Community Corner

Sept. 11 Vignettes: The Rall Family

A look at locals that were some how affected by the terrorist attacks 10 years ago.

Every year the Sachem Youth Advisory Group hosts the Ed Rall Memorial Baseball Tournament, which has grown to be the largest regional weekend tournament on Long Island.

The tournament was started in memory of New York City Fire Fighter and longtime SYAG coach Edward Rall, an 18-year veteran of the FDNY as a member of Rescue 2 in Brooklyn. The local hero made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life on Sept. 11, 2001.

Rall was a devoted husband to wife Darlene Rall, 52, of Holbrook, and loving father to their sons Joseph, 26, Matthew, 24, and Daniel, 22, all of whom were on hand at the tournament along with Rall's parents, Ed and Joan, and his brother Bill. 

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Every year a member of the Rall family throws out the ceremonial first pitch. This year Matthew did the honors.

As a dedicated SYAG coach, Rall spent years working toward the betterment of the league and its players. This tournament is held each year in his honor, as well as in memory of all who lost their lives on 9/11.

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"Life goes on. It's hard. The tenth year brings it all back a little more.  The anniversaries are all hard," Darlene told Sachem Patch.

After her husband was killed, she devoted her life to taking care of her family. Now that her sons are grown, she enjoys traveling and playing golf. The close-knit family goes on a cruise to the Caribbean every other year. Darlene also accompanies other wives of firefighters, some widows like herself, to Florida for an annual girls' therapeutic retreat.  She is also in a long-distance relationship with an old family friend that she reconnected with who lives in Canada.

"Between my kids, my family, the fire department and baseball, thank goodness for that. It really helped over the years," said Darlene.

Shana Braff contributed to this story.


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