Family mourns woman killed by plow

A Mastic Beach woman killed by a pickup truck plowing the lot of the bus company where she worked for 25 years was known for her dedication to family, a relative said Thursday.

Doris Metz, 64, a driver at the First Student Charter Bus Rental Co., 180 Railroad Ave. in Center Moriches, was hit as she was walking to her car at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, her niece, Susan Lindquist, said.

Thursday, Metz's family gathered at her home to mourn.

"She was a reliable person," Lindquist, 46, of Patchogue said in a phone interview. "Anyone could turn to her for help. She would drop what she was doing to go help you.

"She loved her family so much," Lindquist said.

Lindquist said her aunt thought nothing of going out of town to help relatives. In the past, Metz made frequent visits to help her son in Virginia and her sister in upstate New York, Lindquist said.

Metz also enjoyed working with her hands, creating items out of wood such as birdhouses and book stands. She also worked on cars and did mechanic work for family members, her niece said. "She did everything," Lindquist said.

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According to police, Edward Grundstrom, 47, of Manorville, another employee of the company, was operating a company-owned 2003 Ford F-250 pickup truck with a plow attached at the time of the accident.

"At first, he didn't realize he had hit her," Suffolk Det. Sgt. James McGuiness said. "Ultimately, he realized he hit a person." Police are still investigating, he said.

Metz was taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in Patchogue, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Lindquist said her aunt had been getting ready to drive home from work when she was killed. "When my uncle got to the hospital, she was gone," she said. Metz's husband of 43 years, Harold Metz, 65, and their two children are devastated by the loss, Lindquist said.

Following cremation Sunday, Metz will be buried in Calverton National Cemetery, she said.