On Friday morning I woke up and turned on my phone to hear a voice mail from my good friend Mike telling me I needed to call him that he had some bad news. As soon as I heard that message I knew one of my football buddies from high school had died. The reason I knew this is because we are all friends with the same group and just about every one of my friends either played baseball or football, and since Mike made the call I knew it was a football player. I immediately called Mike back, and he had told me that our captain and close friend, owner of his own auto body shop was killed Friday morning in a car accident where he was the passenger. I'm not going to get into the details, but he was drinking and the girl that was driving was drunk and underage, and she only walked away with a sprained ankle. I didn't know what to do, this was the second person from my graduating class that was a passenger, friend, and whom was killed from a car accident.
JJ was an offensive and defensive lineman on the football team at West Milford High School and also a Pitcher for the baseball team. I originally met JJ when I played on his team in 5th grade for little league baseball, we were close friends from there on out. When you grow up with someone and share so many memories with them it's hard to let that person go. Out of our entire senior class in High School there were only two kids that went on to play college football, JJ and myself. Right after we graduated we both went on to college and met up only a few weeks later where JJ and I had our first college scrimmage together. JJ attended Pace University and it was like old times that day on my college football field, except I had big ass JJ trying to tackle me instead of me running behind him like I did in high school. He was the nicest kid I have ever known, I never saw him without a smile, never saw him in a fight, and never got into any trouble. He was brought up with a great mother and father, and great supporting siblings along side him. He was the baby of 1 brother and 2 sisters. I will never forget his laugh, well that's because that's all I remember him doing. I can sit here for hours on end going into stories with me and JJ. There was always that group of us football guys that were always together...JJ, myself, Chuck, Fantry, Argott, Sly, Pork, and probably more I was leaving out. We would always make trips the night before games to Kings Chef Buffet and pig out before we went to war the next day. Things like that will live with me forever.
JJ leaves behind his girl friend with two babies, and another two babies which he adopted, JJ will be missed as a friend, brother, and son. He is no longer with us but his memories will always remain. I heard the pastor speak of a quote that she heard at his mass. The quote said, " Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the breaths we take away." And JJ did just that. You will never be forgotten JJ....I love and miss you...Rest In Peace Bro.
LIVE EVERYDAY AS IF IF WAS YOUR LAST ONE
JAY J. DERAFFELE
DECEMBER 30, 1981
SEPTEMBER 5, 2008
GUY
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2 comments:
Guy your brother put me onto this blog, but JJ was a close friend of mine aswell, I played baseball with him in the summers during college and after, he also got me to buy a new age gto, his fingerpints are all over my engine bay, he made that thing fast as hell, and took care of any problem i had, what a great man.
He is doing 9 second quarter miles in heaven right now
Guy, I look almost everyday at articles from this accident. Still cant believe it, and the day I was at the wake, all I can remember Mr. D saying was "Mike, that was your teammate" I just about lost it! Gives me the chills to this day. Glad to see we all cared for him as much as he deserved but does not deserve to be gone. Get in touch!
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