There’s a heavy legacy within the small street sign standing at the intersection of Franklin Street and Webster Avenue in Islip. Without context, passersby might not know the story of grief, love and heroism behind the white post named for firefighter and Islip native William P. Moon II, who lived just yards away in the blue house across the street until his death after a training accident at his Brooklyn FDNY firehouse in 2022.
Hundreds of friends, family and uniformed officers from the FDNY and the Islip Fire Department turned out Sunday despite the sweltering heat to honor the man known to all as "Billy" with the sign dedication, changing its name at the intersection from the previous "Franklin Street," and wholeheartedly endorsed by his son Colin. “If you do not know the name of the street, it will be Billy Moon’s Way,” Colin, 10, told those gathered at the street corner. “That’s because, as a lot of you know, Billy Moon had his way of doing things,” Colin continued.
“So why not name this street after that great phrase?” The biggest news, politics and crime stories in Suffolk County, in your inbox every Friday at noon. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . Tears were plentiful but Moon’s family and colleagues proclaimed the event a celebration — a joyous day — to honor a “happy, opinionated” man beloved by his family and community, who lived a life dedicated to helping others.
“In the future, people will come to this intersec.