Walter Handelman, 68, Village Engineer for the Village of Great Neck Plaza for over 30 years, died yesterday after a long battle with cancer. He was an active member of the community since moving to Great Neck in 1966, a member of Temple Israel of Great Neck, and was an engineering consultant to many other Long Island communities, including Russell Gardens, Lake Success, Baxter Estates, Plandome, Port Washington North, and Roslyn Harbor. Great Neck Plaza Mayor, Jean Celender, expressed her sorrow and stated "Walter was a gem of a person, greatly admired and respected by many in the profession. He loved being able to serve his community. There isn't a square inch in the Village that doesn't bear Walter's skillful work." His son Marc stated that his father "cherished his many friends from childhood and in his profession." Walter was a brilliant engineer who understood complex construction scheduling and MPT schemes. He emphasized vehicle and pedestrian safety as the most important priority and his projects always included ways to minimize the effects of construction on residents and businesses. A retired engineer with over 35 years' experience in highway construction with the New York State Department of Transportation, Region 10, he had a long and stellar career as Engineer-In-Charge for dozens of major highway construction projects in New York City and Long Island, including the Long Island Expressway, Prospect, Major Deegan, Cross-Bronx, and Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressways. More recently, he was a consulting engineer and Resident Engineer for the LIE/Seaford Oyster Bay Interchange Reconstruction and the LIE/HOV Lane Construction from Exits 40 to 49 and innovative traffic calming initiatives in Great Neck Plaza, notably a modern roundabout constructed last year at South Station Plaza and Barstow Road in Great Neck Plaza. Previously, he was employed by major engineering consulting firms in the region, including Eschbacher Engineering and STV. Handelman's marriage to his beloved wife, Marlene, was very happy and he adored his two sons, Marc and Matthew, and grandchildren Kara Pauline and Miles Alex Jake Handelman. He is also survived by his beloved sister-in-law, Maxine Miller, and sister, Shirley Pincus, from Bayside, Queens. A funeral service was held at Riverside-Nassau North Chapels on North Station Plaza in Great Neck on Sunday, September 5 at 10:30 A.M. Interment was at Mount Hebron cemetery in Flushing, Queens.