By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
Mr. Hart died after a battle with skin cancer on Monday, Nov. 19 at his home in Point Lookout. He was 49.
After Mr. Hart was diagnosed with Melanoma, he wanted to raise awareness of the deadly disease. He even talked about creating bumper stickers saying practice safe sun.
He was a very gracious kind man. He's a very good judge, a very fine legal scholar. He respected everyone around him, said First District Court Judge Susan Kluewer, who met Mr. Hart when they were law secretaries in the Supreme Court.
Born March 9, 1952, Mr. Hart was raised in Rockville Centre by his parents, Mari Gunning and Edward J. Hart Sr., who was a judge appointed to the Appellate Division. Mr. Hart graduated from Chaminade High School in 1970 and graduated from St. John's University in Queens in 1976, majoring in political science. He received his law degree from Fordham Law School in 1982.
Mr. Hart met his future wife, Gina Wood, while working as life guards at the Oceanside Town pool. They married on May 23, 1981 and the couple lived in Freeport until finally settling in Point Lookout in 1995.
During the early 80's, Mr. Hart worked as an assistant in the law department of the Appellate Division, Second Department. He then served as the secretary to State Supreme Court Justice John W. Burke in Mineola. In 1986, he served as a law clerk to former State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Goldstein until 1997.
The couple enjoyed horseback riding on the North Shore and traveling, family members said. He liked to travel. He and his wife were traveling a lot. They took trips to Ireland recently, said Judge Kluewer.
Mr. Hart loved sharing memories of his vacation to Ireland, especially horseback riding on the coast, said his brother in-law, Paul Wood.
District Court Judge Adam H. Moser recalled the fun he had playing basketball with Mr. Hart. He was a great athlete. He was very involved in sports. He knew exactly what was going on...he was a very good player. He held his own with all the court officers with a great left handed shot.
Mr. Hart served as Judge Moser's judicial mentor. He gave a lot of good advice on how to run a court room, how to be a judge and what to look in to decide cases, said Moser.
Mr. Hart served as the director of the Nassau County Bar Association for more than four years. He was the recipient of the 2001 Court Officers Award and was a member of the We Care Advisory Board since its inception in 1988. Mr. Hart was also an active member in the Court House Kiwanis club in Mineola and served as a mentor at the Hempstead Middle School for eight years, said Elaine Leventhal, who worked with Mr. Hart for 11 years.
He was so philanthropic when it came to the We Care Program. He was a wonderful person. He was so lovely and well thought of, Leventhal said.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Hart is survived by his mother, Mari Hart of Point Lookout; a sister, Kathleen O'leary of Rockville Centre; a brother, Christopher of Brooklyn; an aunt and several in-laws.
A wake was held on Wednesday, Nov. 21 and Friday, Nov. 23, at Hungerford & Clark Funeral Homes in Freeport. A mass was held on Saturday, Nov. 24 at Our Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church in Freeport. The cremation is private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the following organizations; Cancer Care, 20 Crossways Park North, Woodbury, NY 11797; Melanoma Research Foundation, 23704-5 El Toro RD #206, Lake Forest, Calif. 92630; and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Care Development Fund, 633 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017.
