Southeast Queens lost a popular community activist and the creator of a local community website, when Donald Richard Daly passed away on March 1. He was 69.

"Don Daly was always very active in the community," said Dr. Michael Kurtz a Hollis neighbor of Daly for nearly 30 years.

"He had the idea to have a website dedicated to the Hollis community. There were no papers circulating in the area. We were kind of overlooked," Kurtz said.

Daly was born on April 24, 1931 in Brooklyn, but he grew up in Southeast Queens, living in Queens Village and attending Jamaica High School.

According to his wife, Conswella, "He earned an undergraduate degree in Social Studies, with a minor in English at Hofstra University and a graduate degree from Adelphi University."

Daly engaged in a number of endeavors. Being a veteran of the Korean war and a history teacher in the New York City public school system were among them.

"He was a master landscaper. He was trained in the art of English landscaping. He really knew his stuff. He was also knowledgeable in botany. He liked the outdoors. He was not the type of person who could be locked up somewhere."

This week, Daly’s passing was the lead story on the websites he created at www.hollisny.com or www.hollisnewyork.com.

"It is a living tribute to him," Kurtz said. "He always felt the 103rd Precinct Communtiy Council was a terrific organization."

"Last year the 103rd Precinct had an outdoor activity in September, the Safety First Fair. He supported and participated in the fair. He donated, at his cost, use of his electricity. Participants where able to plug in to the electricity in his home," he continued.

"He was very supportive of the organzation," said Donna Clopton, the 103rd Precinct Community Council president.

His wife said of Daly, "He was very friendly. He was very happy, very frank. He told you just what he thought. You either liked him or you didn’t, and a majority liked him."

In December, after living in Hollis for 30 years, Daly moved to Manchester, Vermont with his wife to retire. He died there three months later of a heart attack.

On Saturday, June 2 at 3 p.m., Kurtz said he will plant a tree in his yard in Daly’s memory in a ceremony at 88-34 195th Pl.

In addition to his wife, Daly is survived by his sons, Daren and Donald, Jr.; his daughters, Gregoriann Rollins and Courtney; his grandchildren, Bailey and Andrew Rollins; and his brothers, Kenneth and Kevin.