Rob Violante, former Somers HS athlete, NJ football coach, remembered at funeral
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS - It was a solemn Wednesday morning at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church as friends, family and former students gathered to honor the life of Robert Violante, a beloved high school football coach and lifelong Somers resident.
Many of Violante's former students and colleagues came to the church, where sobs and sniffles could be heard throughout.
Violante, 45, was killed along with three other people in a two-car crash on Wednesday, May 14, on the Taconic State Parkway in New Castle. A van traveling southbound crossed the median between exits 8 and 9 and collided with Violante's Honda sedan that was traveling north in the left lane.
Three passengers in the van, all men from New Jersey, were also killed.
Violante, head football coach at Bergenfield High School in New Jersey, was a member of a well-known Westchester sports family. He was the son of Frank 'Skip' Violante, a legendary high school football coach for Dobbs Ferry, Rye Neck and Somers High Schools, and the brother of Chris and Brian, also high school and collegiate athletes.
Brian Violante read the eulogy at the funeral Mass and Chris Violante read a second one written by a student. They highlighted Violante's joyful nature.
Rob Violante was a star varsity quarterback and basketball player at Somers High School from 1994 to 1998. He attended Iona University, then Iona College, for a year and went on to play football as a quarterback for the University of Delaware Blue Hens, before graduating with a degree in special education at Mercy College in 2001.
Violante followed in his father's footsteps after college and became a high school teacher and football coach at Dobbs Ferry High School.
In 2011, he was hired at Bergenfield High School and stayed for 15 years, one of the longest-tenured head coaches in school history. He also coached track and field and held the position of dean of students before his death.
A burial service at St. Francis Cemetery in Mount Kisco was to follow the funeral Mass.
The Violante family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the newly-created Rob Violante Memorial Scholarship for Bergenfield High School Students.
To donate, send a check made out to the Bergenfield Board of Education with the memo line: Rob Violante Memorial Scholarship.
Checks should be mailed to Matt McGrath at Bergenfield High School, 80 South Prospect Ave., Bergenfield, NJ 07621.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rob Violante, former Somers athlete, NJ coach, remembered at funeral
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