Edward Norman Bracht of Riverhead died Jan. 16, 2026. He was 85 years old.
He was born Nov. 3, 1940, to Veronica and Edward Bracht in the Bronx. He grew up in Yonkers with his sister, Barbara, and younger brother, Kenneth, near many aunts, uncles and cousins. After graduating high school, he joined the Navy with his best friend, Pete, and was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, where he worked as a fireman. He was later assigned to the USS Roosevelt and traveled through the Mediterranean, visiting Italy, France, Spain, Monaco and Iraq.
After his military service, he worked as an accountant for the New York Central Railroad before joining the New York Police Department. He served undercover in the vice unit in the 1970s, was eventually made a detective and retired after 20 years on the force. In the early 1980s, he worked as an investigator for the New York Racing Association, which allowed his family to spend summers camping in Saratoga. In 1985, he was named assistant director for public safety at Hofstra University and later became director. He was known for giving jobs to students in need and opened his home each Thanksgiving to international students who did not go home for the holiday.
In 1978, he co-founded the Village of the Branch Soccer Club and also coached his children’s teams. He served as president of the PTA for the local elementary school and participated in school field trips. He enjoyed riding his bike and often rode 20 miles a day, and he participated in mini-triathlons and multi-day bike tours, including a tour on the Erie Canal. He also enjoyed boating and fishing and taught his children to fish along the locks in Hampton Bays on Saturday mornings, and he took family and friends for rides around Shinnecock Bay. He was a devoted Catholic who attended daily Mass and prayed the rosary each afternoon at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia; his children, Patti, of Windham, Maine, Edward (Nancy), of Holbrook, and Kevin (Donna), of East Meadow; and six grandchildren.
A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church in Riverhead. Burial to follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his name may be made to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island.
