By: Judy Rattner
Bedell, 66, of Jamaica, Queens was a butcher at Kollners Prime Meats. It is believed he was crossing north on the highway to get a cup of coffee and a lottery ticket, as he did each day before opening the store. The driver, Deborah Stolitzky, 41 of East Rockaway, stopped at the scene and no charges were pressed. She stated that she did not see Bedell in the center lane because of sun glare. There were no eyewitnesses.
An employee of Kollners for four and a half years, Bedell was described by the store's owner, Bill Breidenbach, as well loved by everyone and always having a good word to say. A gentle, hardworking man who was an avid karaoke performer with a beautiful voice, Breidenbach said Bedell's friends, customers and karaoke partners all were expressing disbelief at his sudden, tragic death.
A native of Georgia, Bedell leaves behind four grown children, Sidney Jr, a doctor; Kim of Atlanta, Georgia; Veronica of California; and Felicia of Georgia. He had recently been back in touch with his childhood sweetheart, Betty McFarlin, also of Atlanta, Georgia.
Breidenbach said Bedell had found his true home at Kollners having experienced racial discrimination at jobs in Georgia and when he first arrived in New York, and worked in Manhattan. With his own family so far away, Breidenbach said Bedell had become a part of his family.
Breidenbach said that when he arrived at the store on Monday morning, he knew something was wrong. He saw Bedell's car in the parking lot, but he had not opened the store. It wasn't until sometime later, around 8:15 a.m., that Breidenbach called Bedell's cell phone and a Nassau County detective answered, explaining what had happened.
Bedell's death is the fourth pedestrian fatality in Rockville Centre since 1998, said village spokesperson Jeff Kluewer. Two people have been killed this year, and two were killed on Sunrise Highway in 1998. There were no deaths in the years between 1998 and 2006.
