Edmund E. Earle, the vivacious, popular owner of Swing Street Dance Studios in Farmingdale Village, died April 9 at the age of 89.

He was known as "The Earl of Farmingdale," his close friends have said, because he was a fixture in the community.

"He thought of himself as the Earl of Farmingdale. And everybody thought he was the Earl of Farmingdale," Elektra Underhill, Earle's business partner and companion said of him after his death. "He had so many friends."

Earle lived in Farmingdale since 1942, and he and his wife Glaydes, who has been deceased for 11 years, raised three children here. His surviving children are Evelyn, Barbara and Doris.

Earle worked for both Grumman and Republic manufacturers during World War II. For several years after the war, he operated an antique store in Manhattan, according to Underhill. About 25 years ago, Earle acquired a beauty parlor and an old barn attached to it on Conklin Street. Susan Snyder, who was an employee of the beauty parlor, Beauty Box Salon, for 21 years and now is owner of the business, affectionately described Earle as "a very unique, unusual man."

"He knew a lot of people in the town," she said. "He was a very social man." She added, "People marveled at him."

Ten years ago, at close to 80 years old, Earle took up dancing and decided to convert the old barn, which is over 100 years old, into a dance studio. His love of dancing and commitment to the studio eventually became his trademark.

"That's what he loved," said Snyder. "It gave him a new lease on life."

Underhill, who was his dance teacher and collaborated with him on the construction of the dance studio, said he envisioned it as the most beautiful dance studio on Long Island. "His dream came true in a way," she said referring to the success of the completed structure, which hosts diverse types of dance instruction.

"He lived for the studio," Underhill said, adding. "He took an average of four lessons a week over the years."

As a man in his 80s, Earle was known to deny invitations to senior citizens activities, opting rather to focus on dance. His efforts paid off, when he won first place in several categories of the New York Ballroom Dance Festival in both 1992 and 1993. "He didn't consider himself a senior citizen," said Underhill. "That's why I said, 'He was a remarkable person.'"