Cops: William Clifford, 73, and his wife, Eileen Clifford, 68, dead in apparent murder-suicide at Islip home

An Islip man shot his wife to death Thursday morning inside their home before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide, the Suffolk County Police Department said.

Islip Town garbage collectors tipped off police after driving past the Parsons Landing home and seeing a man, later identified by police as William Clifford, 73, with a gunshot wound on the driveway and "beyond help," Suffolk Homicide Squad Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer said.

Police officers responded to find Clifford on the driveway with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. They next entered the home and found his wife, Eileen Clifford, 68, who had been fatally shot, according to Beyrer.

The couple had been married "a number of years," he added.

A woman who identified herself as a relative of William Clifford declined to comment when reached by telephone Thursday evening.

Eileen Clifford was a retired American Airlines flight attendant who flew from Kennedy Airport to the Caribbean for more than 20 years, said Mary McKenna, a member of the The Kiwi Club of Long Island, a local chapter of a national philanthropic organization of flight attendants. Eileen Clifford started the local organization and had served as its president. The native of San Francisco also served as the national secretary, according to the organization's website.

“Last night she was putting together Rosary beads at the local church," McKenna said. "She was the sweetest, nicest person you could ever run into.”

Mike Lekaj, owner of Bella Vie restaurant in Bay Shore, said he knew the couple for more than 25 years.

The three met when he worked at another restaurant in West Islip. What started out as a relationship between customers and a business owner turned into a solid friendship over the years, Lekaj said.

"These people were amazing, amazing, sweet people," he said.

Lekaj referred to William Clifford, who skippered boats, as "Captain Bill."

Lekaj said he drove to Parsons Landing Thursday morning when he heard what had happened.

"I was shocked," he said about hearing of the couple's deaths. "For me, it's hard to believe this."

Yellow tape was visible around the perimeter of the home, not far from a creek leading to the Great South Bay, and blocks north of the Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge. About a dozen police vehicles were parked outside the home.

Robert Ditta, 70, of Islip, was driving around the neighborhood when he pulled over at the sight of police vehicle blocking off Parsons Landing.

Ditta said he lives on the other side of the creek near the couple's home and at first thought helicopters flying on Thursday afternoon were surveying the recent low tides.

"I've never seen anything like this before," Ditta said, adding he did not know any of the residents on the block.

"This is the suburbs," he said, "so people don't really communicate too much. So all kinds of crazy things could be going on that you don't know about."

With Nicholas Grasso