A Guest Blog: Memories of Mike Fuccile
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Above, a photograph of Mike Fuccile as little league coach, courtesy of Sophia Lashchyk-Tytla.
Nancy and Michael Fuccile’s son was in my son, Gregory’s, class for the last two years. I simply have no words for the terrible sorrow I feel for the Fuccile family. Other than donating to the children’s college fund, I was also at a loss for what I could possibly do to help.
Then, on Sunday, the sermon in my church was delivered by Justin Manley. Justin doesn’t normally deliver sermons, but our pastor, Sam Massengill, had yielded the pulpit to Justin because Justin had been working on an essay about his experiences in the World Trade Center on 9/11 for more than a year. But the sermon wasn’t really about 9/11. It was about Justin’s journey of healing.
He began the sermon with a brief memorial to his good friend, Mike. When I got home from church, it occurred to me that the one thing I have that I can share with the Fucciles is this blog. So I asked Justin if I could reprint his memories of Mike. And so, with permission from Nancy, here are Justin’s words:
“I want to take a brief moment to recognize my good friend Mike Fuccile. As I am sure most of you have heard by now either in the papers, on TV or word of mouth, Mike lost his life this past Thursday on his commute to work. There are simply no words to describe the void that has been created in so many hearts by this loss. I have yet to get through a day where I have not shed a tear for his wife Nancy, his three children, Michael, Jack and Brooke.
“Mike was a great man who was very dedicated to his family and this fine town. He coached baseball, basketball and soccer and even had two teams he coached in baseball and soccer, one for each of his boys. He always wore a smile, was quick to laugh and was genuinely one of the finest people I knew. He coached my son Jared all three seasons of baseball and I was lucky enough to get to be one of his assistants this past season. We had three rules for the team which were laid down and reinforced every game by Coach Mike.
“Number 1: Tuck your shirt in and look like a ball player.
“Number 2: Always try your hardest and do your best.
“Number 3: MAKE SOME NOISE!
“He wanted the boys to encourage their teammates by cheering the team and each other as loud as they could. They were to support one another and always remain positive. He knew that if the 6- and 7-year-old boys were allowed to get loud that they would most certainly also have fun.
“Now I seriously contemplated stepping aside for this sermon even though it’s been scheduled for months because I just wasn’t sure I could do it. But every day since, I keep hearing Mike cheering for me as loud as he can and telling me to go for it. So in his honor and with a gaping hole in my soul, I say to Mike, ‘wherever you are buddy, this one’s for you.’”
If you would like to continue reading Justin’s sermon, entitled “September 12th,” click here. It is a griping account of his experiences on Sept. 11, 2001, and the years following. Most of us were in tears beginning to end.
Click here to read Mike’s obituary or to sign the online guest book via Costello-Runyon Funeral Home, or, if you wish, you may leave a comment at the end of the blog post.
Below, some photographic memories of Mike. These are courtesy of Justin and Sophia, but if you’d like to send along your own, send jpgs to julie@juliewaltonshaver.com and I’ll add them to this blog post.
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Nancy and Mike, right, with some Metuchen friends. Mike, you are SO missed by so many people. Metuchen is a changed community, with so much sadness right now. (More than 3,000 people went to the funeral home the night of the wake, and at least 500 were at the funeral.) But we know that our “September 12th,” — our day of healing, is coming. As Justin said in his sermon, we are incredibly blessed with our friends, our families, our community. May we be so bold as to realize it, tell our friends and family that we love them, be patient and kind, and love every day that we are given.
Amen.
In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate contributions to a college fund for the Fuccile Children. Please make checks payable to “NextGen College Investing.”
Mail to:
Costello-Runyon Funeral Home
568 Middlesex Ave.
Metuchen, NJ 08840
I heard this story in the news. It was so horrible. It could have been anyone. So sad. Thank you, Justin, for allowing Julie to reprint your story and memorial. It really does personalize these awful events when the lives that have truly been affected by tragedy come to light. And I *will* love every day that I’m given. Thank you for the blessing of this family-centric blog.
To Nancy and the children, like Julie said, there are no words. May God grant you peace and healing when the time is right.
Comment by Steve G. — September 8, 2008 @ 11:14 pm
Thanks, Justin, Sophia and Julie, for this post. I had been searching for a real memorial with pictures and was glad to find this one. I wish more people would post their memories of Mike. He was such a great person and a wonderful father and friend to so many.
