronkonkoma, Medford, Port Jefferson Station and Selden.

He was most recently re-elected in the 2019 election. Read his candidate profile for Patch here.

"For the last 10 years, he served his constituents with passion and unwavering dedication. Around the horseshoe, he was a quiet warrior. He chose his moments carefully, and when he spoke, people listened. During the COVID crisis, Tom was there for his constituents in every way – even if that meant putting himself at risk – because that is the kind of public servant he was," Presiding Officer Rob Calarco wrote in a statement. "A former Suffolk County police officer and union law enforcement official, Tom had over 34 years of service to the community, and as a legislator, he was committed to protecting and serving the people of Suffolk County. He secured open space for ballfields, parks and walking trails. Always looking out for veterans, he sponsored a law to provide dedicated parking spaces for them at county facilities. He was instrumental in getting a bill adopted to monitor the use of drones in county parks. On a mission to protect children, he sponsored legislation for bus safety awareness. He worked hard to make people’s lives better."

Following his death, many local officials have expressed their condolences via social media.

Legislator Kara Hahn, who represents Suffolk's 5th district, wrote that she was "devastated" by the loss of Muratore.

"Having sat next to him for so long, I really came to know and love him," she wrote."He was a true professional- a man of his word, a gentleman, a true public servant and a friend. He will be missed."

On the day of his death, Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi wrote in a Facebook post that he was shocked by the sudden loss.

"We just spoke this morning and he was fine. Tom and I joined the Legislature together in 2010 and we were scheduled to leave together due to term limits at the end of next year," he wrote. "He was a consummate gentleman who cared deeply about his constituents. Tom will be sorely missed by many."

He was buried at St. Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale following a funeral service this past weekend.