“He was the last of the best.”
Those were the words of Derby Fire Commissioner Kelly Curtis used to describe Edward J. Cotter, Jr. during a ceremony honoring the late Derby legend.
Cotter, a World War II veteran, co-founded the Storm Engine Company Ambulance and Rescue Corps. He was also a photojournalist for the Evening Sentinel.
He died Jan. 21, 2012 at the age of 91.
A monument in his honor was installed on O’Sullivan’s Island in Derby, near a section where Cotter used to train Valley firefighters. It has been renamed “Edward J. Cotter, Jr. Memorial Park.”
Cotter’s legacy was celebrated during a ceremony May 25 at the Storm Engine Company Ambulance and Rescue Corps.
The ceremony was a lot like Cotter himself — straight talk, no frills.
Article continues after the photo gallery:
Cotter, nicknamed “Pa” by his devotees in Derby, was a man hard-wired for community service, his son-in-law, Thomas Lenart, Sr. recalled.
The two went on countless ambulance calls to help people. Cotter taught Lenart a valuable lesson about community service.
“Taking the person to the hospital was the problem in front of you, but he looked beyond that,” Lenart said. “You had to worry about the person’s family. Who else was going to be involved in this? What could we do to help them? It wasn’t just going to the hospital. It was making sure everyone was cared for.”
Lenart and Curtis both indicated Cotter could be prickly. Curtis recalled witnessing Cotter yelling at either him or a fellow firefighter.
Curtis said his father put Cotter in perspective.
“He’d say, ‘Kelly, don’t listen to how he says it, just listen to what he says,’” Curtis said. “If you got yelled at by Eddie, you knew you were loved.”
Curtis said Cotter’s legacy went beyond emergency services.
He helped to launch the Derby Little League program.
“Eddie wasn’t just the fire department. Eddie was Derby, and he was part of the Valley,” Curtis said.
Mayor Anthony Staffieri said Cotter’s deeds were so plentiful it was tough to decide what to put on the memorial plaque.
“A day did not go by that he did not work to improve the lives of the citizens of Derby,” Staffieri said.
Staffieri and state Rep. Linda Gentile, D‑Ansonia, said Cotter’s legacy lives on through his family. His grandsons and grand daughters are heavily involved in community service.
His legacy also lives on through the thousands of people he influenced.
“And a special thank you to the family for sharing him with us. We certainly do appreciate it,” Gentile said.