Comment by Jennifer — September 9, 2008 @ 1:06 pm
I had the pleasure of being an assistant coach in T-ball with Mike.
He was terrific and will be missed by many.
Comment by Andy — September 9, 2008 @ 10:52 pm
From the Edison/Metuchen Sentinel:
Friends remember slain Metuchen man
BY ENID WEISS Correspondent
To celebrate Halloween last year, Michael Fuccile and his family all dressed as characters from the Star Wars movies — wife Nancy was Princess Leia, sons Michael Jr. and Jack were Jedi knights, and daughter Brooke was Yoda.
That’s the kind of fun, family man Fuccile was, said Justin Manley, a friend of the family. Manley’s 7-year-old son, Jared, and Michael Fuccile Jr., also 7, have been friends since attending Community Nursery school together. This past spring, Manley was Fuccile’s assistant coach of their sons’ baseball team with the Metuchen Little League. Fuccile coached teams for both boys in baseball and soccer.
“Our wives talk to each other practically every day,” Manley said. “I miss him so much already.”
About 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 4, Fuccile, 36, was on his way to work as chief compliance officer for Merrill Lynch in Jersey City when he was stabbed and killed at the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Station in Jersey City. News accounts have reported that Elgin Louis Taylor, 24, was arrested and charged with the murder after witnesses chased him down and detained him until police arrived.
Meanwhile, friends, relatives and community members have rallied around Nancy Fuccile, Michael’s widow, and the women at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Metuchen, where Fuccile was a communicant, have provided constant companionship and meals for the family, said Richard Lomax, a member of the parish.
The Fucciles met while both were in college at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. Nancy Reynolds is a graduate of J.P. Stevens High School in Edison. The then Nancy Reynolds brought her date home one summer, said Nancy’s big brother, Kevin Reynolds, of Fanwood.
“Right from the start we could tell he was a great guy,” said Reynolds. “In October they would have been married 10 years. There are so many stories about Mike that come to mind — family truly came first to him. He would do magic tricks for the kids around the dinner table. My kids, my brother’s kids, they all loved him. He was always great playing with them. He loved to put Lego sets together with them. His kids adored him, We’d be at their house for dinner and he’d walk in [from work] and they’d run and jump all over him.”
Lomax met Fuccile a couple years ago through the Metuchen Little League, where the boys have been on T-ball and what the league calls Farm Ball teams. Fuccile served as a coach for a team in each league the last two years. Lomax, who serves as Farm League commissioner and is on the Little League board of directors, said he’d been talking to Fuccile about stepping into a spot on the board.
“He was a great Little League dad, he was a great dad,” Lomax said.
He recalled the season and how many games were called and rescheduled due to rain.
“When we had to dry the field up, I’d send out an e-mail. He was always the first guy there to help. One day I called and we managed to get everyone to the fields for makeup games. He brought his boys over, gathered his team together, and he’d be down in the dirt with the kids, teaching them how to play.”
Lomax spoke to the Sentinel as he returned from taking his son to the first day of first grade, where school officials met with parents.
Lomax said, “They told us they’re getting grief counselors. It was a real somber affair.”
Fuccile’s wake was scheduled for Monday afternoon and the funeral will take place Tuesday morning. On Monday morning, Reynolds was working on a eulogy for Fuccile.
“My parents have a pool in Edison, and Mike would do back flips into the pool,” Reynolds said. “Every July 4 we went to the Shore and he helped the kids decorate their bikes with streamers. He did that for his kids, for all the kids. The nieces and nephews would ask, ‘Is Uncle Mike coming?’ Mike had a lifelong impact on people, and it was a positive impact. There’s no replacing him.”
Comment by Edison/Metuchen Sentinel — September 10, 2008 @ 12:04 pm
It is touching that so many people went to the wake. I waited in line for more than 3 hours just to get in the door. I can NOT imagine how Nancy is holding up through all this. What an amazing, strong woman.
DAMN the reason for us all being there. From where will this community’s trust come again? It’s like Metuchen’s mini-9/11. I thought Justin’s sermon was sensitive and thought-provoking. I think it will be quite some time until the proverbial September 12th.
Thank you, Justin and Sophia, for the guest blog.
Comment by michelle — September 10, 2008 @ 8:26 pm
I was on the train that day and heard the news. Thank you for the pictures and stories of a such a fine family man. Hearts are broken for the wife and children left to deal with such a tragedy. May God bless you.
Comment by Paul Adams — September 10, 2008 @ 11:07 pm