Hundreds Say Goodbye To Vic Navarra By David Monti (c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
STATEN
ISLAND (05-Jan) -- Nearly 500 people filled Blessed Sacrament Church
here this morning to bid their final goodbyes to Victor J. Navarra, the
retired New York City Fire Department lieutenant who served as the
start coordinator for the ING New York City Marathon for 25 years.
Navarra died last Monday at the age of 55, having suffered for more
than two years with sinus cancer.
In a life which was defined by
service to others, Navarra was remembered for his roles as a family man
and neighbor, a firefighter, and an event organizer. He joined the New
York City Fire Department in 1977, rising to the rank of lieutenant,
and serving 21 years for the department's Ladder Company 35 in
Manhattan.
"The word 'dedicated' didn't even begin to describe
Vic Navarra," a fire department official said during the eulogy portion
of Navarra's funeral. "We have no better ambassador than Vic Navarra
to show what this department is all about."
A neighbor said that
Navarra was "a proud native New Yorker" who was "without pretension," a
man who was always available to lend a tool or help solve a problem.
Navarra, who married his high school sweetheart Joanne Bertucci, and
remained true to her for 37 years, had two daughters and two
grandchildren.
In the most tearful part of the tribute, his
daughter April reminded all who had gathered that Navarra would not
have wanted to see long faces at his funeral. "I often referred to him
as the ultimate optimist," she said. She added, "Dad does not want us
to be sad today. He wanted us to laugh and smile."
More than
100 firefighters attended the funeral, along with dozens of Navarra's
colleagues from the running industry. New York Road Runners, the
organizers of the ING New York City Marathon, were represented by
chairman of the board George Hirsch, president and CEO Mary Wittenberg,
and former president and CEO Allan Steinfeld, amongst other current and
former staff. Dave McGillivray and Ron Kramer, who worked with Navarra
at the Boston Marathon, drove down from Boston, leaving at five o'clock
this morning in order to attend. Adam Zocks and Peter Douglas, who
worked with Navarra at several of Elite Racing's road racing events,
were also there as were photographers Victor Sailer and Lisa Coniglio.
Like Navarra, Sailer is also a retired NYC firefighter.
Navarra
planned his own funeral, according to his family. As memorable as it
was --with bagpipers from the FDNY's Emerald Society, a color guard and
the bittersweet sound of a trumpeter playing "Taps"-- he surely would
have been disappointed by one aspect of the affair: it didn't start on
time.
