William Uhlinger, avid horseman, dies

The role of the American cavalry from the Revolutionary War era to the Spanish-American War fascinated Charles William Uhlinger of Syosset, an avid horseman.

In fact, he lived it, dressing the part of a cavalryman from various eras and traveling the county with his wife, Virginia, for parades, re-enactments and other events. He was a frequent guest at local schools, dressed in cavalry uniforms, to explain the history to students.

"He was always trying to push that Long Island was horse country," his wife said this week. "He was trying to preserve the horse trails we had, and for 12 years he was president of the Nassau-Suffolk Horsemen's Association."

Uhlinger, 66, who went by his middle name, died Monday of pancreatic cancer.

Born in Jamaica, Queens, Uhlinger grew up in Rockville Centre, graduated from Colgate University in upstate Hamilton and got his law degree from Case Western Reserve University Law School in Cleveland in 1970, his wife said.

He then went to work for the Nassau County district attorney's office as a prosecutor, and became a top assistant district attorney in several major bureaus before he retired in 2000.

"He was an excellent trial attorney," his wife said. "He was a great speaker. He knew how to speak to the jury and get the essential points of law in, and make it very sincere. He rarely lost a case."

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Ed Grilli, president of EJG Strategic Partners of Merrick and former spokesman for Nassau District Attorney Denis Dillon, whom Uhlinger served under, said, "Bill was an extraordinary prosecutor who served with distinction under two District Attorneys. As a member of the Major Offense Bureau, Bill oversaw the prosecution of career criminals. He was a well-respected veteran prosecutor who dedicated his life to public service and fighting crime. Bill was a lawyer committed to fairness who will be remembered for his professionalism and knowledge of the law."

Away from the job, it was his love of horses that occupied much of his time. After his marriage to Virginia in 1969 they bought a home in Syosset in 1974 that had a stable. Uhlinger had not ridden a horse in years, and Virginia said she had never ridden a horse, but that marked the beginning of their common bond with horses.

"For about five years, we hunted with Smithtown Hunt [a simulated fox hunt] before we bought our own horses," she said "We learned to trail ride. In the horse community, he was so respected."

Uhlinger helped start the Rough Riders to recreate that group's charge up San Juan Hill, led by Teddy Roosevelt, during the Spanish-American War. The group does a re-enactment and puts up a cavalry camp each year on July Fourth at Sagamore Hill.

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Besides his wife Virginia, Uhlinger is survived by his parents, Betty and Charles Uhlinger of Hockessin, Del., and a sister, Dr. Chris Uhlinger, a veterinarian of Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Visiting is 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Oyster Bay Funeral Home, 261 South St. in Oyster Bay. There will be a funeral Mass Monday at 9:45 a.m. at St. Edward the Confessor Church, 205 Jackson Ave. in Syosset. Interment is private.