ELLENVILLE - Local resident Eddie Brush, 46, tragically took his own life on Monday night, sending shock and sadness throughout a community that knew him as a generous member of the Elks, Cook -Taylor American Legion Post 111, and local fire companies. While no official report of the incident has been issued, unofficial news of his death spread among his friends and neighbors in the community quickly that night and the next day.

Having graduated from Ellenville High School in the early 1980s, Brush, or “Brushy” to his friends, left an indelible impression on those who met him.

“He was a character,” said Santos “Chan” Rivera, former Commissioner of the Napanoch Fire Department, on Tuesday. Rivera knew Brush for over 20 years.

“He was always funny. You could tell when you were in a room [with him] - when he's talking, he talks a little loud. He never called me by my name, always called me 'Sinbad,' ” he recalled.

“He's a very good person, everybody knows him…he had a great personality. It was a shock, you know?”

While they were still open, Brush worked for much of his life at the area's factories, VAW and Hydro, and was an active member of the local union of workers. He also worked with kids, coaching little league many years ago.

“I was really just taken aback-it's such a tragedy. He was such a nice guy, a funny guy,” said Ellenville Police Chief Phil Mattracion, who also knew Brush.

“I'm just shocked, and I think that's an understatement. He'll certainly be missed.”

The state police, who are handling the case of Brush's death, could not comment on the incident.

“He always came in with a smile on his face…he was a great person. This community is going to miss him,” said Rivera.

If anyone would like to share their thoughts and memories of Eddie Brush, and to help honor his memory, please contact us at the Shawangunk Journal.

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